After the universe-shattering proportions of Infinity War making Marvel fans lose their minds over being the “most epic thing to ever exist and destroying all my favorite everything!” (I thought it was just “alright”) it was time for some light-hearted fun before the EPIC conclusion! And what better way than a fun action-comedy film about shrinking people who can also grow giant and telepathically control ants? Marvel has bought bust that film in Ant-Man and the Wasp!
The first Ant-Man is a movie with origins dating all the way back to 2003. Director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver) had pitched the idea to Marvel and for the next nine years, they kept bouncing on and off about it due to Wright’s other film commitments. Wright eventually left over “creative differences” (Hollywood diplomatic talk) and was replaced with Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Yes Man). While the final product is certainly not terrible, it wasn’t exactly the explosive comedy “POW” we might expect from the likes of Wright, and even some scenes felt like an Edgar Wright idea, such as certain shrinking sequences and the now-famous Michael Péna (Million Dollar Baby, World Trade Center) explanation sequences.
This time, Reed gets to make an Ant-Man movie all of his own idea! And he bought along the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) for double the fun! Reed delivers a fun if disposable, action-comedy with some good laughs and fun action! And that has mainly to do with the cast. Without the aforementioned actors, along with Paul Rudd (Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Michael Douglas (Romancing the Stone, Black Rain), and new additions such as Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Hannibal (tv series), Walton Goggins (Lincoln, Justified), and Michelle Pfieffer (Scarface, Married to the Mob), their charisma and comedic skills make it more entertaining than it should be! The action is fun all-around as well, making excellent use of the shrinking abilities of the main characters!
So why is it that this is still just “okay” and nothing truly spectacular? That may be because shrinking characters could just be difficult to crack. There’s no denying the creative potential with that power, but there’s something about making it the lead that just doesn’t completely click. Maybe they’re better off as side characters occasionally popping in to help the other guys now and then, I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do with these characters, I doubt even Kevin Feige, Reed, and Rudd truly know what to do with them.
All in all, it’s not a waste. If you’re looking for a good time and some laughs on a lazy day, this movie is perfect. I actually prefer it more than Infinity War with its much more personal stakes and no world-ending catastrophe. I’ll probably see the inevitable third one.
Image from fatherly.com
