REVIEW: ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’

Ant-Man and The Wasp definitely had some weight on its shoulders. Not only is it the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) entry since the massively popular Avengers: Infinity War but it is also the first MCU film with a female character in the title. I was concerned that it would not be able to live up to fan expectations but I am pleased to report that Ant-Man and The Wasp is a delightful time. It expands on the first Ant-Man film and gives us a truly wonderful introduction to The Wasp!

The standout character in this film by far is Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). She is charismatic, determined, and incredibly capable on the battlefield. It was amazing to finally see a female hero at the front and center of an MCU film! They also do a wonderful job expanding Ant-Man, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). This interpretation of Hank, in particular, feels a lot more in line with his character from the comics and I loved every second of it. All of the character dynamics were enjoyable to watch, but I really loved the dynamic between Scott and Hope. Not only is their banter throughout the movie very charming, but the film demonstrates how their personalities mesh and balance each other out to make a great team.

Unfortunately, some of the minor characters do fall through the cracks. Luis (Michael Pena) is a great source of laughs, but he doesn’t really get to go beyond that and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost does the best she can with what she’s given. That said, she still can’t escape Marvel’s overarching problem with villains, especially following fan favorites Erik Killmonger and Thanos. The only major problem I had with this film is that the original Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, had nothing to do. She was a MacGuffin and while I understand that she is not the focus of this film it was still very disappointing.

The story doesn’t stray too far from the Marvel formula. There’s a bad a guy that needs to be stopped by our heroes, all while going through an emotional journey and performing some amazing action set pieces. While the plot is pretty barebones, it has an incredible amount of heart. This movie at its core is a story about family and they execute that story beautifully.

Overall while I was disappointed with some of the decisions they made throughout the movie, Ant-Man And The Wasp is still one of the best entries in the MCU so far and it checks off all the boxes of what an Ant-Man Sequel should be. It is funny, charming, emotional, and has some fantastic action scenes that you need to experience on the big screen!