ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

★★★

LITTLE FILM PACKS A BIG PUNCH

THEATRICAL REVIEW
By Brent Davidson
29th June 2018

Make no mistake, I love me a good Marvel film; I'm down for an epic face-melting CGI experience. But what the MCU does so well is offset these large mind-blowing epics such as ‘The Avengers’, with smaller, riskier and more diverse offerings. These offerings, while not being the mind-melting experience that their bigger brothers might be, allow the created universe to be more intricate, interesting and interconnected. Ant-Man is the perfect example of this: a much beloved hero, not looking to make a huge splash - but you know what they say about ants... they are able to carry ten times their own body weight.

Set a couple of years after the events of ‘Civil War’, and we find Scott under house arrest (for his participation). Mere days away from getting out of his sentence, he is visited by a strange dream while taking a bath. This dream prompts him to get in touch with his old team Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglass) and his daughter and The Wasp, Hope Pym (Evangeline Lilly) to save their mother - but when an unidentified force tries to stop them, Ant-Man must face his greatest challenge yet!

'ANT-MAN AND THE WASP' TRAILER

I have to admit that I love Paul Rudd - his comedic timing and heartwarming performances, which I honestly think is one of this film’s greatest strengths. He is what makes these films so enjoyable and he definitely has the charisma to hold up the franchise. He is also super buff now, which is a thing. While Hope (The Wasp) is a big help to Ant-Man, it's definitely still Ant-Man's show. Which is a shame, because there could be so much done with this tiny evil-fighting duo, the chemistry between Rudd and Lilly doesn't seem forced at all, and is frankly more equal than a lot of other Marvel on-screen romances.

I love a lady that doesn't need saving!

They are saving themselves, with flair, humour and a whole lot of ass-kicking. I also love a complex villain, and this is delivered in spades with Hannah John-Kamen's portrayal of Ghost. I don't want to give away too much, but the ultimate female badass boss of the whole film is Michelle Pfeiffer - could they please just make a movie with her as the title character? I would pay good money to see that.

They are saving themselves, with flair, humour and a whole lot of ass-kicking.

There is humor aplenty in ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’, but it is a bit more widely appealing than say 'Deadpool', and it almost feels like Ant-Man is the family-friendly version of 'Deadpool' - not taking itself too seriously, while at the same time delivering an absolutely thrilling and fun ride. The Marvel self-awareness is also always out in force in their more "side films", and one of the funniest moments in the film comes with Rudd's line: "Do you just put the word ‘Quantum’ in front of everything," because it's what we are all thinking, but at the same time we really aren't here for accurate science.

We’re here for a good time.

We’re given a great time for our efforts. The big and small gags deliver like in the first film and it delicately treads between kitsch, comedy, action and heartwarming moments. Which is why for such a little film, 'Ant-Man and The Wasp' packs a big punch.

P.S. - make sure you stay for the post credits scene. Really. Don’t even think of leaving.

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