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Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)

"I'll call you ANTonio Banderas!"
Peyton Reed's 2015 MCU addition, Ant-Man, should have been a fiasco: the film's original director, and writer, Edgar Wright bailed after "creative differences" with the studio. The script features seven writers. SEVEN. But, in spite of all of that, Ant-Man was charming, and funny. Its sequel, Ant-Man and The Wasp was scheduled to come out AFTER the shattering ending of Avengers: Infinity War. How would they do that? Where was Scott during the whole Infinity War deal? How would it fit into the new status quo that the biggest super hero movie ever made created? I had to find out.

Summary:

Scott Lang is under house arrest. Ever since that time he went to Germany and helped a wanted fugitive fight some super heroes. Hope Van Dyne, and her father, Hank Pym, are, understandably, upset at Scott for leaving them behind, getting in trouble, and sending them on the run. But they need his help. Because he might be the only one who can help them find Hank's wife, Janet, who's been lost for nearly thirty years.

Pros:

Its Own Corner of the MCU: The first Ant-Man decided that it was going to lean heavily on the comedic chops of its lead, and that was a good thing. The MCU was getting increasingly darker in tone, but Ant-Man stood out as a nice slice of action comedy. Ant-Man and The Wasp doubles down on this idea, and really becomes the family friendly corner of the MCU. Scott's dynamic with his daughter is touching and honest; his romance with Hope doesn't feel bungled; the fact that his ex-wife and her new husband both love Scott, and frequently hug him, is a really nice positive take on how families can survive divorce. Even the film's villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) isn't you typical MCU Baddie: she's in pain, and she's desperately trying to find a way to heal her condition. She doesn't want to take over the world, she just wants to stop hurting, and she's backed into a corner. Peyton Reed has crafted a really positive film that has heart, and spirit, and it is everything we need after the events of Infinity War.

Chemistry: Everyone works really well together in this film. Paul Rudd is a font of charisma and charm; Evangeline Lilly is a great bad-ass woman; Michael Douglas is a great codgy old scientist. Michael Pena continues to own his screen time with heart and hilarity, and Randall Park steals a scene or two as Agent Jimmy Woo, whose job it is to keep tabs on Scott. The script moves quickly, and doesn't have time to really dig into any one character, but the chemistry of the lead and supporting players really keeps the story flowing.

Fun Action: The first film milked a lot of fun out of what the world looks like from an ant-sized scale. The second film ratchets that fun up to eleven. The kitchen fight with The Wasp is clever and fresh: she runs along thrown kitchen knife blades, narrowly avoids being tenderized by a mallet, and stops a runner with an expertly thrown salt shaker. Elsewhere, the movie utilizes its San Francisco setting to great effect during car chases, sending cars flipping down the city's infamously steep hills. A shout out, too, to the effects team behind Ghost's ethereal movements: they look great, and Scott and Hope have to get creative to beat a person capable of phase-shifting through solid objects.

Quick: The movie is two minutes shy of two hours, but never feels long. Reed keeps the train moving with a brisk script, and a quick pace.

Unsexed: Neither The Wasp or Ghost's costumes are oversexed. This is a breath of fresh air. Both women are stunningly beautiful, but the costume department allowed their super suits to be functional, and cool-looking, without resorting to painted-on fabrics or gigantic titty-armor. I really, really like and respect Marvel for that.

Cons:

Under Developed Villains: Both Hannah John-Kamen and Walton Goggins acquit themselves well in the film with fine performances, but it is a little tiring that Marvel still keeps tripping over this stair. DEVELOP YOUR VILLAINS. Ghost is great, her motivation is there, and John-Kamen plays her wonderfully, but the film just doesn't have enough time to really giver her her due. The same goes with Goggins: he is a phenomenal actor, that sells what he is given, even if what he is given is less than he is worth. I am hoping that both villains might come back, and that we will get to see more of them at a later date. Once that Thanos fella is dealt with.

Laurence Fishburne Jumped Ship: only to kind of be under-utilized in THIS comic universe, too. He's a wonderful actor, and the DCEU wasted his time. He has some fine moments, here, but Bill Foster could have used some more. He is connected to Ghost in a nice fashion, and I hope that they bring BOTH of them back in future installments.

In Conclusion:

Ant-Man and The Wasp is a great palate cleanser, after the tragedy and heft of the Infinity War. It joins the ranks of the MCU's finely crafted pop-corn entertainment: light, fun, and funny. It may not be the best MCU film, but it is doing its own thing, and that, in itself, is respectable.

Should You Watch It?

Yeah, this is a good time, and you can enjoy it with your kids. It's a fun way to spend a summer afternoon.

Miscellany:

- This is the twentieth MCU movie.
- This is Marvel's SECOND film to feature a female antagonist, after Thor: Tagnarok. Keep 'em coming, Marvel.
- During the casting period, director,Peyton Reed, received a letter from Steven Spielberg, who heartily recommended Hannah John-Kamen, after working with her on Ready Player One. That's just kind of bad ass.
- The movie opened with a $76 million domestic box office take. In other countries, it garnered $85 million, which brings its total box office take, after only its first weekend, to $161 million. This continues Marvel's bonkers box office domination: all of its twenty films have opened at number one, and all have been verifiable hits. 



Comments

  1. beanfridayJuly 8, 2018 at 6:57 PM

    Excited to see it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike MeepleJuly 8, 2018 at 9:14 PM

    While not necessarily a sign of pure quality, my 2 year old was SO into the movie, he started talking to it, like it was audience participation. Like calling out that the ants were “BIG!” I think that does say something to the appeal of the film in general though.

    Fun fact: The first Marvel film with a female titular character.

    ReplyDelete

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