I remember enjoying the first "Ant-Man" when it was released in theaters back in 2015, as it followed a different approach compared to the other movies you'd see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was Marvel's heist film and director Peyton Reed did a solid job incorporating that element into a film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film ended up being a critical success, but one of Marvel's weaker efforts from a financial standpoint. The sequel had a lot riding on it following the successful "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War," but it ended up being an entertaining ride from start-to-finish, even if it's the weakest Marvel Cinematic Universe film of 2018.
Set two years after the events of "Captain America: Civil War," "Ant-Man and the Wasp" follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) as he's finishing up his house arrest after illegally assisting Captain America in Germany. However, things begin to reach insanity just before his house arrest is up as former associates Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) need assistance from Scott. Hank and Hope are both wanted by the FBI and have been working on a Quantum Tunnel that'll hopefully resurrect Hank's wife Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), who went missing 30 years prior. That's the central plot of the film, but it manages to have a few subplots scattered through the nearly two-hour-long feature.
Despite not being as strong as the first "Ant-Man," what the sequel does marvelously is have its two leads carry the film so meticulously. Rudd and Lilly are terrific in their respective roles and clearly enjoy being apart of this 20 film-long franchise. I had already loved the arc that was built around Scott Lang in the first, but I was indifferent about Hope van Dyne's characterization until this sequel. I was a fan of where they brought Hope this time around, especially since she's fighting as The Wasp alongside Scott's Ant-Man. The rest of the actors do a solid job, with Hannah John-Karmen being a breakout of the film - despite not being strong on her character's portrayal.
There are a lot of laughs thrown throughout "Ant-Man and the Wasp," as it was sure to be the most comedic of 2018's Marvel Cinematic Universe films. While some of the jokes don't hit, the comedic timing is there - particularly in a sequence at a school that involves Scott and Hope having to retrieve a particular item. Michael Peña's Luis, once again, steals the film from a comedy standpoint and shines more this time around than he did in the predecessor. The action sequences were very exciting to watch and had a Saturday morning cartoon vibe to them, which put a big smile on my face. I also admired the heart that was used throughout "Ant-Man and the Wasp" when focusing on the storyline of finding Joyce and both father-daughter dynamics that the film focuses heavily on.
While I had a lot of fun watching this, there is no denying that "Ant-Man and the Wasp" is a flawed film. There are a lot of storylines throughout the film, one of which should've been cut out completely involving Walton Goggins as a criminal on the black market that's trying to track down Hank Pym. It did not add any necessity to the film whatsoever and I was also disappointed with how Ghost's story arc was handled as the backstory wasn't developed very strongly. I was also irritated with Randall Park's Agent Woo and didn't think he added any comedy to his character. Lastly, I wished they had done more with Pfeiffer as Janet who, while strong in the role, was given minimal content to work with.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp" is a consistently entertaining film to watch and it was refreshing to see this after the heartbreaking "Avengers: Infinity War." Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly carry the film on their shoulders and I can't wait to see more of their adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I also have to commend Peyton Reed to giving us one of Marvel's balliest endings to date, as depicted in "Ant-Man and the Wasp"'s first post-credits scene. This was a fun entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and if an "Ant-Man 3" is made - I'll be there opening weekend for sure.
