Review of Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) by Hector V — 22 Aug 2018

Having taken a plea deal two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man (Scott Lang) is under house arrest while his ex-partners, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her father, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), are on the run from the government. The three reunite when the promise of rescuing Pym's wife, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), from the Quantum Realm manifests itself through a vision of Scott's after his own encounter with the microscopic dimension three years earlier in Ant-Man.

While the first Ant-Man came out on top after a series of extensive production problems including a director swap and extensive rewrites, its sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, is even better thanks to its freedom from those previous constraints.

Director Peyton Reed really narrows down on what made the first film great. Ant-Man and the Wasp is fully of wonderfully goofy gags that stand apart from the usual Marvel formula in their absurdity. Unlike Thor: Ragnorok, whose (still good) humor often felt like it was divorced from its material, Reed's silliness is right at home and in tune with a script that keeps on giving.

That's in no small part thanks to the film's awesome cast. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly fill out the two titular roles with snappy energy and relatability. Rudd plays out the humor in the everyman dad character of Scott with charming success. His scenes with his onscreen daughter, Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson), are particularly good at humanizing a superhero not often seen in this way. Lilly, meanwhile, balances out her end with cool, butt-kicking intensity while maintaining a heart full of surprising vulnerability as Hope/Wasp does anything she has must to reunite with her mother, a trait excellently mirrored by Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

Both characters work so well because of their personal stakes, and the film's villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), is similar in that regard. While not the best the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to offer, Ghost solidly makes a spot for herself amongst the crowded cast with her smaller, personal plight-a far cry from the usual MCU fare. It'll be interesting to see how she pops up in the franchise's future.

However, it's Michael Peña who often steals the show from its stars as Luis, Scott's friend, criminal, and now small business owner. Peña's comedic timing works in perfect harmony with Reed's direction as he spouts out offbeat non-sequiturs. These moments are made even better when paired with Tip "T.I." Harris and David Dastmalchian as Luis' criminal turned business associates.

Laurence Fishburne, Randall Park, Walton Goggins, and Michelle Pfeiffer also shine as newcomers to the film while Bobby Cannavale and Judy Greer reprise their roles from the previous film. There are too many great side characters to name, let alone cover, but rest assured, everyone gets at least a few moments to put a smile on your face.

Out of now twenty films, Ant-Man and Wasp's shrinking powers are likely the most creatively used in all of the MCU. So many neat things are done with shrinking and growing objects that it'd be a crime to spoil any of them. The effects backing them up can hit the uncanny valley spectrum some, but hey, they work, especially the black magic de-aging technology used on Pfeiffer and Douglas during flashback sequences.

And though the film is spectacularly quickly paced, the third act does become the typical, overly long (but nonetheless fun) final showdown modern action films are known for. This complaint may rear its head more on repeat viewings, but it's really just a nitpick given how fun the movie is. The Mexican standoff capping the film off is at least a neat departure from the usual city-wide destruction typical of action film canon.

Ant-Man and the Wasp tops its predecessor as the funniest, most entertaining entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hands down. Its focused story and personal stakes all around make for an excellent blend of humor, action, and heart.