Two years ago, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) was recruited by Captain “Cap” America to join the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. Rather than go to prison, Scott made a plea deal and was placed under house arrest, with an ankle monitor attached so he was unable leave his house. Ant-Man and the Wasp picks up two years later with three days left to freedom. Confined to his home, Scott spends those days entertaining himself with a drum kit, a bowling alley, karaoke and by building forts for when his daughter Cassie comes to visit. That’s never an easy thing, not when a superhero is involved.
Meanwhile, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily) have discovered that Ant-Man might be able to save wife and mother Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) who disappeared into the Quantum Realm when she saved the world years ago. As often happens. So the adventure begins for Ant-Man/Scott, Wasp/Hope (Evangeline Lily) and Hank to save Janet.
In any superhero movie, things never go as smoothly as they might. Hope has been acquiring black-market technology from the sketchy Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) to build the Quantum Tunnel so she can rescue her mother. Just as she obtains the last component, Burch decides he wants a stake in the piece too.
If that sounds like not enough going on, there’s also Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), whose body “ghosts” after a freak childhood tragedy. She wants in on that tunnel too because Janet — if she’s in there — can save her life. Much praise must be given to the writers here for taking a male character from the comics and casting a female in the role. It would have been great to have seen more of John-Kamen’s Ghost but what we get is plenty to win the audience over, rooting for her when we need to.
Without giving any more of the plot away, Ant-Man and the Wasp is ultimately a lot of good fun. Paul Rudd personifies a great dad who just wants to do what’s right for his daughter and be a good role model. His comic-timing is glorious and delivers the laughs with precision. Beware of Michael Peña’s Luis, a marvel to watch as he steals every scene he’s in.
Lily’s Wasp kicks ass. She is not a sidekick to Ant-Man, but his equal. She’s also a brilliant scientist who helped her father build the lab that everyone wants to get their hands on. Ideally, it would have been nice to see Wasp have more fight scenes, but the scenes we get to see are thrilling. One of the best sequences in the film, arrives early in the film, courtesy of Wasp, as she morphs in size. Until we get Brie Larson as Captain Marvel next year, Wasp will have to tide us over.
Where does Ant-Man and The Wasp fall in the MCU? It’s not a spoiler to say that the end credits will answer that question for you — so make sure you stay! Watch all the crew whose names are mentioned and all the people it takes to bring such a movie together. The two end-credit scenes are a huge bonus to show how Ant-Man and the Wasp will be connected to Avengers 4.
Ant-Man and The Wasp is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a fitting follow-up to Avengers: Infinity War, lighter and funnier, with much needed breeziness. Family is the core of the film’s message, whether it’s Scott being a good role model or Hank and Hope doing everything to reunite with Janet. Peyton Reed allows Ant-Man and Wasp to take shrinking to another level whether it’s the car chases around San Francisco, the fight scenes, or blowing stuff up to mammoth size for the sheer thrill of it. Reed gives the viewer and Marvel Comic Universe something fresh, something new and unexpected. He gives us kick-ass females and two hours of brisk Ant-Man enjoyment. All we could want for the next installment is more Pfeiffer and Wasp.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is released on July 6.
