Ant-Man and the Wasp - A RMNT Review

Ant-Man and the Wasp is the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise and the sequel to the first Ant-Man film from 2015, with Peyton Reed returning as director, and stars Paul Rudd (also returning to co-write as well) and Evangeline Lilly as the film's titular characters. Back when I first saw the previous film in theaters back in July 2015, I thought it was pretty average, but entertaining as Paul Rudd proved to be a solid choice for the leading role, some of the humor was good, and the effects for Ant-Man's abilities and action scenes were pretty creative, but the story and some of the characterization left me underwhelmed. But then when I rewatched it as it was airing on television several months ago, I appreciated it much more, despite some flaws, but still loved it regardless. But then when Ant-Man 2 was announced, I knew that Marvel Studios is sure to give plenty for this micro-sized hero and just in the nick of time too after Infinity War's emotional impact in the MCU. Now that Ant-Man has retuned to the big screen once again, this time with Wasp by his side, will this bring big improvements or deliver that same small impression I got the first time?

The film takes place two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War where Scott Lang/Ant-Man has been under house arrest due to his involvement in a skirmish with the Avengers, but has been doing well in keeping himself in check as he wants to maintain a close relationship with his daughter Cassie and to ensure the survival of his newly-formed security business with his ex-con friends while Dr. Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne have been figuring out how to enter the quantum realm since they believe that Janet (Pym's wife and Hope's mother) is still alive and can be found, but Ghost, a villain whose unstable body allows her to phase through objects, and Sonny Burch, a low-level arms dealer, bring complications to their plans, pulling Scott along into their mess! Like the first Ant-Man film, the main plot has low stakes, which is a breath of fresh air and a nice break from Infinity War's massive scope and high stakes that it bought upon the MCU. The film is divided in several subplots, the main plot of Dr. Pym and his daughter rescuing Janet, Scott making sure that succeeds completing his house arrest, Ghost going after Dr. Pym's quantum technology to ensure her survival, Sonny Burch going after the same tech to sell in the black market, and Scott and Luis trying to get a big deal for their security business. Usually, a movie with many subplots can lead to a huge mess in terms of pacing, narrative flow with poor presentation, but fortunately, thanks to Peyton Reed's direction, the main plot and subplots flow well, despite a few clashes here and there, but in the end, still remains engaging from start to finish. The humor in the film has also improved, from the witty dialogue, character interactions depending on who's paired with who, and moments that hit bullseyes in the timing, though not all the humor hits the mark. While the film's story isn't groundbreaking, the sequel is still as entertaining and just as good as the first Ant-Man film!

The cast from the previous Ant-Man film return, along with new characters making their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, including the live-action debut of the villain Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen, but what's very refreshing about the character is not going for the typical world domination plan or the personal revenge plan, but simply just wants to survive as her body is getting more unstable as time is running out, leading her to desperation, so of course you'll feel sympathetic. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang remains as the lovable goofball and has proven once again to be adept at being the Ant-Man, but the real breakout star of the film is Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne making her superhero debut as the Wasp and her action scenes are flipping fantastic! Heck, the rest of the cast all do great jobs with their roles, including Sonny Burch (played by Walton Goggins), who's after Pym's technology to make a profit in the black arms market game, but serves as more of an obstacle villain than a main one, but he brings such an intimidating charm to the role, you can't help but enjoy his appearances. Then there's Randall Park as FBI agent Jimmy Woo who's assigned as Lang's parole officer and is probably the nicest FBI agents I've ever seen on film, in fact, I don't think he's even cursed once! His scenes with Lang are simply fun to watch, especially when Woo reacts to Lang's card tricks! This is what I call fun character interaction! Another scene-stealer in the film is Abby Ryder Fortson reprising her role of Cassie, Scott's daughter, whose scenes with her dad are very genuine and sweet to watch, plus acts as how a girl her age should be as she shows her own maturity and is a strong supporter of her dad. I hope to see that kid in many more roles in future films! Also joining the cast is Laurence Fishbourne as Bill Foster, Pym's old lab partner who brings a solid performance in the role as his exchange of dialogue with Pym feel believable as you do see that the two go way back and has a genuine role related to Ghost. Michael Peña also returns as Luis, whose storytelling skills never ceases to disappoint and his reactions to all the crazy things that are happening are hilariously enjoyable to watch and is becoming more tolerable than in the first film. Ah heck, despite not much character development for some of them, but thanks to the solid acting and writing, they're well established enough to keep you engaged throughout the film!

Once again, the signature visual effects return and are bigger and more fun than ever! When it came to Ant-Man having bugs with his shrinking, it leads to some creatively funny results, especially during a scene where they head to Cassie's school! Plus, the shrinking and growing effects look too unbelievably good to tell if that is computer generated at all! Then there's also the quantum realm that's a fascinating and marvelous world that leaves you astounded in its visual wonder!

Like with Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2, this was another superhero film that was worth the admission for its smart and fun direction, small, but engaging story, charming humor, impressive and creative visual effects, and an amazing cast who all played their roles with brilliant ease! And after seeing the film's mid-credits scene, you can bet that Ant-Man and the Wasp will return in the upcoming Avengers 4! It seems that Marvel Studios continues to astound their audiences with their films, no matter which character is featured, as they prove they can make any superhero character come to life masterfully on the big screen, giving me strong assurance that Captain Marvel will be quite "marvelous" when it comes to theaters on March!

Story: 3.5 / 5

Characters: 4 / 5

Production: 4.5 / 5

Final rating: 4 / 5