It's taken me quite some time to realize this; but, I've had something of an epiphany in regards to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I have a good feeling fellow film nerds are going to agree with. The less these movies are concerned with the overall narrative status quo of the franchise and setting up future sequels, the better they end up being as individual works (hence why the only two films in this whole venture I'd consider classics are the Guardians of the Galaxy flicks). I bring this up because Ant-Man & The Wasp is a good example of this principle in action. It takes what made the first film good and expands on those elements well enough to where it considered better than its immediate predecessor.
Paul Rudd remains as charming and likable as ever. Thankfully, Evangeline Lily gets more to do here than she did last, proving to be a real force of nature in the action sequences and an endearing screen presence in the slower moments. Michael Pena offers some good laughs in the midst of all this chaos. Hannah John-Kamen and Walton Goggins make for two well-done antagonists, with the former being quite sympathetic and surprisingly well-developed character wise while the latter is just fun because he's Walton Goggins (who is awesome even in small doses such as with his appearance here). No further justification needed. Oh, and it's always to see Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne show up in anything.
This time around, all the big setpieces are even more playful and creative. You thought having a destructive climax in a room of children's toys was fun? Wait till you see all the tricks that are up this film's sleeve. From a murderer's row of re-sizable vehicles getting put to good use in car chases to resourceful uses of kitchenware, director Peyton Reed keeps finding ways to keep this central conceit ceaselessly amusing. That much was expected when I got my ticket. What I was pleasantly surprised by was how it tried to grow it's characters. Outside of this and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, I can't recall any other films of this ilk that really change their characters as people. Sure, it's awesome to see them run around in flashy costumes and punch other dudes in similar attire; but, what makes us want to keep paying attention is the little moments in between and this does it really well.
As the Marvel phenomenon keeps chugging along like a runaway train, one can be forgiven for fearing that there will come a time when there's nothing interesting left to say about these movies. For now, I've found a couple points to latch onto to keep that inevitable situation from happening for just a little while longer. First, everything since Doctor Strange has been fully embracing what makes the material strange or unique and this is no exception. Second, one of the big things that makes each film interesting is how they try to infuse other genres into their superheroics (like how Captain America: The Winter Soldier is tinged with 70s paranoid spy thriller trappings and Thor: Ragnarok seems to have more than a little love for the era of Flash Gordon and Masters of the Universe). In this instance, much like some of the original comics, the Ant-Man movies have a charming sense of reverence for 50s and 60s science fiction. Heck, they even go as far to make a clever gag at the end with a miniaturized drive-in screening of the classic B-movie, THEM! (you'll have to see the movie if you want more on that). It's a nice popcorn flick that's light and breezy but has just enough emotional weight to keep it from being ephemeral. Plus, it has giant ants playing drums! What's not to like?
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP gets a...
FUN WEEKEND MATINEE out of TEN
One last point, it would feel crass if I weren't to acknowledge some rather tragic Marvel news here. Yesterday, comics legend Steve Ditko (you can thank him for helping create Spider-Man, Dr. Strange and countless other greats) passed away at the age of 90 and his influence was far too important for me to gloss over. Rest in peace, goodsir. Your contributions will forever live on.
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