Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Hannah John-Kamen, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Peña, Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins, Randall Park, David Dastmalchian, T.I., Abby Ryder
The Film: As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past. (-IMDB)
Let’s just get the “small” puns out of the way because they will most certainly be unavoidable throughout this review. Ant-man and the Wasp, the twentieth entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is much smaller in scale compared to Avengers: Infinity War which preceded it a couple of months ago. Much like the original Ant-Man, however, the reduced scope actually works to the film’s benefit and the end product is a solid sequel that delivers a thoroughly enjoyable, if slightly flawed experience.
The first Ant-Man was one of the rare films to be mired in the tiniest (pun absolutely intended) bit of production trouble in the otherwise well-oiled machine known as Marvel Studios. Ant-Man had originally been developed and shepherded by indie filmmaker Edgar Wright since 2006 only for Wright to depart the project over creative differences with the studio. This left Marvel scrambling to find a new director. Marvel Studios was eventually able to hire director Peyton Reed at the very last minute and production commenced on the film. The fact that Reed (whose most notable directorial credits at the time were Bring it On and Yes Man) was chosen to replace Wright certainly raised a few eyebrows and coupled with the obscurity of the character, many people had already written off Ant-Man as destined to become the studio’s first true critical and financial failure.
Lo and behold, the film was released and exceeded most people’s expectations and while it didn’t demolish the box office, it made enough worldwide to warrant a sequel. I was one of those people who was pleasantly surprised by the first film’s charm, offbeat humor, and clever use of the titular hero’s shrinking powers. The sequel retains much of that whimsical flair and substantiates Peyton Reed’s ability as a competent director who now has full control of the reins on this franchise.
Now before I go into the plot synopsis, let me preface this by briefly mentioning the marketing of this movie. The marketing team deserves some applause because for once, the trailers for a major Hollywood release did not spoil the key plot points of the movie. None of the main trailers or teasers actually reveal the focal plot details which is a feat considering the unfortunate, spoilery nature of most modern-day movie trailers. So, since the trailers are vague, I too shall be light on the details of the film’s story.
That being said, Ant-Man and the Wasp takes place before the events of Infinity War and starts off with Scott Lang dealing with the ramifications of his actions in Captain America: Civil War. The non-aging Paul Rudd returns as Lang who has been on house arrest for nearly two years while trying to maintain a relationship with his daughter Cassie (reprised by the adorable Abby Ryder Fortson from the first film) and secure the foundations of a legitimate personal security business. Things appear to be going smoothly as Lang is left counting the mere days left on his house arrest sentence until he is soon contacted by Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyme (once again portrayed by Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly respectively) and sucked into another quirky adventure. That is about the extent of what I will mention about the film’s story.
What I enjoyed the most about this movie is the universal element that I tend to enjoy when it comes to most MCU films: the characterizations of its heroes. Scott Lang is still the lovable ex-con with a heart of gold who can’t seem to stop screwing up while Hope is as determined and fierce as ever and is given quite a bit of screen time to finally strut her stuff in the Wasp costume. It is apparent that a lot of attention was given to the Wasp’s action scenes (perhaps to compensate for their absence in the first film) and the film does a good job of imbuing a flavor of uniqueness that separates her shrinking and growing fight choreography from Ant-Man’s.
Michael Douglas is given much more to do this time around as Hank Pym. While his character was mostly relegated to the role of exposition spewing mentor in the first movie, Pym is burdened with much more personal stakes this time around which lead to a couple of great scenes that exhibit some real emotional weight. The chemistry between Scott and Hope is awkward yet oddly palpable, while Hank and Hope continue to develop their repaired relationship from the first film. And of course, the humorous interactions between Scott and Hank are still a delight to witness. All three of these characters display such a great dynamic throughout the film as they work towards accomplishing their mission and this trifecta is what truly carries the heart of this movie from beginning to end.
Pretty much the entire supporting cast of the first film is back as well, but most of them are sidelined to extremely minor roles. The only one worth mentioning is Michael Pena’s Luis who gets an even meatier role to chew on this time around. Luis was the crux of the comedy in the original Ant-Man, and once again, the film got some of the biggest laughs every time he appeared on screen. Even his ridiculously tangential storytelling device is brought back for an absolutely hilarious scene during the film’s midway point.
