Capsule Summary (minimal spoilers):
Ant-Man and the Wasp is yet another Marvel Superhero movie in an ever-expanding movie universe. All of these films take place in essentially modern times. It stands alone in that it only really relies on the previous film, with some references to the events of Captain America: Civil War. It starts a while after that movie, and ties back to events that happened many years ago.
Paul Rudd returns to the role of Scott Lang (aka Ant-Man), and has fallen out of touch with Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). He is under house arrest, and the FBI keeps checking up on him because they expect something is going on that he’s hiding. Circumstances emerge that force them to reunite and try to resolve the problem without Scott getting into any more trouble.
Like the first film, this is an Action/Adventure/Comedy, but this one finds a way to work in more comedy. I realized that as the post-credits scene finished, I had a smile on my face, as I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. The story flowed organically and played out rather well. Scott’s friend Luiz (Michael Peña) returns and steals every scene he’s in. Most of his time on screen is full of the sort of digressive banter that makes British comedies work for me. It’s hard to describe without spoiling it, so I’ll stop there.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is rated PG-13 for super-hero style violence, and has a runtime of just under 2 hours. I am sure that there is some of the wow factor of seeing it in 3D, however, it’s not necessary to see it that way.
There is a mid-credits sequence, as well as a post-credits sequence, and they make more sense if you’ve seen Avengers: Infinity War, but it’s not 100% necessary. About 90% of the audience stayed for these scenes, because they know that Marvel films do that, always. I strongly recommend this movie. It’s a lot of fun.
Standard Review (with minor plot spoilers):
When Hank Pym first developed his Ant-Man suit, his wife had a similar costume, and the two of them worked for the government. Unfortunately, she was lost in a mission, and that’s been a sort spot for him and his daughter, Hope. They have a flash of an idea on how to find out what happened, and that’s how their story begins. Meanwhile, Scott went to Germany to fight in Marvel’s Civil War, and has been fitted with an ankle bracelet, so he can’t leave his home. With only a few days left until retirement, er, only a few days left on his sentence, Hank, Hope, and Scott are reunited in the strangest of ways, which sets the course of the movie.
Nothing is ever that simple, as there’s someone who’s been selling them black market Quantum Technology. They’ve decided they want to cash in, and try to seize Hank’s research. Meanwhile, someone else is interested in it, but for some other reason.
Paul Rudd is such a natural for the role of Scott. It requires some skill at delivering awkward dialogue and keep a straight face. It’s very clear this role was tailor-made for him. Scott has a great relationship with his daughter, Cassie (Hannah John-Kamen), and she has a few funny moments, too. Michael Peña has become his business partner in a small security firm, and it’s like the two of them have been working together for years.
I didn’t expect the movie to be this good. It’s fortunate that the trailers, which gave away a couple of the good laughs, didn’t really reveal what the story was, and I think I’ve only hinted at it, here.
It’s a good film, with good effects. The CGI doesn’t overwhelm the experience, and there are more than a few good laughs. I really like this movie.