Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018 Film) Review

For me, the only thing that could’ve made the original "Ant-Man” better, was if we saw the Wasp in it more. With the sequel, it seems like we get that, but is the quality kept up?

"Ant Man and the Wasp" features the return of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, and Michael Peña as Luis. The sequel to the 2015 original also brings in new cast members, such as Walton Goggins, Lawrence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Payton Reed returns to direct this sequel while Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari write the script. As usual, Kevin Feige produces.

Overall Thoughts

When it comes to second installments in the MCU, two out of the five only managed to succeed its predecessor. For me, those two were "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron." On the other hand, "Iron Man 2," "Thor: The Dark World," and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" failed to even match the quality of the original. (Feel free to argue amongst yourselves which succeeded and which failed. Remember, this my opinion. I'm entitled to it as are you to your own opinion.) For a while, I was afraid that there wouldn't even be a sequel to "Ant-Man." Few remember that that film had the lowest opening weekend of any MCU film since "The Incredible Hulk." It went on to make 180.2 million domestically. Luckily, the international markets loved the film and propelled the film to a worldwide gross of 519.3 million, a total that surpassed the first installment grosses for fellow MCU heroes, Thor and Captain America. At first, Marvel Studios questioned the legitimacy of a sequel. Now, they had confirmation that audiences wanted more of the shrinking hero and now, we have "Ant-Man and the Wasp." Is it as good as, perhaps better, than the original? Having seen the film, I think that's a complex question.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp" has a lot of things that make it better than the original. The Wasp is now a major character, the comedy is ramped up, and there's more done with the size manipulation aspect of the lead heroes. It's done in a way that makes these movies stand out in the MCU and in a franchise that has now produced its twentieth entry, standing out is key to success. Even with all these fun elements, the story is what keeps it from succeeding the original.

Following the original film's method of following a team-up film, this film is releasing after the bold and dramatic "Avengers: Infinity War." Having had a large cast, the narrative for that film was, expectedly, stuffed as it tried to weave all the characters together. To my surprise, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" has an equally packed narrative. It has many characters and thus, many plot points to support those characters. While "Infinity War" justified the numerous characters, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" has no reasonable justification for the many characters and plot points. At an hour and fifty-eight minutes, the movie runs at a breakneck pace, but some plot points get forgotten for a period of time. Granted, they're points that were not that interesting to begin with, but that only makes it frustrating when you discover that they could've been axed altogether.

Some members of the supporting cast have little to do in the film. Michael Peña's Luis elicits the belly laughs and partakes in some of the action. Similar to the first film, he doesn't do much beyond that. Michael Douglas does well as Hank Pym. Douglas has some well-acted emotional moments and you sense his character's anxiety during his search for his wife, Janet. Speaking of, comic book movie legend, Michelle Pfeiffer, briefly portrays the hero. Most of her part involves flashbacks and having Paul Rudd mimic her personality for a funny/creepy gag. When we do finally meet her in present day, she is good and is nothing more. Essentially, I would describe her part as an extended cameo. Walton Goggins is the most unnecessary character that I've seen in film this year. He and his crew had a few funny lines, but they're playing stereotypical gangsters and are ultimately unnecessary inclusions, leaving me to guess what their purpose was beyond being a plot device. Lawrence Fishburne as famous comic book character, Bill Foster/Goliath, is sadly reduced to a cliché role. It's a shame that Fishburne can't quite find the right comic book movie role for him. The villain of the film, Ghost, is played by Hannah John-Kamen. Kamen's acting is efficient, but unfortunately, she is not as well-developed as one might've hope, especially when put into comparison with Corey Stoll's Darren Cross/Yellowjacket from the first film. Kamen does have the same intensity that Stoll had playing the villain. You wouldn't want to get in the way of either of them, particularly when they're upset. While she does elicit some sadness with her piercing eyes, she isn't as interesting a villain as recent MCU villains like Killmonger and Thanos. Now, onto the lead heroes.

Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Hope van Dyne/Wasp

The real heart of the original "Ant-Man" lied within Paul Rudd. To quote myself in the "Ant-Man" section of my MCU ranking, "While not being the most righteous of dudes, the movie is able to take Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and make him a sympathetic and likable character. You feel for his trials and that's because Rudd does sympathetic surprisingly well. You want him to succeed and be more close to his daughter and the film tugs at your heartstrings without being overwhelming." That statement is applicable to this sequel. We, as an audience, are simply seeing his character continue to grow. Rudd's reliability continues to live on throughout his performance, but Scott has a slightly less comedic role since we last saw his character in "Captain America: Civil War." Scott feels a little somber in this film as he's still dealing with the consequences of his decision to help Captain America, warts and all. Though a little more solemn, Scott continues to be the emotional center of these films. It's worth noting, though, that he seems to share part of that center with Hope in this film. I'll get further into the action scenes later on, but despite having a face that's covered by a mask, you can tell that Rudd's giving his all and is having a blast, even if his character is annoyed with his suit's malfunctions.