Of course, we can’t really talk about an Ant-Man movie without mentioning the shrinking effects. The first film accomplished the task of making the concept of shrinking to the size of an ant actually appear cool on the big screen, and I am pleased to say that the sequel really doubles down on this and gives us some really unique ways in which the heroes and objects shrink and grow. Peyton Reed and his crew have found even more creative methods to utilize this effect, especially in the fight scenes, and this effort really stands out in a market that is nearly oversaturated with dangerously similar superhero action.
The quantum realm, which the audience only caught a brief glimpse of in the first Ant-Man, is also further explored in the sequel. This mysterious, uncharted dimension that was only accessible by going subatomic, is investigated to a more significant degree and while it is most certainly visually arresting, the scenes involving the quantum realm tend to display the film’s more exposition and jargon-heavy dialogue.
The plot and narrative structure of the film is also interesting because it is quite different from previous MCU installments which is refreshing since the majority of the MCU films tend to fall into the trappings of formulaic storytelling. However, this is also detrimental to the film. The narrative, at times, calls for a lot of different things to be occurring on screen in between quick edits and it becomes apparent that a more cohesive flow would have been better for the overall experience. This lack of focus can also be attributed to the film’s approach to its villains. Without going into specific details, it is atypical in a certain sense, and although the effort is commendable, the movie doesn’t quite stick its landing when it comes to Ant-Man’s nemeses.
The main antagonist is Ghost (played by relative newcomer Hannah John-Kamen) who has the ability to phase through matter. The film certainly tries to make Ghost character a sympathetic villain almost in the same vein as Black Panther’s Erik Killmonger, but it never truly hits home. The character simply does not have ample screen time to develop a backstory that is interesting enough to make the audience genuinely care about her plight. Hence, the end result feels like a regression from the awesomeness that was Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Additionally, Walton Goggins’ Sonny Burch doesn’t make much of an impact either and he is pretty much wasted as smooth-talking gangster #1 who is just there to drive the plot forward. It would have been preferable to have some of this excess villain fat trimmed in favor of dedicating more time to our heroes.
Another small quibble that should be mentioned is that, Scott Lang, as great as he is as a character in the film, doesn’t get much development. He has an arc but doesn’t have the same kind of growth that he had in the first film from criminal to hero that made his story so endearing. There are some great shared character moments with his daughter Cassie (one father-daughter scene in particular towards the beginning of the film that brought a huge smile to my face), but I was left wanting more. Perhaps this was unavoidable due to the amount of shared screen time with Hope, but it’s hard to complain too much since Wasp is such a showstopper (her name is in the title after all). Also, the great Michelle Pfeifer portrays Janet Van Dyme, the original Wasp and Hope’s mother. I won’t specify to what capacity, but it wouldn’t be an understatement to say that she was a bit underutilized.
Getting back to what makes this movie work; the reduced scale is what really amplified my enjoyment of this film. The stakes are comparatively much smaller than those of Avengers: Infinity War but they hold just as much weight because they are personal to the characters within this particular story. This is a movie that shows us that not every superhero movie needs to be about saving the world or an entire city. And although I am a sucker for the easter egg-filled, cross-pollinating elements of the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp is confident enough in its titular characters to not rely on countless fan service and cameos by heroes of other franchises. That is not to say that this movie doesn’t have the minimum dose of MCU references, it certainly does, but this is a movie that is very much self-contained and is totally aware of what it is: a brisk, breezy, enjoyable episode in the ever-growing Marvel narrative.
Ultimately, Ant-Man and the Wasp, provides the right amount of lightness to offset all the darkness and doom that culminated in Avengers: Infinity War. It is certainly not without its flaws and I wouldn’t even consider it to be a top-tier Marvel product, but it is a totally watchable and pleasurable viewing experience for what it is. If you liked the first Ant-Man, you will most certainly find something to enjoy in this sequel and it will serve as a much needed reprieve until we get back to all of the universe-altering implications of the next Avengers sequel.
Score: 7.5/10
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