The first “Ant-Man” movie arrived in theaters amidst a wave
of skepticism after behind-the-scenes shake-ups resulted in director Edgar
Wright being unceremoniously replaced during production. The speculation around
how much of Wright’s original vision made it to the screen, and what could have
been, threatened to overwhelm the film upon its release in 2015. That the film
managed to overcome that conversation to be a modest critical and box office
success was a minor miracle.
Thankfully
its follow-up has no such hurdles to surmount, and you can practically feel the
weight lifted off the shoulders of returning director Peyton Reed. Like the
first film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is a breezy, summer escapism, and I’m glad
there remains space for a fun, small-scale caper like this amid the
ever-growing bombast of the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Ant-Man and
the Wasp” takes place before the events of “Avengers: Infinity War.” Without
the need to address the catastrophic cliffhanger that closed that film, Reed is
free to indulge in the goofier aspects of the “Ant-Man” mythos, and there’s a
loose, laid-back tone to the film that makes it a joy to watch.
As the film
begins, Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is under house arrest after the
events of “Captain America: Civil War,” and his rogue actions there have left
him somewhat estranged from Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Pym’s daughter
Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), with whom he’s had barely any contact since.
But when Scott experiences a strange vision of Hope’s long-lost mother, Janet
(Michelle Pfeiffer), he’s drawn into their efforts to rescue Janet from the
Quantum Realm, where she’s been stranded for decades.
Standing in
their way are some individuals desperate to get their hands on Hank’s
nanotechnology, including slimy black market dealer Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen),
a young woman whose exposure to the Quantum Realm as a child left her with the
ability to phase through solid objects. It would be a pretty nifty skill, except
that she can’t control that power, and it causes her unbearable daily pain. Her
plotline is slightly underdeveloped, but the fact that Ghost doesn’t want to
destroy or take over the world, and just wants a cure nicely changes up the
Marvel villain formula.
Left free to
veer from the straight man role he played in the first film, Rudd gets to
unleash his comedic prowess and gift for physical comedy. He remains an affable
hero, and he’s particularly good during scenes involving Scott’s sweet relationship
with his young daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson).
After
frustratingly not giving Evangeline Lilly’s character a super-suit until
literally the last minutes of the first film, the sequel wastes little time
getting her in on the action. This time around Scott mostly plays sidekick to
Hope, and their dynamic is one of the best parts of the film. Plus it’s nice to
see an actress as versatile and charismatic as Lilly get to take the lead for a
change.
“Ant-Man and
the Wasp” comes loaded with clever gags and inventive size-shifting action; the
concept of big things getting small and small things getting big proves a
fruitful well for the filmmakers to draw from. Everything from Pez dispensers
and salt shakers become weapons, and then there’s Hank’s lab, which can be
shrunk down to travel size, complete with convenient attached luggage handle.
There’s also a pretty great running gag where Scott’s malfunctioning suit
alters his size at the most inopportune moments. The script (credited to five
writers, including Rudd) supports the action with some larger thematic ideas of
making amends for past mistakes, but for the most part it’s all in good fun.
Filling in
Hank and Janet’s backstory, we also get several flashbacks utilizing Marvel’s
patented de-aging digital wizardry, a technique that’s only gotten more
impressive since it first showed up in “Civil War.” This time the effect is
used it on actors — including Douglas, Pfeiffer, and Laurence Fishburne as
Hank’s former business associate –who’ve been acting long enough for audiences
to actually remember what they looked like 30 years ago, and the results are
still flawless.
Returning as
Scott’s former cellmate-turned-friend-turned business partner Luis, Michael
Peña gets another opportunity to steal this movie, much like he did the first.
His rambling monologue while doped up on truth serum is a masterpiece of comic
delivery.
Keeping the
stakes of the film so small also makes the lighter tone a smidge more
successful than “Thor: Ragnarok,” which made it hard
to be too concerned about the apocalypse when its own characters didn’t seem to
take it seriously. Here, the brightness and levity make for a refreshing palate
cleanser after the epic seriousness of “Avengers: Infinity War.” That film
didn’t have much time for the smaller, character-driven moments that Marvel
Studios films excel at, and as much as I enjoyed “Infinity War,” I’m hoping
that the conclusion of part two (coming May 2019) means a return the small
pleasures that movies that “Ant-Man and the Wasp” deliver so well.
This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2018.
