Ant-Man and the Wasp
Maybe it's true what they say. You really, truly can't go back (I don't know who said that first so don't quote me). Back to solo-superheroes, back to self-contained stories, back to not revealing what appears to be the only relevant piece of canon in post-credit scenes.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) finds Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) getting through his last days of house arrest before Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruit him for another mission, this one a little more personal than saving the world.
Paul Rudd's "Scott Lang" feels much the same as in the first film, which, thanks to an endearing character portrayal, certainly isn't an issue. The angry, all-business "Hope" from the first Ant-Man has softened some and Evangeline Lilly handles her well, making sure this much-needed heart blends with her ability to hold her own. Michael Douglas, as always, a pleasure to have you on board.
The action is, in a few words, more than a little intriguing to behold. I'm not particularly picky about action scenes and have little to no (mostly no) grasp on martial arts, but I must say, there's something quite special about this film. Ant-Man and the Wasp have come a long way since their first outing and slip between height and matter seamlessly throughout a fight. The first film surprised me with the visually interesting fight scenes and I must say, the second is no letdown.
Plus, there's the humor. I don't begrudge other superhero films their seriousness. There is certainly a value and audience in darker films and themes you can tackle in a greater and/or different way. I do, however, begrudge them their pretentiousness (which seems hand-in-hand with seriousness at the moment). I begrudge the idea that, "Welp, made you smile. Guess we have nothing of worth or value to offer." I'm not making the case for pandering humor to audiences. Rather, if audiences leave the theater having watched a film about the enduring love and strength of family and maybe cracked a smile once or twice, it's not a terrible thing. In fact, I'd make the case that it's a good.
All right. Now I'll get back to my very first paragraph, the part that nobody's been waiting for. Ant-Man and the Wasp is not unenjoyable, it's just entirely unnecessary (at least to a non-comic book reading individual such as myself, even if that fact seems to be increasingly irrelevant). I mean, I'm all for saving people from the Quantum Realm, but if you plan on making a movie about it, you're going to need to convince me why I need to care and why now. Heartless, I know, but not untrue.
There's no exposition to speak of because by the time we show up, Dr. Hank Pym already has a plan. Thank goodness because most people complain exposition is the most boring -- wait, wait, oh yeah, no, we'll treat you to a long flashback on our villain "Ghost" because how would you know they're the villain if they don't tie you up and explain their life story to you. We're not even going to give you a chance to learn about her. We'll just tell you. In the beginning. So there's no mystery. You're welcome.
To be fair, I think the film's structural issues here could have been solved with better editing. Maybe not completely; I feel like someone should have workshopped the deus ex machina-esque ending a little more, but the pieces are there. The biggest problems come to light in its story. There's the "Ghost" who feels wholly disconnected from the plot, despite needing the same thing our protagonists do (and, you know, being the main baddie). There's the weird addition of a second villain who comes off more sleazy than competent with no more purpose than padding the two-hour run time.
The problem comes when our protagonist is forced into a passive role from the outset, rendering him incapable of struggling with [the main message] in any conceivable way.
And then there's what the film thought was its main thesis: that Scott Lang needs a partner. Indeed, the film is titled "Ant-Man AND THE WASP" so you can quite conceivably imagine that'll have something to do with the plot. You'd be wrong, but that's on Marvel. Credit where credit is due, AMATW is not without the standard "you can't go it alone" message. The problem comes when our protagonist is forced into a passive role from the outset, rendering him incapable of struggling with it in any conceivable way. Unfortunately, this choice refuses to let Scott Lang go through any sort of emotional journey and causes what's mostly an enjoyable film to feel, ultimately, empty.
Maybe more will come to light in future films; maybe something will actually give this latest installment a purpose in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for my five dollars? Well, contrary to what it seems here, you'd be hard-pressed to find any Marvel film I've regretted spending money on.