Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp brings a whole new dimension of Marvel cinema to audiences of all sizes. Our first movie after Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 has a congruent timeline but is much more light-hearted than the beyond-disastrous Avengers ending that blew everyone away (sorry).
If you didn’t catch this movie’s prequel, Ant-Man, or were living under a rock when Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) made a larger-than-life appearance in Captain America: Civil War, don’t fret. The movie’s writers do a wonderful job utilizing dialogue to bring audiences up to date on Ant-Man’s history and his status with Hope and Hank Pyme (Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas) since his arrest at the end of Civil War.
In the two years following the Avengers’ split, Scott Lang has been under house arrest. So, of course, just a few days out from his parole being lifted, the Pymes, FBI, gangsters, and a dimension-shifting Ghost decide that Lang could do with a bit of excitement.
The movie is well-paced with a healthy balance of action, drama, romantic tension, and naturally-integrated comedy. Lang’s friends, our favorite trio of ex-cons: Luis, Kurt, and Dave (Michael Peña, David Dastmalchian, and T.I.), are somehow even more entertaining than they were in the first movie. Don’t worry, they’ve changed their ways but not so much that we don’t miss out on Luis’s interesting version of summarizing.
As important as his friends are to getting back on track, Lang’s true motivations for making things right lie with his family. His ex-wife, Maggie (Judy Greer), her boyfriend, Paxton (Bobby Cannavale), and the adorable Cassie Lang (Abby Ryder Fortson) find every opportunity to support Scott. While they are somehow able to piece together something that resembles a normal, functioning family, Hank and Hope Pyme long for their missing piece.
Michelle-freaking-Pfeiffer plays Janet van Dyne: wife, mother, and the original Wasp. The movie’s main focus is their reunion, which consequently leads to foes coming out of the woodwork, desperate to repurpose the Langs’ technology for their own benefit. Next thing you know: Ant-Man and the Wasp are teaming up like never before.
With movies such as those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that walk the treacherous line between fictional science, magic, and reality; it is easy to let inconsistencies slip through the cracks and leave audiences accepting impracticalities with the excuse of “movie magic.” What makes the MCU so enthralling is their ability to project storylines 10+ years in to the future that follow a set of rules necessary for any type of fictional-universe. Exploring these rules but never breaking them has allowed for new possibilities within the realm of the MCU to appear on screen and intermingle with those already established.
The Quantum Realm, for example, is a key aspect of Ant-Man’s story and ties in to the culminating plot, just as Wakanda’s resources in Black Panther and sorcery in Doctor Strange contributed to Infinity War. On a smaller scale, the way our heroes smoothly interact with their environment and technology at hand is as much comedic as it is genius to this movie’s singular plot, ensuring its success as an individual story as well as a stepping stone to the larger conflict at hand.
On the flip side, the way the movie presents the Quantum Realm is a terrible thing of beauty in and of itself. Although multiple dimensions are technically theoretical at this point, the exploration of the Quantum Realm (get used to hearing the word “quantum”) puts in to perspective how terrifyingly insignificant yet gigantic everything in existence is. It just depends on one’s point of view.
And in my point of view, this movie deserves an 8.7/10. I urge you to stick around for the first credit scene, I have a feeling a key element of Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 is mentioned. So, pay close attention to that. But, if you’re in a rush or really don’t care that much, feel free to leave before the second credits scene. While funny, it does not bring to light any astonishing revelations.
— Review by Olivia M.
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