ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
Most Marvel Studio films of recent years have been aimed at older audiences, so it’s a refreshing thing then that the follow up to 2015’s Ant Man is a relatively young-audience-friendly romp. Once again, Paul Rudd stars as ex-con Scott Lang, the associate of scientist, techno whizz (and original Ant-Man) Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). In the previous Ant-Man appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang was apprehended after a super-powered punch-up at a Berlin Airport. When Ant-Man and The Wasp opens, we find Scott days from the end of his sentence, wearing an ankle-bracelet and living under house-arrest as he prepares to ‘go legit’ and expand the operations of the security company he’s founded with his former prison mate, Luis (Michael Peña). He’s contacted by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilley) and they reveal they’ve got a plan to delve back into the farthest reaches of the Quantum Realm (visited by Scott Lang in the last film) and attempt to rescue Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother: Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Set prior to the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and The Wasp is content to occupy less challenging (and far less grim) territory than the previous Avenger's film, deploying a smaller focus (pun intended) and setting its events solely within the city of San Francisco. There’s plenty of thrills and action with the addition of dual villains: Ava (Hannah John-Kamen) a young woman with ‘phasing’ abilities who can move through physical objects and calls herself ‘Ghost’ and tech-crim Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) who endlessly tracks Hank Pym’s miniaturised (and suitcase-sized) lab, in order to steal the sweet tech that lies within it, so he can sell it on the black market.
Despite the baggy set-up and a few plotting missteps, this is still a hugely enjoyable sequel and surprises with just how much fun it is. Peyton Reed - who helmed the first film - proves to be capable hands as director on this outing, deftly executing some seriously inventive and clever ‘small-to-large and large-to-small’ visual gags during the many action sequences. Evangeline Lilley all but walks away with the ‘ass-kicking superhero’ trophy as The Wasp, with Rudd serving primarily as her foil and providing the wise-cracks. Most appealingly though is how kid-friendly it is, with a majority of superhero flicks being prohibitively adult-oriented these days, it’s a welcome and refreshing change to sit with your young child and enjoy an entry into the Marvel money-verse that’s keen to entertain and (with the exception of the Thanos-referencing post-credit sting) focus primarily on the giggles.