We may have barely just had the devastating Avengers: Infinity War but its tiniest superhero is back to typically break a few balls. By all means, this film is all about The Wasp while Ant-Man eagerly takes a well-deserved backseat. The title is misleading, where you are undoubtedly led to assume that Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp is the faithful sidekick, in fact, its Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man who fills this job nicely and the film is all the better for it.
The film is sandwiched between Avengers: Civil War and Infinity War, Scott Laing (Paul Rudd) is under House arrest for his active part in the damaging outcome of Civil War. No longer allowed to have any contact with Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man) he typically spends his days bonding with his doting daughter, playing drums and ‘running’ his security business with longtime friend and ex-con Luis (Michael Pena), and having dream sequences of a little girl playing hide and seek with her mother, he is living his most boring life.
With Ant-Man out of action, Hank (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) have been working diligently on a new piece of tech. One that transports its subject into the quantum realm in the earnest hope that they may be capable of finding Hanks long-lost wife and mother to hope Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer). With a couple of current adversaries credibly threatening to steal the machine, Laing gets drawn back into his crime-fighting alter-ego.
Co-written by Rudd, the element of fun from the first in the Ant-Man saga is prevalent. Dropping tongue in cheek cheekiness is Rudd’s forte but the best lines are delivered with tear-inducing brilliance from Michael Pena. Injected with a truth serum Pena goes on a long-winded rant about his Private life rather than spill the beans. However, it’s not all about the lyrical gags but visuals and sound play a big part in its comedic nature.
No superhero film would be anything with its villains and here we have two. Both wanting to get their hands on Hanks tech for their own selfish reasons; the stand-out however is Ghost. Played by British actress Hannah John-Kamen, she can materialise just as quickly as she can de-materialise; she is a worthy adversary for any superhero but she comes with a painful backstory which is supported by Pym’s once long-term partner turned foe Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne).
As previously mentioned its Lilly’s Wasp that takes centre stage, especially in the fight sequences, slick and faster than the male counterparts she has earned her mantel at the forefront of the picture. Full of chase scenes where cars shrink and enlarge to avoid any obstacles and buildings that shrink so small it fits in your pocket lends weight to the worthiness of the film.
With a plot that at times is a bit wishy-washy, it’s a sequel that appears to be a shrinking violet, a solid stand-alone that provides as much fun as its Marvel parent arms of the Universe. With any Marvel outing, it’s always worth sticking around for the closing credits – with this one it ties in nicely with what is to come for the doomed Avengers.
Ant-Man and The Wasp is out in UK cinemas August 3
