Ant-Man and the Wasp

By James Davidson

The newest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), “Ant-Man and the Wasp”, is the sequel to “Ant-Man”, which came out in 2013. Paul Rudd continues his role as Scott Lang, an ex-con who has been given a super suit, created by Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas), which gives him the power to shrink and grow his body and become Ant-Man.

Following the events of “Captain America: Civil War”, Scott Lang is under house arrest due to his role in the conflict between Captain America and Iron-Man. He is three days away from freedom, when he is approached by Hank Pym and his daughter, Hope Van Dyne (played by Evangeline Lilly), who ask him to help them find Pym’s wife, Janet Van Dyne (played by Michelle Pfeifer), who is trapped in the Quantum Realm. In order to rescue her, Lang must team up with Van Dyne, who, with a suit of her own, is now known as the Wasp – and steal the equipment they need to rescue Janet.

While trying to steal the equipment, they are attacked by a former S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin named Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen), who believes that by finding Janet and draining the Quantum Force from her body, she can heal herself of the molecular disease she suffers from. Unfortunately, doing that would kill Janet.

The MCU has done a very good job with the development of the bad guys in their recent movies by making them relatable. For example, even though they have questionable goals and motives, they believe they are doing them for reasons that are “noble.” I was able to relate to Ghost because, even though she wanted to kill Janet, her primary motive was to heal herself and live a normal life, which, in a way, is understandable.

I found the movie to be very entertaining. Michael Peña reprises his role as Luis, Lang’s partner in crime and current business partner; and this character is great comic relief. The writers know exactly when to put Luis and their other partners, Kurt and Dave (played by David Dastmalachian and Tip “T.I.” Harris), into situations in a way that keeps the movie light and fun, even in more heavy, serious parts.

While Luis, Kurt and Dave kept me laughing through the more serious parts, Walter Goggins’ character, Sonny Burch, kept me rolling my eyes. Burch is the gangster from whom Pym and Van Dyne originally tried to buy the equipment they needed. He finds out what they are doing and decides to take back the equipment, then he follows them around popping up at inopportune times. I thought he was an unnecessary addition to the movie, especially since we already have a great “villain” in Ghost. Burch also ends up being idiotic and absurd most of the time.

I thought the movie was very well written and the special effects were well done. As with most super hero movies, there is a lot of Computer Generated Imagry (CGI), which I am usually not a big fan of. But the CGI in this movie is done subtly and well. It is not as noticeable as in many movies.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is rated PG-13 for some sci-fi/action violence; but other than that, I did not notice much language or inappropriate behavior.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a light, fun film that kept me laughing and didn’t take itself too seriously. It has great characters and a great villain, although there are one or two unnecessary ones. It is yet another great MCU movie that earns 4 out of 5 stars.