In my opinion, one of Marvel Studios’ most underrated films in their now 20-film catalog is Ant-Man. Released back in July of 2015, and just 2 months after Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was rather refreshing to see a Marvel film on a smaller scale after the high-stakes of an Avengers movie, which is genius on Marvel’s part to do it again after the ridiculously high stakes of Avengers: Infinity War to see Ant-Man’s next adventure. Although Ant-Man was not the film some people really wanted or expecting it to be as good as it was, since the original director Edgar Wright, of Baby Driver and The Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy fame, dropped out before filming started due to creative differences, the new director Peyton Reed pulled through and made the film another Marvel success with its creative action sequences with great use of visual effects and a great cast. But now, Marvel Studios closes out their hit 10 anniversary year with their 20th feature film, Ant-Man and The Wasp.
In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. As he struggles to re-balance his home life under house arrest with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.
This is not going to be a surprise coming out of me but still, Ant-Man and The Wasp is yet another win on Marvel’s hit streak with their third home run of this year. As I mentioned before, this movie really feels refreshing to be on a much smaller scale (in a good way) after seeing all the major events that happened in Avengers: Infinity War a few months ago. The story is still engaging with two different storylines, the first following Scott having to re-adjust to his home life and being under house arrest after joining Captain America in the airport battle with Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War, spending time with his daughter Cassie with a heartfelt message about family, and always trying to find a way to sneak out of the house without having the FBI know he escaped, and with the second following Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne trying to figure out a family conflict in the mysterious Quantum Realm. The action sequences are a lot of fun with Ant-Man and Wasp’s shrinking and growing abilities add for some creative uses of various objects, including one hilarious one involving a Hello Kitty PEZ dispenser. All the actors give excellent performances. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have excellent chemistry and make great partners in action. Also, Scott has a thing for naming his ants with some bad (but funny) ant puns. The other notable supporting players are also really like Michael Douglas, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, and Abby Ryder Fortson. And like in the first film, Michael Peña is a scene-stealer as Luis whenever he is on screen with his always funny humor and using his trademark trait from the previous film of him telling exposition through stories and making it not sound boring and make it extremely hysterical which I could easily tell from the writing was an Edgar Wright-esque idea. One major criticism I do have with the movie is that the villains in the movie, Sonny Burch and Ghost, are pretty forgettable. And it is really disappointing since earlier this year, Marvel knocked it out of the park with their previous two films’ excellent villains like Killmonger in Black Panther and Thanos in Infinity War.
But overall, Ant-Man and The Wasp is another great MCU entry with an appropriately smaller-scale story, some great action, and a mostly great cast of characters. If you are a Marvel fan or just want a fun and light-hearted action film, go check this one out. Also, I want to give a warning (in the least spoilery way I could try to word this) that with one of the credits scenes, you HAVE to see Avengers: Infinity War first and if you still have not, don’t worry because I’m sure it’s still playing in some theaters and will be released digitally on July 31 and on Blu-ray & DVD on August 14. But anyways, I’m going to give Ant-Man and The Wasp a 9/10 with the Edward’s Seal of Approval.
