Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Direction: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline lily, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Judy Greer, Tip Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Forstson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishurne
In the part one of the franchise we got to see how Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) – wife of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), ex SHIELD officer – shrinks and get transferred to quantum realm while saving an attack from the Soviet nuclear missile. Part two continues the story as an angry Pym has to welcome Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) who created a huge mishap in order to help Captain America (Chris Evans) in the last battle.
Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), daughter of Pym, who gets the suit of Wasp in the climax of part one is now on a quest to find her lost mother. With the help of Scott, she and Pym face Ava Starr aka Ghost who can “phase” her through objects. Ava is in pain because of her phasing power and she wants to extract the energy from quantum realm which gets her in the way of Pym, Scott & Hope of bringing back Janet to the reality.
Michael Douglas as Gordan Gekko in Wall Street said, “We pick that rabbit out of the hat while everybody sits out there wondering how the hell we did it.” In a story written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, Michael’s character Pym does the same; he does the magic while everyone wonder how it was done. Peyton Reed succeeds in a major way because of the current template of Marvel movies. The humor in the film has been emphasized and that’s where it wins.
The actions sequences are superbly designed & are better than its predecessor. The IMAX 3D experience just adds to the amazing chaos happening on screen. Yes, this movie needed a strong villain and that’s where it lacks of becoming a Thor: Ragnarok or Black Panther. There are 2 post credits scenes, first one is better than the entire film & second is a troll.
Paul Rudd has finally learned how to not take himself serious as a superhero. He is much light-hearted and fun loving in this one. He makes you laugh your heart out. Makers have taken a major leap in order to re-design his character. Evangeline Lilly is filling the void as the wasp and does a decent job. Though as a lead character next to the titular superhero, makers need to work on her character.
Michael Douglas is ordinary! I mean we’ve seen his best performances and this one seems to be just not in the league. Michael Pena brings the house down with his hilarious performance. He is the major comical relief on the film & the makers win the gamble of bringing him upfront with major screen presence. Hannah John-Kamen as Ava is good as a character but lousy as a villain. She might fill the bridge of new superheroes that will come after the current generation.
Peyton Reed levels up the franchise by focusing more on quantum realm. The post-credits scene is a curiosity-smasher, this will evoke many questions regarding the Avenger’s series. Reed has also explored the father-daughter relationship which gives an emotional touch to the story. Read before Ant-Man has directed Jim Carrey’s Yes Man which had hilarious comical moments & it seems he has gone back to read his old notes to adapt some in Ant-Man And The Wasp.
Christophe Beck’s score is rocking! The music goes well with the action scenes leveling them up. Even in the funny scenes he has done an outstanding job with the instruments. There are no standalone songs in the film but the score does the work.
My Verdict
My Ratings
3.5
Ant-man and the Wasp is a worthy upgrade. It’s entertaining, funny and full of stylish action. A must watch for MCU fans & wait with your bated breath in the end.
