Rating of
3/4
Ant-Man and the Wasp - Review
Matthew Brady - wrote on 08/30/18
“You can do it. You can do anything. You're the world's greatest grandma”
‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ returns in full size form. So, after all the chaos and heartbreak with ‘Infinity War’, Marvel have stepped on the breaks and went back for a safe comedic tone. Basically being it’s own side story in this already big universe.
I enjoyed the first ‘Ant-Man’. Not great by any means and just like everyone else would have loved to see Edgar Wright's version. Reeking of re-writes and a clash of people working on the movie. However, to everyones surprise, was not a complete disaster due to it’s muddled production is unheard of.
The sequel, on the other hand, was...fine. There are plenty of entertaining and hilarious scenes, but nothing beyond that. To be honest, I liked the first a little better, because I can tell the leftover ideas from Wright or any visually cues were still present which kept the overall movie afloat. We also get to see Scott Lang becoming Ant-Man and trying out the suit and his abilities. It was creative and sweet with the father and daughter subplot.
Paul Rudd plays Paul Rud- oh sorry, I mean Scott Lang. Whoopsie daisy. But in all seriousness, I can’t see a character beyond Rudd. Never against him, as I like the actor and a joy to watch. I don’t understand why they dumb down his character, because while not a genius compared to other MCU characters, yet shown some intelligence in the first movie, especially when breaking into houses and impress Hank Pymm (Michael Douglas) so much he gave him the suit. Just to make the other characters look good, I guess? Still, I love Paul Rudd; he brings a goofy charm to his character, at least.
Evangeline Lilly has more to done this time, fighting wise, just without any development or depth for her character to be compelling. Basically ‘bad-ass girl who can beat you up” type of trope. Michael Douglas, another actor I love and respect, spouts out techno jargon that I don’t think he knows what it means. Michael Pena is great though and him telling stories are the best thing in these movies.
Walton Goggins and Michelle Pfeiffer are completely underused here, which is such a waste of talent. Marvel needs to stop underusing talent.
The action scenes were at least fun. The shrinking/growing involving different objects was always thrilling to watch. A little overexposed in the trailers, yet never stopped me from enjoying what’s on screen. Although nothing compares to the battle sequence in the first movie where the whole final act was in a little girls bedroom with a toy train set. Thomas the Tank Engine was added to the mix. I can’t think of any blockbuster that has ended like that. Completely ridiculous, yet refreshing.
Peyton Reed, best known for comedy movies, did the best he could for something not so familiar to him.
Now the character of Ghost, which I thought was the main villain, but when her back story is relieved, not so much. I mean, She had so much potential for greatness if the script did the actress justice, because Hannah John-Kamen was putting her heart and soul into this. A real shame. When reflecting back, her main goal could have been achieved if she asked nicely for help.
I don’t hate the movie, due to the heavy criticism throughout this review. Nothing epic in scale, but the likable cast and action stops it from feeling ant size small. It should keep fans happy until the next installment.
Overall rating: DAMN TRUTH SERUM!
