Ant-Man and the Wasp: A break from the dark Marvel universe
The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Franchise succeeds in dulling the pain of Infinity War.
The experience you will claim to have had whilst watching Ant Man and The Wasp relies entirely on the attitude you had towards the movie when you entered the cinema. If you go in expecting a grounded, science-based film full of intrigue and plot-twists, chances are that you’re going to be a little disappointed. If, however, you enter with an open-mind, an expectation to laugh, to see some kick-ass action scenes, and have your heartstrings tugged on, then I can promise you’ll have a blast.
SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this review contains mild spoilers — but mentions no major plot points.
Like it’s predecessor, one of the capital strengths of this film is the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. From it’s questionably ‘scientific’ use of the Pym Particle, to the very concept of a superhero who can shrink to the size of, and communicate with ants, the film is grounded instead in the emotional journeys of it’s principle characters. For this, lead character Scott Lang, despite having the most screen-time, takes a bit of a back seat, with the film preferring to focus on the character arcs of Hank and Hope Pym. A refreshing new point of focus, especially when the two characters were somewhat limited by their ‘love-interest’ (in the case of Hope) or ‘mentor’ (Hank) roles in the first entry of the Ant-Man series. The two are still relatively unlikeable characters, but entirely believable, and enjoyable to watch, a credit to both Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly, as this is a difficult balance to strike. Paul Rudd once again does not disappoint in the role of Scott Lang, carrying equal parts charm and humour.
Unfortunately, the film is let down somewhat by its primary antagonist, the mysterious white-clad ‘ghost’ from the trailers, whose writing shows a half-hearted attempt by the writers to make the villain sympathetic through a ‘tragic backstory’, rather than creating a person with believable objectives and reasoning (See Loki, Thanos or Killmonger for some examples of excellent Marvel villains that avoid this pitfall). Unfortunately, the character is also unlikeable, and makes some questionable decisions that removes a decent amount of plausibility.
The villain is a symptom of a worrying trend in the genre of superhero films of late, that of underdeveloped, uninteresting ‘bad guys’, a trend that Marvel has quelled effectively with the likes of Thanos and Killmonger earlier this year. Ghost, whilst possessing some impressive abilities, and being well-acted, lacks depth. The character isn’t enough to make this film unenjoyable, but the central conflict between hero and villain suffers for it.
In short, if you’re hankering for a break from the massive-scale, emotionally turmoiling events of the last few entries in the MCU, this film will do right by you. Just remember not to look too far into the science of it, or you might find that it becomes much less enjoyable.
