[Review] Ant-Man And The Wasp (8/10)

Title - Ant-Man And The Wasp
Studio - Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios
Starring - Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Randall Park, Hannah John-Kaman, Michael Pena, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne
Writer - Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, Paul Rudd
Director - Peyton Reed
Release - 6 July 2018

What an achievement Peyton Reed has pulled off for Ant-Man And The Wasp. The first movie was nowhere near my favourite though it was a solid entry into the MCU. However, and perhaps with what I consider as an okay first movie, this sequel was better in a lot of ways.

It didn't hurt that Evangeline Lily's Wasp was such a great character and another great female superhero added into the Avengers fold. And Reed and company definitely has matured and grasped the concept of what Ant-Man and the Wasp should look and feel like.

The humour has gone up a notch. With Paul Rudd co-writing to give his character a more natural fit, and to carry forward what the first movie has setup for Michael Pena's brand of humour; it was pure delight to watch these characters.

One of the best parts were the introduction of Michelle Pfeiffer, but Randall Park really stole the show. He never was one to steal spotlight but he brings with him a great sense of comedy and comedic timing that complimented Rudd's style.

For the negatives there were a few. The concept of the quantum realm and what it can do is still a blur to me. We are meant to just accept what was presented to us, the affects and the abilities it gave were more like plot conveniences than an actual theory materializing into practical use.

John-Kaman and Goggins both were competent but they still felt like there are holes in their characters. Fishburne also had a good performance but there were only a couple of scenes where he truly shone.

Douglas on the other hand had more to give compared to the first movie. The scene where he decided to go into the quantum realm was architectured so perfectly that it gave me the feels. Pfeiffer also had a great performance and was able to move me when intended.

Definitely a lot more players in the game this time and I thought they all balanced out quite well, keeping in the cast from the first movie like Cannavale, Greer and the rest of Scott Lang's crew.

At this point I am unsure about the rewatch-ability of the movie as I feel like I have gotten everything the movie had to give.

Oh, and one last thing, there is no need to stay for the second end-credit scene because it is in the trailer! Felt kind of getting ripped off, actually, to sit through the credits.