Ant-Man and the Wasp Review

PG-13: For some sci-fi action violenceMarvel Studios1 Hr and 57 MinutesDir: Peyton Reed | Writers: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel FerrariCast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip "T.I." Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Douglas
Two years after the events of “Captain America: Civil War”, and before the events of “Avengers: Infinity War”, Scott Lang, now under house arrest after the events of “Civil War”, tries to balance his home life as a father with his responsibilities as Ant-Man. When Hope van Dyne and Hank Pym present him with a new mission to bring to light secrets from their past, Lang teams up with Van Dyne as the new Wasp.THE GOODHey, are you still hella depressed after the events of “Infinity War”? Do you need a Marvel movie to keep your mind off of the sadness of “Infinity War”?! Well, Kevin Feige’s amazing business moves continue for Marvel Studios and he has the perfect antidote for you. “Ant-Man and the Wasp”! On the surface you might be thinking, “Umm, why have another Ant-Man movie after the two most game-changing releases Marvel has had this year”? “Black Panther” was a cultural phenomenon, “Infinity War” had the meet-up of nearly every character in the MCU, but here’s the thing: “Infinity War” left off on a huge sour note that caused plenty of tears and depression.
AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE “Ant-Man and the Wasp” to cleanse your sadness and give you what Marvel knows how to do best: comedy. And just like it’s predecessor, “Ant Man and the Wasp” is a full-on comedy. What works in this film’s favor is in fact the light tone. By Marvel movie standards, this one is the most family friendly of them all down to the point that nobody really ever swears. Instead of characters saying words you’re able to get away with in a PG-13 movie, characters actually censor themselves by saying “shhh”. Each action sequence isn’t much of a buildup to progress the story, but instead to deliver a humorous punchline.The action is still fun, innovative, and overall an enjoyable rollercoaster ride. Hope finally gets to show off her badass skills in her Wasp suit and when she’s working side by side with Scott, the film is at it’s best.While the first film was more of a heist movie, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is more of a gold rush caper where everyone is on the chase to obtain various things. You have Scott, Hope, and  Hank on the run from the government. Then, you have the film’s antagonist, Ghost chasing after Hank’s lab for her personal use. And then you have the government running after Scott, Hope, and Hank. You also have Walton Goggins as this southern black market gangster chasing after Hank’s lab for his own financial gain. As I said, it’s a wild goose chase of a movie. The stakes are high, but not on a global or an intergalactic scale which allows this to be a very self-contained feature.
The first Ant-Man was a mess in terms of the production from the change of directors and script rewrites, and it ended up being a fun surprise thanks to the VFX team more than director Peyton Reed. Here, Reed finds his place in the MCU as he maintains the light tone. Director Peyton Reed proves that this is HIS franchise in the same vein as James Gunn does with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films.THE BADIf you’re looking for another incredible Marvel movie in the ranks as many of the others, you might be very disappointed. The movie is fun and all, but as I said, it’s a wild goose chase movie which doesn’t have much substance to it and doesn’t play to anything significant to the MCU until it gets to the post credit sequence. There isn’t much to go in depth about with this movie because there’s not much to this movie other than a fun summer ride. At this point, that’s all we need right now.LAST STATEMENT“Ant-Man and the Wasp” offers little (no pun intended) to the entire large scope of the MCU, but as a self-contained fun summer blockbuster that only cares to have fun and for audiences to have a good time, it delivers.Rating: 3.5/5 | 74%Super Scene: Truth Serum