Ant-Man, originally also known as Dr. Hank Pym, was created by legendary comic book writer Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciler Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 in 1962. Soon after, Lee and Kirby, alongside comic book writer/artist Ernie Hart created Ant-Man’s partner in crime-fighting known as The Wasp, originally Janet van Dyne, who debuted in Tales to Astonish #44 in 1963. Having been founding members of the original Avengers, the two had the unique ability to shrink down in size, giving them enhanced strength and speed. Pym was eventually replaced by ex-convict and electronics expert Scott Lang, who was created by David Michelinie and John Byrne, and he first became the new Ant-Man in Marvel Premiere #47 in 1979. He was soon followed by Hope Pym, aka Hope van Dyne, who was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz initially as the super-villain Red Queen debuting in A-Next #7 in 1999. Flash forward to many years later when, in 2015, Marvel Studios released Ant-Man as part of their Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starring Paul Rudd as the titular character, as well as featuring Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, the film was an enjoyable superhero movie, if somewhat middle-of-the-road when compared to Iron Man, Captain American: The First Avenger, and The Winter Soldier, and The Avengers. Nonetheless, much like the other films in the MCU, Ant-Man was a hit with both critics and audiences and, in 2018, we’ve been given a sequel called Ant-Man and The Wasp.
%
Rating
Synopsis
Taking place two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, we find Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) now under house arrest following his encounter with the Avengers and teaming up with Captain America. Because of this, ties between him, Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Pym (Michael Douglas) have all but ceased. That all changes when Lang starts having visions of Hope’s mother Janet, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who has been trapped in the Quantum Realm for years. Believing this to be a message of her still being alive, Hope kidnaps Lang and wants to use him to help her and Pym find and bring Janet back once the two have finished working on a tunnel that will allow them to safely travel to the Quantum Realm. At the same time, there’s a new villain in town known only as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) who has the ability to shift in and out of the Quantum Realm following an experiment gone horribly wrong. There’s also the black market dealer Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) who’s after Hope after he learns of the tech that she and her father possesses. Along the way, Lang, Hope, and Pym also try to get help from Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) who was a former partner of Pym’s until he was fired for his own reasons. As Ant-Man and The Wasp, they must fight off Ghost and Burch who are after the technology that Hope and Pym have, while also working to try to find and rescue Janet before it’s too late.
Review
Once again directed by Peyton Reed and with much of the original cast returning, this movie has a lot of the same charm that made the first one enjoyable. As Ant-Man, Paul Rudd is still just as funny and charismatic as he’s ever been. Evangeline Lilly, who was more of a supporting character in the first film, really shines in this one, as she gets to fight alongside Rudd and really kick some ass as The Wasp. Michael Douglas, while again playing a supporting character in this, has a lot more to do and also has moments of intensity that remind you of how Douglas is an Oscar-winning actor. Also returning are the main comic relief characters, including Michael Peña as Luis, Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris as Dave, and David Dastmalchian as Kurt. They more or less have the same shtick as the first one, so whether or not you liked them before, you’ll feel the same way about them here. Talking about the newcomers to this franchise, Michelle Pfeiffer is terrific as Janet van Dyne, Laurence Fishburne kills it as he always does, and it’s fun to see Walton Goggins pop up in this. Plus, major kudos to Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, who is kind of a villain, but is also weirdly sympathetic once you learn about her backstory. She’s probably one of the only villains in the MCU who actually turns good by the end of the movie, which is actually quite refreshing.
Of course, with this being an action movie, this movie should have thrilling action sequences, and it definitely has those, and then some. Given how this movie, like the previous one, plays with the concept of changing size, they use it quite a bit here, including a fight scene where a salt shaker is enlarged and used as a blockade, as well as a chase scene where a giant PEZ dispenser stops a guy on a motorcycle. Also of note are the sequences in the Quantum Realm, which reminded me of some of the other fantastical locations in the MCU, such as Dormamu’s realm in Doctor Strange or some of the weirder worlds of Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s a spectacle to look at, even if a lot of it is obvious CGI and green screen. The movie also has a lot of heart to it, especially when it comes to the family dynamics, whether it’s Lang’s relationship with his daughter Cassie, or the relationship between Hope and Dr. Pym. While the movie is certainly a fun thrill ride, it also can hit you in the feels a little bit.
Getting into the negatives with this one, while I thought the villain(s) was certainly more memorable than the villain of the previous film, Ghost, unfortunately, doesn’t hold a candle to Loki, Killmonger, Ultron, or even Thanos. Also, as much as the comedy in this one works, there are a few places where the comedy does fall flat. Plus, when it comes to characters like Foster or Ghost, we don’t really know a whole lot about them, and we’re only given vague exposition about their backstories. Even with that said, I still really enjoyed this movie and had a blast watching it.
After how dark and dire the previous film, Avengers: Infinity War, was, people were hoping that the next film Marvel had to offer would be a nice palette cleanser before the next big movie. In that respect, this movie more than succeeds at being just that: a fun and entertaining superhero movie that leaves you in a good mood. Overall, Ant-Man and The Wasp, like the previous film, is another filler Marvel movie, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good time.
Buy Ant-Man and The Wasp on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3X03YeB.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
