Ant-Man and the Wasp – Film Review
With Marvel Studios’ twentieth installment in the now beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp, the studio has made the decision to cut back on shocking and emotional moments seen previously in the grand epic Avengers: Infinity War, and instead go for more lighthearted fun. This can make the movie both an enjoyable yet forgettable experience, however.
Scott Lang / Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is still on house arrest following the events of Captain America: Civil War. He then teams up with Hope van Dyne / Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to fight a brand new villain going by the name Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen).
Evangeline Lilly as Hope can Dyne / Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
After seeing the previous entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War, it is safe to say that many fans around the world left the theatre feeling emotional. Marvel heard those fans and made the bold choice to go from catastrophic events in their universe from easy-going and a comedic feel for this film.
While some fans may feel as if this is a good decision that Marvel has made when it comes to Ant-Man and the Wasp, I actually think that it is the film’s biggest flaw. There is no real sense of danger or suspense to be found throughout the film. Sure, there is a villain that is plotting evil schemes, but even the villain is not all that compelling, which is an issue I had with this film’s predecessor.
The performances throughout (particularly Rudd, Lilly and John-Kamen) are all excellent, but I just wish they had more things to do in the actual film.
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Every MCU film to date has amazing action sequences and Ant-Man and the Wasp is no different. There are several scenes that cleverly utilize the shrinking factor of both Ant-Man and Wasp’s ability to shrink down to the size of an ant during this film, which was nice to see.
The film is also fairly funny. There were multiple scenes that genuinely did have me chuckling, which is now a normal element of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
Without giving away any spoilers, this film’s end credits sequence is one of the best there is in the MCU to date. Many people in my theatre, myself included, were genuinely shocked and thrilled at what we had just witnessed.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is a fun, lighthearted comedic ride, but severely lacks the thrill, suspense, and adventure of any Marvel Cinematic Universe film before it.
Overall Grade: C-
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi action violence
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Running Time: 118 minutes