Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
In my movie reviews, I usually try to avoid any spoilers that are not in the trailer or the first half hour of the movie. However, I assume you have seen Ant-Man (2015) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), which are the previous films in this series. You can watch the trailer at the end of this post.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Hannah John-Kamen, Michael Peña, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas.
This film follows 2015's Ant-Man and is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I remember liking the original film even though I wasn't expecting much. I usually like only about half the superhero films I see and that doesn't even include a lot of the critical flops that comprise the DC Universe. I haven't liked a single Avengers film so maybe that's why I was surprised to like a film about one of the original Avengers. Well, it's not Hank Pym (Douglas) as Ant-Man in the movies. Instead he has retired to being just a scientist. Just as in the comics, former thief Scott Lang (Rudd) becomes the new Ant-Man. I don't remember Ant-Man from any comics I read, although Hank Pym was in them, mainly as a scientist I think. I do remember the Wasp. Next to Rogue, she was my favorite female superhero. In this film, the Wasp is Hope Van Dyne (Lilly), the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne (Pfeiffer).
It's a strange thing in the comics when the suit is the character. I wonder if they will try to pull such a switch in the MCU eventually. If they can't renew a contract, will they just come up with a new person take on the identity of Captain America or Iron Man? Speaking of the other Avengers, well they're not really in here. Perhaps that is what I like, that it stands apart from much of the MCU, even though it is very much a part of the story.
Ant-Man and the Wasp obviously shows them teaming up for this film. Scott Lang is under house arrest for teaming up with Captain America in Germany to fight the Avengers, which took place in Captain America: Civil War. Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne are wanted by the FBI for supplying the nanotechnology to Lang. Janet Van Dyne (as the Wasp) was lost in the quantum realm 30 years earlier while teaming up with Pym (as Ant-Man). Now that Lang has demonstrated it is possible to return from the quantum realm, they all team up to attempt to rescue Janet Van Dyne. Both the FBI and a gang of criminals are trying to catch them as well as a powerful adversary called the Ghost (John-Kamen), who has a quantum phasing ability that let's her walk through walls.
Ant-Man is possibly the most cinematic of characters as the film allows so much creativity in showing the various perspectives based on his size. It brings forth the imagination of children who know what it's like to see things from a literally different (lower) point of view than the adults who run things. I remember imagining myself as a tiny person running through the grass, then looking down and realizing I towered over insects. I also remember revisiting my elementary school when I was grown up and wondering why it didn't look nearly as big as I remembered it. Well that's because I was much taller, of course. This film captures all that, as cars are shrunk down to the size of matchbox cars and the Wasp runs on a knife flying by her.
The plot is driven by the Ghost trying to capture the technology from Pym, the Wasp and Ant-Man. It's typical of people to fight over ownership of something when they both could just share it if they have similar goals. I guess that wouldn't make a story, but it's so similar to the way a lot of conflicts begin. Not everyone is evil. Some are just on the opposing side. Even the FBI doesn't seem to hate Ant-Man, the Wasp and Pym. It's like they're just playing a game and they win by putting them in jail. Well, putting it that way, I think that's much worse. To not see the cruelty in jailing someone is kind of sadistic. It should at least take quite a vicious crime to take away someone's freedom.
This film is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. I think some of the editing seems a bit off when it cuts to another shot and Lang is suddenly wearing his suit or has changed size. I guess the suit change hearkens back to older superhero films where this was common. Changing size in between shots is kind of confusing though. Still that's a minor technical criticism. I loved the film and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
i would give it 4 out of 5 stars if i had to rate it like that. i think they want to keep it very FAMILY FRIENDLY so they gave this story of all sides wanting that technology from Pym to keep their films diverse. I wrote my own spoiler review and i was hoping if you think of it my analysis of this movie. i am a big fan of MCU and i was wondering what parts you agree/disagree on.
Oh I'll check that out. My ratings are meaningless. Every time write a movie review I change the way I rate them. Since it seems I should give sort of grade on a movie review, I just make up a rating system. Sometimes I do letter grades instead. I prefer writing about old movies, not worrying about giving away spoilers. I never rate those. I just like if a movie makes me think and inspires me to write about it.