'Ant-Man and the Wasp' A Review

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a superhero movie, the sequel to the 2015 Ant-Man and the latest in the ongoing saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story opens on a very cute scene with Scott Lang(Paul Rudd) and his daughter playing then after some pointless MCU plot positioning the only upside is the introduction of FBI agent Jimmy Woo(Randall Park) the narrative gradually gets moving. Scott reconnects with Hope van Dyne(Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym(Michael Douglas) and the three work together to search the quantum realm for Hank's long lost wife Janet(Michelle Pfeiffer). But! They are confronted by the crazed and tortured Ava Starr aka Ghost(Hannah John-Kamen).

Rudd brings his everyman charm to his superhero role and strikes a compelling balance, he is the most relatable hero of the MCU and, seemingly, the only one that actually has a job. He is relatable, fun, and funny in a way no other superhero is. Lilly, finally given a suit, soars as the Wasp. She is strong and emotional and deadly. At this point the only female superhero in the MCU that stands on her own with confidence and assurance and is the leader rather than the sidekick. Rudd is funnier but Lilly is the more proficient and effective hero. Pfeiffer only has brief screen time but is wonderful and gives the movie some much needed gravitas. John-Kamen is a stand out, easily the most complicated and compelling "villain" in the MCU since Loki. Her deadliness is tempered by her anguish and she walks this line perfectly. Scott Lang's crew now all partners in a security business have less screen time than in the first installment, unfortunately, but Michael Pena is back and deliciously upbeat and frenetic as Luis with an extended truth-serum rant that is one of the best scenes in the movie. Park isn't given much to do but he is, as always, a delight on screen.

With it's narrower narrative landscape and focus on teamwork, friendship, and family this offshoot of the MCU is the one with the most heart and as a result is the most effecting. There are scenes of the hero actually in his office working with a subplot about the business needing a crucial account to survive. This is important because it is showing real world issues and problems that the heros are involved in above and beyond(or beneath and below) alien invasions and billion doller technology. We may not relate to Tony Stark's issues with his monolithic company but we can relate to Scott Lang splitting custody of his daughter and his struggles as a small business owner.

The only thing that really holds the movie back, ironically, is its involvement and placement within the MCU cannon. There are some irritating machinations at the beginning to justify Ant-Man's non-involvement in Infinity Wars and an irritating cliff-hanger of a post credit sequence to tie it back in. This is unnecessary and undercuts the playfulness and sincerity of the movie bookended by this discordant scenes.

Fun, funny, and surprisingly uplifting.

Rent It.