Movie Review: Ant-Man and The Wasp is Summer's Superhero Must-See
Ant-Man and The Wasp is High-Flying, Buzzy, Summer Fun
This time Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit) as Hope gets top billing with Scott Lang/Ant-Man. They are, as the trailers tease, partners. Their relationship status may be well . . . complicated, but it’s not just facebook drama. Scott did, after all, run off to Cap’s side with the Ant-Man suit in Civil War without Hank’s permission. That little blunder had big consequences. Scott’s house arrest sentence is a slap on the wrist compared to Hank and Hope being branded enemies of the state, forced to flee and leave everything behind or face the feds for Scott’s oopsie.
It’s a bananas vision that Scott has -- hint, it involves Hope’s mama, the OG Wasp -- that brings him back into the Pym fold. Going subatomic created a connection between Scott and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), which begs the question, if HE could get out of that mind-trippy timeless void, can SHE?!
Helloooo premise of the movie! One that trailers didn’t give away. (Marvel you're doing it right 👍)
To find out for sure Scott and Hope embrace their inner insects, donning the high powered, teched-out, full-bodied Pym Particle tweaking suits.
But the problems? They’re as numerous as the chain of baddies linked to the plot. There’s that whole Avengers gig Scott tried out. . . and being on the losing side meant he was hit by a little something called the Sokovian Accords, which means the FBI and police are practically frothing at the mouth, trying to catch the “Giant Man” violating his sentence so they can throw him in jail again.
Then there’s Hope and Hank whose tech and scientific progress is hindered by the constant well, running away. It doesn’t help that their lab seems to be on just about everyone’s most-wanted list. Take oily, and sleazy, criminal businessman Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins, Vice Principals) backed by his pack of goons wants to sell the Quantum Tunnel built into the lab for billions. Then there’s the enigmatic space-phasing bulky-white-suit-wearing “Ghost” (Hannah John-Kamen, Ready Player One) who has her own sinister plan to get the power she needs from the tricked-out Tunnel. Then, the feds and cops like Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) who are willing to do whatever it takes to catch Scott, Hope, and Hank.
Director Peyton Reed and screenwriters eschew the one Big Boss Fight -- say, Thanos or Ultron -- and instead pulls together this eclectic bunch of antagonists to bring on the heat. And bring it they do! There’s a zingy and frantic energy to having so many different forces challenging the team in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The bomb dot com plot aside, characters are the heart of this movie. Hope Van Dyne continues to prove she isn’t just the scientific genius Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) daughter. As the Wasp gone is her no-nonsense attitude and casual resentment towards Scott. Hope lets her hair down (hello new long hair ‘do!) and kicks some MAJOR butt. Facing off against what seems to be a revolving door of baddies Hope is there to roundhouse kick and blaster the hell out of them. Yup, she still knows how to punch.
Scott gets even more screen time as a dad and family man. His daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) is ADORABLE and such a delightful addition to a plot that’s fraught with fighting and hilarity. And the whole family thing Scott has going on with his ex-wife (Judy Greer) and her former d-bag cop hubby Paxton (Bobby Cannavale)? ADORABLE x2. Like sandwich hugs and family meal montages adorbs.
Our favourite mile-a-minute fast-talking sidekick Luis (Michael Peña) is back AND backed by his ex-con squad Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (T.I. Harris). The scene-stealing trio is outrageously funny. Luis & co. infuse so much colour and energy into their ridiculous bits that they alone could make this a Marvel must-watch.
Ant-Man and the Wasp knows how to keep our interest from waning. The film see-saws between plot, exposition, character-centered arcs and straight up action and fighting. The car chases and hand-to-hand combat doesn’t get stuck in a lather-rinse-repeat cycle like some other superhero movie slam downs. The clever use of shrinking and growing special effects along with the tricked out suits with blasters, wings, and other tech., not to mention the psychedelic awesomeness of the Quantum Tunnel make Ant-Man and the Wasp, visually a win.
With a plot that never strays into senseless or wtf territory, beloved characters that even more of a delight, and fresh fighting and special effects, Ant-Man and the Wasp is this year’s summer superhero movie.
gifs from giphy | photos from IMDB
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