Ant Man and the Wasp movie review

Movie Title:  Ant-Man and the Wasp

Grade:  A-

Rating: PG-13, 118 minutes

In a Nutshell:  After the devastating ending of the Avengers: Infinity War, this lighthearted and refreshing Marvel movie makes us feel better and reminds us that everything is going to be OK after all.  Unlike the darkness we felt after Avengers: Infinity War, this one feels easy and breezy.  This is the 20^th feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Tips for parents: 

• Some profanity.
• Lots of violence and destruction.
• Some sexual innuendo.
• Kids will be entertained and enjoy this, even if they have never read  Ant-Man: Scott Lang comic books before.

Uplifting theme: 

• Family
• Friends
• Persistence
• Hope
• Marriage, love
• Sacrifice for others
• “Trying to help people isn’t dumb.” – Cassie

Things I liked:

• Paul Rudd is as charming as ever.  He was one of the screenwriters too.
• Evangeline Lilly is gorgeous and adds a nice touch to the Marvel family.  I love her back story.
• Michael Pena is so versatile.  He plays tough guy roles convincingly and adeptly switches to the comic sidekick.  I absolutely loved his fast-talking scene in the first movie and again in this one.
• Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas offer the aged wisdom and talent that this light piece needed.  It was fun to see their young faces again.
• Bobby Cannavale is always fun to watch.  Too bad he didn’t have much to do in this film.
• Keep watching after the credits for another scene and sneak preview of the next movie in the franchise.  There is still one more quick scene after the music and final credits.
• Lombard Street in San Francisco.  Always fun to see in movies.  You also get to see Coit Tower and Fisherman’s Wharf.
• I love it that Stan Lee gets a cameo in every Marvel film.  I get a kick out of the funny lines they give him.  In this flick, he says, “Well, the 60’s were fun, but now I’m paying for it.”  Ha ha
• Fun, quirky humor.  Lots of fun jabs at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which I love, because it shows that the MCU doesn’t take itself too seriously.
• Fast-paced action that is both exciting as it is funny.
• Abby Ryder Fortson is adorable as Cassie.  Her relationship with her dad is very sweet.  I love that he teaches her to use her imagination and play.
• Laurence Fishburne’s son played the younger version of his character, Dr. Bill Foster.
• The running gag of the Online Close-up Magic University was cute and made me wonder if it’s a real web site.  It is!
• I thought it was cute to see Scott read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green while crying.  ha ha  Last summer, I went to Amsterdam and wandered around with my nephew until we found the actual bench where the stars kissed.  We found it!  Other people found it too and placed lovers’ locks on it.

• Mention of the Shield.  Yes!  My husband and I recently binge-watched Agents of Shield: Complete Series Seasons 1-4 DVD   Loved it.
• The bear-looking creatures in the quantum realm are actually a real thing!  I first saw them in the awesome Micropia museum in Amsterdam last summer.  I went with my brilliant nephew who had just graduated from college with a degree in Microbiology (the perfect tour guide).  If you ever make it to Amsterdam, be sure to visit that museum.  It’s extremely well-done and fascinating.  My nephew just started medical school last week!

 Things I didn’t like:

• It’s better if you have already seen the first Ant-Man (Plus Bonus Features) movie in order to understand the character development and arc.  The movie picks up right after the events of the Marvel movie Captain America: Civil War (Theatrical).  The first Ant-Man (Plus Bonus Features) ends with a great set-up for the Wasp.  It was also a better movie.

• In the first ANT MAN, Paul Rudd’s character is clever and talented. In this one, he is kind of portrayed as a bumbling idiot.

• I thought Ghost’s costume was dumb and made the movie feel like an old Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Vol. 1 episode.  One of my sons said it bothered him that she was supposedly from Argentina, but had a British accent.  Her character was so selfish.  She could have been so helpful.  Other than that, Hannah John-Kamen has gorgeous eyes.
• Certain plot points aren’t explained very well.
• There is something about Walton Goggins that makes for such a sinister character.  Unfortunately, the writing for his character in this film wasn’t very good.

Funny lines:

• “I eat fear for breakfast.” –  Cassie  (Abby Ryder Fortson)
• “Oh no!  The fuzz!” – Cassie
• “Do you guys just put the word ‘quantum’ in front of everything?” – Scott Lang (Ant-Man)
• “Do you want a juice box and some string cheese?” – Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)     “Do you really have it?” – Scott
• “Oh!  You got pezzed!” – Luis (Michael Pena)
• “The cops are coming!  Like…ALL of them!” – Luis

@trinaboice