I must admit that I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about “Ant-Man and the Wasp” simply because of its smaller scope. The ever escalating stakes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe means that there’s always a cosmic menace just around the corner. It’s harder to care when it’s not the galaxy that’s endangered, although stories with more personal stakes like “Spider-Man: Homecoming” have fared well. Plus, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” comes in on the heels of “Avengers: Infinity War” – how do you top the destruction of half the universe?
Fortunately, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” manages to make the stakes personal and emotional enough, such that you care deeply for the success of the protagonists despite the fact that the consequences of failure are much smaller. It does so by drawing upon the interpersonal relationships between the Hank (Michael Douglas), Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and linking that to the parent-child relationship between Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). It also helps that they’ve got Michelle Pfeiffer to play the role of Janet, and seeing Douglas and Pfeiffer onscreen together really emphasises the fact that they’re the old guard, handing over to a new generation.
The writing is snappy and witty, making up for the smaller scope with better and more experimental forms of humour. It’s doubtlessly meant to be a fun and slightly more light-hearted corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with no less heart than the other movies. The raucous humour does feel like it’s trying a little too hard at times – but at least it’s enthusiastic about the jokes, and you can forgive the parts where it goes to great lengths for comedy.
A friend of mine lamented the fact that there was no straight-up supervillain for the heroes to clash against (a bit of a spoiler, I must admit), which meant that the battle between good and evil was much less straightforward. I have to admit that he did have a point, but how many variations of “supervillain emerges and superheroes have to defeat him/her/it” can you possibly have before it starts to get stale? Yet, the whole point of superhero movies is to watch larger than life, colourful battles play out on screen – the stuff of fantasy and science fiction, which we will never see in real life. We’ve had it since men started telling stories – what’s to say we’ll ever get sick of this formula?
Still, I understand the value of having a character that’s not an outright supervillain who has to be put away by the end of the episode movie. You never know who’s going to be that breakout, hit character in a film.
Ultimately, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” isn’t going to be a mega-budget bank-breaking entry – but that’s the whole point of its charm. Being able to do its own thing, far away from universe altering consequences, is what gives this film its appeal. Besides, it explores another realm (although it’s not so much another dimension as it is an exotic location given another name) – what’s there not to like?
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you like all things Marvel.
Score: 3.6/5
Secret ending: 2
Running time: 118 minutes (~2 hours)
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” is a superhero film that’s the twentieth instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The film sees the continued adventures of Ant-Man as he joins forces with a new ally – the Wasp. They face a new enemy – Ghost – who may not be all that she seems to be. It will take old allies, new friends, and a dash of ingenuity if they are to save the day this time around.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” is directed by Peyton Reed and written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari. It stars Paul Rudd (Ant-Man/Scott Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Wasp/Hope van Dyne), Michael Pena (Luis), Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch), Tip Harris (Dave), David Dastmalchian (Kurt), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost/Ava Starr), Randall Park (Jimmy Woo), Michelle Pfeiffer (Janet van Dyne), Laurence Fishburne (Bill Foster), Abby Ryder Forston (Cassie Lang) and Michael Douglas (Hank Pym). It is rated PG-13.
This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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