“Ant-Man and the Wasp” is alright. This is a film that if you enjoyed the first one you will probably enjoy this one. It hits a lot of the same notes, has a bit more of ensemble cast, but is much less focused and the first film had a much better villain and climax. This film stays at the level of good, but never rises to great throughout its entire run.
The film was directed by Peyton Reed, and has five writing credits, one of whom is Paul Rudd. Given that, no wonder it never quite rises to greatness. Films written by committee don’t tend to have the singular focus and vision that makes those unforgettable films.
The story follows Hank Pym and his daughter, Hope, as they attempt to invent a machine to bring back Hank’s wife, Janet, from the Quantum Realm. They discover the key lies in Scott Lang’s memories, so they kidnap him. He must help them get the supplies they need to finish the machine, while dealing with a gang who wants their lab and a mysterious threat called The Ghost, who is also after the lab for her own ends.
SPOILERS ahead
The Pros:
The Action – The action for this film is solid. There are some captivating action set pieces, from the shrinking lab, a fight with a gang in hotel kitchen, and a car chase. All of which, make use of the shrinking and enlarging powers that the Pym’s hold through their tech. The fights with Ghost are also captivating, too, as she warps all over the place and is the hardest character to hit because of her quantum powers. The one thing I’ll say against this though, the action didn’t really feel like it pays off. It is all good action, but it never gives the climax I was hoping for.
Ant-Man and the Wasp – Ant-Man and the Wasp (Scott Lang and Hope) and the original (Hank and Janet) have some of the best dialogue and chemistry in the film. In Scott and Hope, we have Scott trying to live a normal life so he can be with his daughter after his time under house arrest is up. Hope is driven by the desire to save her mother by any means necessary, and is far better at the hero business than Scott is. For the original, Janet is the compassion to Hank Pym’s ornery distance. When they are together you see how the guilt he feels has driven him to distance himself from people, and she brings out the good in him. I really enjoyed their reunion and the flashback scenes. Lily, Rudd, Douglas and Pfeiffer are the best parts of the film.
Frank Pym’s Arc – Frank is the one character out of all the main characters who has an arc. His arc is to save his wife, and in doing so, save his family and redeem himself. He carries regret for not stopping the missile that she stopped by shrinking, and entering the Quantum Realm. I would have liked more exploration of this, but this is the throughline of the film and what made the film good in the end.
The After Credits Scene – In the after credits scene, Scott is shrunk down to get Quantum energy to help heal Ghost. While he is down there Thanos’ snap from Infinity War occurs and he is stuck. It is a powerful scene and one of the better Marvel After Credits scenes in any of these films.
Okay:
The Finale – I feel like the original knew how to better handle the climax and villain. Yellow Jacket was a fun villain, and the anti-Ant-Man who was only out for himself. He had elements of Iron Monger, from “Iron Man,” and like Iron Monger went out in a big fight that made use of the shrinking technology. It was funny and it rocked, where this finale was run of the mill. The most interesting element of the finale was Hank Pym shrinking into the Quantum Realm to find his wife. Outside of that, the characters fighting could have been anyone and it wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Cons:
What Consequences? – Ghost gets saved and stops fighting our heroes… it is implied they can save her for good, which in turn has turned her into an ally. The Pyms are still on the run from the government, so nothing has changed there and Janet is fine, even after being in the Quantum Realm for years, and she has Quantum powers now. This was a film with zero negative consequences. It took Thanos in another movie to create consequences, which is a major con. A great film needs stakes, and by the end I felt like they were non-existent or just weren’t high enough.
If you enjoyed the first “Ant-Man,” you’ll enjoy this one. The writing is decent enough, the acting and action are mostly great, and it has a good amount of humor to keep the film going when it slows down. This is a good summer blockbuster escape, but I wouldn’t rate it any higher than that. This is a film that could have been more if it had bothered with stakes and had consequences for the actions of the characters.
Final Score: 8 / 10. Solid summer escape.
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