Ant-Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

This film is a 12A, was released on August 3rd 2018, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS but at the end there will be a brief discussion of MAJOR SPOILERS

Introduction 

Well Marvel have been rather game changing recently. Prior to this year, people were beginning to get sick of superheroes. But 2 movies almost flipped that idea completely on its head. First, Black Panther, a film that added depth and nuance to a superhero movie all while maintaining the fun. But 2 months later, Avengers: Infinity War came out and shocked the world. But before we find out where our beloved heroes are after the tragic events of that film, we have 2 more to come which will hopefully give a bit of insight. One of which is Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Thoughts Going In 

I really liked the first Ant-Man, it came out at a time where I was still just beginning to get into the MCU but I thought it had great action, crazy visuals as well as a likeable star. It was one of my favourites but gradually got a bit pushed down, especially since we've seen some great entries since 2015. So, I was excited for a follow-up, but even more so after the last film. I had to back away from the YouTube theories and see as much official information as I could. So I was excited and hoping for the best. 

The Story 

After Scott, AKA Ant-Man, came back from the Quantum Realm just fine, Hank Pym and his daughter Hope think that his wife and her mother, Janet, may still be alive as she got stuck in the same place many years ago. Meanwhile, Scott is on house-arrest after what he did in Civil War, but the two bring him in as he seemingly has the best knowledge about the place than they do. But, an evil business owner and a girl with ghostly abilities both want the technology for their own reasons.

What I Liked 

As a cool off from Infinity War, this film really delivers. It maintains the unique style of action that the first one had and it makes way for some really clever scenes. This time, it's more than just the suits that shrink. There's things like cars and buildings constantly going from big to small. The film uses these to its full advantage and it allows for some really creative action. In one car chase scene, the main characters are sat inside a car that fluctuates between the 2 sizes. It is really fun to also see everyday things blown up, for example, a Pez candy dispenser is used at a weapon at one point. And in one scene in a kitchen, the Wasp faces regular kitchen utensils which come off as massive threats. So unlike most other Marvel offerings, this one has an inventive flair from an action standpoint.

Also, as it has major plot importance, the Quantum Realm is really interesting. I have a few issues with it but aesthetically speaking, it's beautiful. We really only saw a segment of it last time and here I think it was fully explored. The jagged and swirly shapes are really intriguing. It definitely does please, especially since it is almost at the centre of this story.

The performances are great, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have great chemistry and they're definitely having fun in this film, but like the last one, Micheal Pena steals the show. In the original he had a few scenes in which he'd explain a needlessly complicated story that we see play out with all the characters involved talking in his voice. Here, we get another, even funnier one. But beyond that his presence is always welcome. Micheal Douglas is as good as always and Hannah John-Kamen continues to impress this year, after her small, but solid, performance in Ready Player One. 

What I Didn't Like 

The film is a little bit all over the place. There are several plots all intertwining at once and it gets a little bit exhausting. You have the main plot with Hope and Hank, Scott being under house arrest and dealing with that, Ghost's plan to use the Quantum Realm, another villain who wants to make a business off of the Quantum Realm, Luiz and his companions and their business, the FBI trying to track down Scott, and an old friend of Hank's who wants to help Ghost. Because of this, it can be hard to follow who is who at certain points. What doesn't help is the fact that some are actually irrelevant, and just exist so that everyone has their own role in an action scene or so there can be more conflict even when all seems fine. That and because of all these people, some have to explain their back story and the film can get bogged down in explaining some motivations. I think the film would've benefited by cutting down on the amount of people involved. Come on, we already had a Marvel movie which juggles a million characters at once, we don't need another one!

Also regarding explanations, another thing bogging the film down is exposition regarding the Quantum Realm. There's a lot of boring mumbo jumbo about how 'we need to do this' or 'now let's try this' and the word Quantum is said about a million times. They clearly are aware of this as at one point someone claims that issue, but that doesn't exactly resolve it, it just means the writers are aware how much repetition of that one word there is. I've also heard people say some elements of the Quantum Realm were underutilized but I won't go into detail because it is spoiler filled. It didn't bother me personally but I cant understand why it annoyed others.

Conclusion 

Overall, whilst it does get slightly bogged down in exposition and maybe suffering from having too many characters, Ant-Man and the Wasp is still is great addition to the MCU with essentially the same strengths as the first, great action, crazy visuals as well as likeable stars. However, because it is more streamlined and easy to follow, I'd have to say the first is slightly better. But, if you need a cool off after Infinity War or you'd just like to see some cool action, you've probably already seen this because I saw it super late...

I'm going to give Ant-Man and the Wasp an S

BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET BECAUSE IT'S TIME FOR SPOILER DISCUSSION!

This is really just going to be my thoughts on the end credits scenes. Firstly, the mid-credits scene. During the really nicely stylized credits, I was waiting for the inevitable reveal of what happened to these characters after Infinity War and I am happy how it went. I predicted that Ant-Man would survive but the Wasp and Hank Pym would be in the 50% that faded to dust. I was exactly right! Unless you point out that I never guessed the fate of Janet. I am pleased it has gone like this because hopefully we'll see more of Ant-Man in the currently untitled Avengers 4, assuming he gets out of the Quantum Realm. 

However, the one which followed the credits was a disappointment. I know that most of the scenes after all the credits are usually just a joke, but after films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming, that idea had kind of worn out its welcome. But this year, both Marvel movies has something to offer after the credits, so I was hoping for more than just a big ant playing the drums, which was actually a clip from the trailer. Maybe a scene showing where Hawkeye is, we haven't seen him in a while, did he die? Or maybe finally seeing Captain Marvel for the first time, setting up her own film and possibly Avengers 4. So there were options, but I can't get properly annoyed because the Russos probably want to keep everything as quiet as possible. On the bright side, it was nice to see that Marvel finally had a bit of fun with the ominous text that pops up after the end credits scene, placing a ? after the usual '_____ will return'