As a kid, I was never a fan of Ant-Man in the comics. Of all of the superheroes out there, the last thing I wanted to be was a superhero that could shrink and talk to ants. It doesn’t get much lamer than that. I was never crazy about the idea of Marvel introducing Ant-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) because I really felt that superhero movies like that would be the death of the MCU. I’m glad I was wrong because not only did we get Ant-Man, but we also got two amazing Guardians Of The Galaxy movies too.
I have to admit, that when Ant-Man was released back in 2015, it threw me for a loop. It was really good and I was not expecting that. The reason why the movie worked so well was because they made Ant-Man into a comedic superhero movie. If they would have played it straight, I think that would have been the last that we ever saw of Ant-Man. But even though I enjoyed the first Ant-Man movie, I felt that the movie did not merit a sequel. The character of Ant-Man is best used in “small” doses. Take for example, his role in Captain America: Civil War. He was great! Ant-Man’s performace was right up there with Spider-Man and Black Panther as the best part of Civil War. Ant-Man just seems to work better with a team like The Avengers, and also being the comic relief, than he does by just himself.
In Ant-Man And The Wasp, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is dealing with the ramifications of joining Captain America’s team during the events of Civil War. Scott is now under house arrest and trying to play the role of dad, as best as he can, under his current circumstances. Scott has not seen his mentor, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), nor has he seen Hank’s daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), in quite some time. Now with only a few days until Scott’s house arrest is over for good, he is needed for one last mission as Ant-Man to help rescue Hank’s wife, and Hope’s mother, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm. But this time, things are different, and Scott is not alone. He is joined by Hope, who takes on the persona of The Wasp. And The Wasp instantly proves that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Ant-Man And The Wasp is a terrific sequel, and in my book, it is a much better movie than the first. Without a doubt, the introduction of The Wasp is what really makes this movie so good. The Wasp is such a wonderful character, and she has Ant-Man beat in so many ways. She can fly. She can shoot blasters from her wrists. She kicks some serious butt. And her costume is way better than Ant-Man’s. Right now, this is Marvel’s best answer to Wonder Woman in the MCU. For now. And like I had mentioned before, Ant-Man works best when he is not alone. So, The Wasp is a very welcome character and the two of them make a great team. The villain, Ghost, is also a nice addition to the MCU. She’s a great villain with an interesting back story, and she is also another character with a very cool looking costume. The cast, the story and the direction really work this time around. If there was one negative, it was that there may have been a few too many characters. I would have cut a some out and focused more on the main heroes and the villain.
If you were blown away with the de-aging of Michael Douglas in the first movie, you are going to be in for a real treat this time. Not only does the younger Michael Douglas return, but some of the other actors also get their turn to look a whole lot younger. In recent movies like Rogue One, in which they used CGI to recreate younger versions of Carrie Fisher as Leia and Peter Cushing as Tarkin, it was far from perfect. You can’t say that the same applies with this movie. The effect is not overused, and I think that is also what helps it. Another thing that really shines in this movie is all of the CGI effects in the movie. With some movies, you can tell right away what is CGI, and what is not, and that sometimes takes you out of the movie. Not here. Everything seems to blend in so perfectly, that you just accept everything as reality.
Marvel Studios is really something else. Just when you think that they may start to backslide with one of their movies, they just hit it out of the park again and again. I would say that as far as superheroes go, I always considered Iron Man to be an “A” rated superhero, and for Ant-Man to be a “C” rated one. But where Iron Man 2 is a “C” rated movie, with an “A” superhero in it, Ant-Man And The Wasp is an “A” rated superhero movie, with a “C” superhero in it. If I had to chose between the two movies, I would definitely recommend Ant-Man And The Wasp. It’s a kid friendly movie, with a lot of comedy, and you may be surprised at just how much of a fun and entertaining story it is.
Nope, this scene above is not in the movie, nor is The Hulk, but you may want to stick around for the two after-credit scenes. One takes place right after the first credits finish, which is only a minute or two after the movie ends, and this one is definitely worth seeing. You dont want to miss it. The other takes place at the very, very end, just as the ushers are about to clean up the place and chase you out. My advice, skip that one and head home early. You’ll be glad that you did.
I give Ant-Man And The Wasp an 8/10.
You contradict yourself many times. You loved the first movie yet think the character only works in small doses? Might be time to start proof reading before posting.
Seems you missed out on a lot of good stuff by skipping his comic, as a kid. The Antman persona has one of the most varied and colorful of Avengers history.