2018 Film Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Directed by: Peyton Reed
Written by: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña
IMDb Link

A solid adventure in which Paul Rudd reminds us why he's a treasure.

Under house arrest for his actions in Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang (Rudd) works as hard as he can to be a good father, until some quantum entanglement nonsense gets him roped back in to helping Hope Van Dyne (Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) find their subatomically trapped mother/wife Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer). Meanwhile, Hope and Hank's quantum machinations have them caught up with black market dealers (led by Walton Goggins), and old colleague of Hank's Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) and Ava (A.K.A. Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen), a woman with chaotic phasing abilities who has ties to Hank's past. It's all very silly and works at an exciting pace, piling conflict on top of conflict and never letting up for a moment, a real whizz-bang adventure with a big focus on appealing to kids; every bit of the film is coated in sugar, with even the bad guys getting a lighter human side. This approach has its advantages, allowing the film to be as silly or not silly as it needs to be at any given moment, throwing around shrinking and phasing tech for the sake of some really good action scenes and few goofy comedy moments while also keeping things from always seeming completely crazy, but at the same time it causes the film to lack any sort of contrast; the whole thing feels enslaved to this style, and as a result moments that are supposed to be felt otherwise come off as largely artificial, trying to make things matter when so much of the film tells you that things don't really.

That said, everyone has a good time with it; the energetic approach to the film extends to the actors in their roles, so even if the film does little to really evoke genuine emotion it's at least entertaining enough to watch such talented people enjoy themselves for a couple of hours. Rudd is great as Lang; the best parts of the movie are when he gets a chance to spend some time with his daughter, the childlike wonderment beset by the weight of responsibility consistently carrying his arc in this film, one which feels like a natural extension of his arc in the first Ant-Man. Lilly and Douglas both have strong performances as well with an effective and important dynamic, though early hope for Pym to have some sort of arc is quickly hand-waved in favour of jumping in to the next action sequence. Another standout is the dynamic between Fishburne and John-Kamen, each a side of Pym's history that struggles to maintain a semblance of good in the face of the necessity of their actions. It's all covered with a sheen of sweetness, so none of it plays as strongly as it could, but it's quick and effective enough alongside the action beats to keep the story going and have everyone end up where they need to be.

The Short Version: Ant-Man and the Wasp is a silly but subdued romp, light as a feather but not without a little heart; it moves at a breakneck pace and doesn't overstay its welcome, and it's as forgettable as the last piece of cotton candy you ate. Paul Rudd is a treasure (as if you needed reminding) and every other member of the cast pulls their weight in this sometimes delightful children's story, and at the same time this sweet thing isn't something particularly affecting.

Rating: 6.5/10

Published July 7th, 2018