Time to drop a truth bomb. The Wasp is my favorite heroine in all of comic book lore. After the mid-credit tease in the original "Ant-Man," I was eagerly ANTicipating seeing Evangeline Lilly come into her own as a full-fledged hero. The trailers did a lot to get me excited for her, and when I watched the film, she did not disappoint. Once again, I'm saving action scenes for later, but Marvel delivered on the promise of the Wasp and Lilly did a pitch-perfect job in the part. While she did great in her action scenes, I liked seeing her relationship continue with Scott the most. The MCU doesn't have that many well-developed romances. You have Tony and Pepper, Steve and Peggy, and nothing else. The romance between T'Challa and Nakia shows promise, but needs more development before I consider it to be one of the best. For now, I think the relationship between Scott and Hope is the best romance in the MCU. Their relationship, particularly in this film, feels so genuine and sincere. They have their arguments and tend to cut each other down to size, both figuratively and literally, but in the end, they help each other out and make for a great partnership. Overall, these are two great performances from to great actors.

Action and CGI

One of the greatest assets to the "Ant-Man" films is their action sequences. Because the main heroes have unexplored ability to shrink and grow instantaneously, several inventive action scenes emerge. The heroes will team up to beat the opposing force by shrinking or growing and the camera follows it all without fail. It'll zoom in on our heroes when in miniature mode and we get an interesting perspective of our world from a different scale. The fight scenes are very fast-paced, always jumping from different angles during a fistfight or a car chase. There's a little shaky-cam involved, but it's otherwise shot clear, making it easy for the viewer to follow what's going on. Honestly, there's nothing to complain about the action sequences in the film. I suppose you saw most of it in the trailers, but even that's a nitpick. The action never fails to entertain and runs at the right length, never overstaying its welcome.

The CGI is in top-form as well. Ghost's abilities are well-realized and watching her utilize them is stunning to see. Ant-Man and Wasp's shrinking scenes never look fake either. You feel that they're actually there. By far, the most visually arresting CGI seen in "Ant-Man and the Wasp," is the Quantum Realm itself. With its unique color palate and interesting landscapes, this is one thing that you'll be impressed by when watching the film. The effects artists should be commended. Along with "Ready Player One" and "Avengers: Infinity War," this is one of the best utilizations of CGI that I've seen this year.

Score

Now here's a score that maintains the original theme, while also giving it a fresh spin that doesn't dilute it. Recently, I've felt that the scores for the films that I've reviewed lately, have been unremarkable. Thankfully, the score for "Ant-Man and the Wasp" isn't that.

It's been a great year for scores in the MCU franchise. Ludwig Göransson's score for "Black Panther" and Alan Silvestri's score for "Avengers: Infinity War" are some of the best scores in the superhero film genre. Christophe Beck, who composed the score for the original "Ant-Man," returns to score "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and it's just as good as those two aforementioned soundtracks.

As previously mentioned, the Ant-Man theme used in the original film is brought back in its entirety, but is also given a new twist. It's slightly more jazzy with an added techno element to give the music an independent identity. It was fresh, but that wasn't one of my favorite tracks. My favorite tracks included the Wasp theme, titled "It Ain't Over Till the Wasp Lady Stings" in the soundtrack, the "Prologue" track, and finally, the quiet and effective "Anthropodie," which plays during the end credits. Bottom line, this was another hit soundtrack for the MCU. I recently appeared on the Superhero MovieCast podcast to talk about the ten best scores in superhero films and I'm considering replacing one of the scores I chose with this one.

Grade: B+

Though the narrative isn’t as tight as the original's, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is full of laugh-out-loud comedy, innovative action sequences, and powered by impeccable preformances from its lead heroes, that it demands a trip to the multiplex. I highly recommend seeing this film in the cinema. If the film is playing in IMAX near you, pay the added expense to see it that way. This is absolutely worth the added fee because of the visuals and immersive action scenes. The format sucks you into the film and the bigger screen allows you to see more that you wouldn't see any other way. Even if you aren't into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, give this film a shot. Just be sure to watch the first film prior to seeing this one.

Conclusion

And that has been my review of “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” If you have not seen the film yet, are you planning to see it, or are you on the fence? If you are, does my review help solve your indecision? If you did see the film this past weekend, let me know what you thought it and my review in the comments down below. Feel free to suggest a film that you'd like me to review next as well. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, the Film Fanatic, bye-bye.