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Ant-Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

3 starsIn the post-Thanos world of the MCU, it’s nice to be welcomed into the comforting arms of a film we can simply sit back and enjoy. And that’s certainly the case with Ant-Man and the Wasp, a fast-paced, funny, superhero romp that is light on emotion and heavy on humor - something we can all use right about now following the uncharacteristically bleak note that left Marvel-ites reeling from the heartbreaking sadness of this year’s Avengers: Infinity War.

As we learned in 2015’s Ant-Man, size does indeed matter and, appropriately enough, this is a much smaller Marvel movie in both tone and presence within the MCU itself. It bucks the trend of superhero theatrics by placing far more emphasis on humor and lightheartedness than it does on spectacle and Marvel euphoria. And it is a better movie because of it.

 

"what is there not to like about a bad guy being separated from his speeding motorcycle by a giant Pez dispenser bouncing down the road?"


That’s not to say Ant-Man and the Wasp lacks exciting action. There is plenty of that. In fact, much of the film’s enjoyment comes from its thrilling chase and fight scenes. Even harrowing chase sequences through the hilly streets of San Francisco are drop dead funny in and of themselves. After all, what is there not to like about a bad guy being separated from his speeding motorcycle by a giant Pez dispenser bouncing down the road? And watching a miniaturized Wasp run along the length of a chef’s knife thrown at her by a bad guy is just flat-out cool as hell. It is in these smallest of moments that Ant-Man and the Wasp finds its biggest success.{googleads}

The film opens with Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) under house arrest and sporting a shiny new ankle bracelet due to his involvement in the events that occurred in Captain America: Civil War. He’s biding his time by lying around playing the electronic drums and pondering his future as a superhero and as a dad to daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). Just three more days and he’ll be set free to join his ex-con friends at the security company they all own.

But his freedom is jeopardized when Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope van Dyne/The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) approach with a new mission which forces Scott to, once again, don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside The Wasp to rescue Hope’s mom (Michelle Pfeiffer) who was believed dead. Due to a recent discovery, they have reason to believe that she has been trapped alive within the subatomic quantum realm for the last 30 years and with the aid of a newly invented piece of technology, Scott is the only one who can locate her.

The team encounters a few bumps in the road, however, as they soon learn that FBI agent Woo (Randall Park) is relentlessly hoping to prove that Scott is violating his house arrest, while a sleazy black market technology dealer (Walton Goggins) is willing to do anything to get his grimy hands on the new technology, and a mysterious figure called Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) continues to turn up at the worst moments.

Ant-Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

That’s a lot of moving parts and intertwining threads to keep up with, but director Peyton Reed keeps everything fast-paced and always exciting. There’s a sort of screwball comedy feel to the proceedings that also plays nicely into the buffoonery of the film’s clownish villains.

Of course, the film’s ace in the hole is Rudd whose self-deprecating humor and affable nature plays perfectly alongside the more serious nature of Lilly’s Wasp. The return of Michael Peña as Scott’s best friend and fellow ex-con is a much appreciated call. He certainly lit up the first film with his hilarious schtick and continues to do so this time around as well. His truth serum gag is sure to go down as an all-time classic.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a much-welcomed summer delight and the perfect diversion from the recent wave of hopelessness that continues to ripple throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It certainly can’t be considered essential Marvel viewing (that’s a good thing), and though a half-step down from 2015’s stand-alone original, it is guaranteed to entertain audiences, six to sixty, whether superhero fans or not.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

MPAA Rating: PG - 13 for some sci - fi action violence.
Runtime:
118 mins
Director
: Peyton Reed
Writer:
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Cast:
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña
Genre
: Sci-fi | Action
Tagline:
Real heroes. Not actual size.
Memorable Movie Quote: "If you two are finished comparing sizes.."
Theatrical Distributor:
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Official Site: marvel.com/antman
Release Date:
July 6, 2018
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
No details available.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to re-balance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he's confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Disney / Buena Vista
Available on Blu-ray - October 16, 2018
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Audio: English: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1; Spanish:; Dolby Digital 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD-50); Digital copy; Movies Anywhere
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

While I am not sure of what the holdup was through Amazon, we finally got a hold of Disney’s release of Ant-Man and The Wasp.  The results?  Disney brings us another great looking 1080p transfer with the release of this movie on blu-ray.  With a blistering color palette and a cinematic 2.39:1 aspect ratio, we finally have our proof that size doesn’t matter. The results are as blisteringly good and dazzle the senses with eye-popping special effects. Black levels are charged and edges are well developed. The crispness involved in much of the galactic happenings only gets crushed a bit when we go truly large scale and, usually, that’s only in the darkest of places as we go deep within. There’s a nice lever of saturation to the film and the effects are detailed and strong. This new vision for Thor is bold and bright and cutting edge.  The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is a pretty big deal. It’s immersive and perfectly aligned with the scope of the project.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Director Peyton Reed provides a solid commentary.

Special Features:

Running a bit on the short side, the supplemental items are just okay.  We get some Stan Lee outtakes, though, so that’s cool.  A 23-minute making of provides the main meat of the information, though. 

  • Making of Featurettes (23 min)
  • Gag Reel and Outtakes (4 min)
  • Deleted Scenes (2 min)

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Ant-Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

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