After the intensity and dark nature of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s a relief to have a MCU film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and places a high value on humour and ease of consumption. It’s not completely divorced from company direction though and the coda at the end of the film puts things in perspective (so stay till the very end.).

Paul Rudd is back as Scott Lang (AKA Ant-Man) and he still plays the role mostly for laughs but does rises to the occasion in the hero stakes when needed. Through a plot device better seen in the film than described here, he and Hope Van Dyne AKA the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) are sharing a time out. Their reconnection is large part of the film’s charm.

It’s a big universe out there and there is plenty of room for an addition to the franchise that has light heartedness at its core. Ant-Man and the Wasp is unchallenging and all the more fun because of that. It’s also an enjoyable addition to the recent heavy going.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/antman

The film is filled with new characters to the big screen like Black Panther (Chadwick Bosema) as well as drawing in players from other films new to the MU like Ant-Man. Paul Rudd’s diminutive character is a great addition and provides some much needed humor to what is one of the more serious Marvel outings. Marvel’s acquiring of Spiderman from his Sony overlords is also a worthy and comic addition.

The plot has more than a few strangely placed potholes. These could have been easily filled with some small degree of exposition but going down the road of having the Avengers pay some degree of penance for past caviler endeavours is a clever plot device even if handled rather clunky at times.

The film’s long running time (147 minutes) races by and the fight scenes while overabundant are very well staged. Pitting Chris Evans’ Captain America against Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man in a war of wills provides the majority of the human interaction but there are a number of smaller subplots that also provide interest. It’s great getting all the gang back together again and in a vehicle that is more strongly written and played out than last time. Just a small critique though, let’s please have the crazy credits at the very end provide us new information (like in the past) other than just being an ad for future films.

Rob Hudson
www.marvel.com/captainamerica

Well, kind of. The story presents itself as an interesting aside in the wider Marvel universe but it is just that – an aside. There’s certainly an interesting story here, and perhaps future instalments may add something more substantial, but as it is presented here the most intriguing moments are when it references Marvel’s mega franchise, The Avengers. And, indeed, intentions are made very clear that Ant Man will join the Avengers team in the near future. This raises the question as to whether the story may have been better suited to a subplot in the next Avengers movie as there seems barely enough story here to fill a feature of its own.

It’s well known that Edgar Wright was originally slated to direct Ant-Man and Wright has maintained a screenwriter credit. His fingerprints remain on the project but the comic dialogue that remains falls mostly flat. The dialogue doesn’t feel as sharp as it wants to be and maybe the issue is with replacement director, Peyton Reed, who is known for his moderately successful but lightweight comedies. In any case, Internet debates will no doubt rage over what could have been.

Paul Rudd is a likeable character but his presence here is sleight. As is his romantic interest in Evangeline Lilly. The chemistry between the pair could also be described as ‘sleight’. Michael Douglas, however, provides some old school screen presence that is most welcome and reminds us of how little we see him these days.

Stuart Jamieson
www.marvel.com