Ant-Man And The Wasp - Review

Ant-Man is back! A few months after the heaviness and franchise altering Avengers: Infinity War happened, comes the next entry into the MCU. Ant-Man and The Wasp serves as the perfect palette cleanser to move us slowly toward Avengers 4. There will be minor spoilers throughout this review, so continue reading with that in mind.

Ant-Man and The Wasp deals directly with the events of Captain America: Civil War. Without that movie, this sequel is not the same. Everything you love about the first Ant-Man, you'll get here. But post-Infinity War it feels even more welcome. While it could have very well have felt like making a joke at a funeral, it was more like ordering dessert after a heavy meal.

Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas give sturdy performances, both comedic and dramatic, but Evangeline Lilly steals the show out of the main three. Michael Pena and Walter Goggins are great as well. Laurence Fishburne is always reliable, and his role adds depth to the story and to Hank Pym's character. I'd be surprised if we didn't see him again.

Director Peyton Reed offered a much better villain this time around. But the nuance of the character doesn't really make her "bad". She's more just a person with differing, yet understandable goals. In a different world, she could have been the main character of the movie with the same motives. While she does do bad things, the Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) is not an inherently bad person. 

The Quantum Realm plays a huge part in this, and will factor into the future of the MCU. While it is very science-fictiony, it is laid out in a way that the casual fan could understand it.

Ant-Man and The Wasp refers to both the current team of Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, and the original team of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). The movie takes its time to give both relationships the time they needed.

Another relationship worth paying attention to is that of Scott and his daughter Cassie. There were definitely some seeds planted for the future. Pay attention to their dialogue to each other throughout the movie.

We've seen characters grow big and shrink down in many different movies. Ant-Man and The Wasp offered some unique takes on that. There is a particular car chase scene that is definitely a highlight of the film. 

All of the "Greatest Hits" are here too. A Stan Lee cameo that gives him one of the best lines of his career, plays really well. Luis gets to do his "story thing" where he recaps stuff, and it works just as well this time.

There is an amazing mid-credit scene where people who want a taste of Infinity War stuff will definitely get it. There is one line said that might offer clues into what will happen in Avengers 4. The post credit scene though, is awful. There have been some pointless, mind-numbing ones before, but what makes this worse than all of those is that they showed it in the previews! I'm sure that wasn't the decision of Peyton Reed or the rest of the crew, but it was an absolutely horrible decision, whoever made it.

Marvel has made personal stories before, but this one was one of the most intimate and personal ones yet. After giving us a movie on the grandest scale possible, this tiny (no pun intended) character journey shows the scope of what Marvel Studios can do.

Ant-Man and The Wasp is legitimately funny too. It is funnier than the first Ant-Man and funnier than Spider-Man: Homecoming or either of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Thor: Ragnarok showed what a funny Marvel movie can be, and Ant-Man and The Wasp builds off of that. While I can't say definitively that it is funnier than Ragnarok, it is definitely in the running. I'll need a few more rewatches to make that determination.

There is only one movie (Captain Marvel) left before we get to the conclusion of Infinity War. While everyone assumes that will be important, and they're right, there is a lot in this film that could be important too. Pay attention to the small (no pun intended) details. Pay attention to the dialogue. You'll be able to advance your theories. In time, Ant-Man and The Wasp will prove more important than it seems at first glance.

Go see it. You'll laugh, you'll get more information, and you'll be thoroughly entertained.

Ant-Man and The Wasp is in theaters everywhere now.