directed by Peyton Reed
written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari
Following the cataclysmic events of Avengers: Infinity War, a lighthearted romp through the world of Ant-Man is basically just what the doctor ordered, especially considering that he is joined here by the Wasp.
Following the events of the first movie, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) who had previously thought his wife Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) to be dead, after she shrunk herself down to subatomic size to stop a missile in the 1980s, now believes it's possible she's alive somewhere down in the Quantum Realm, after Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) went subatomic and managed to return to full size. Now, he and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) have built a "Quantum Tunnel" which is basically a rig that will enable them to shrink down small enough to travel to the Quantum Realm and find Janet. When Scott, who has been under house arrest following his participation on the events of Captain America: Civil War, suddenly has a strange dream about someone he thinks is Janet and gives Pym a call, Hank and Hope, thinking it's more than just a dream, decide they need Scott's help to find Janet as well. There are a number of things that could get in the way, though: 1) the fact that Scott, who is under the watchful eye of the FBI, specifically Agent Woo (Randall Park), is not supposed to leave his house until his house arrest is over, which is only a matter of days, 2) the fact that one of their black-market tech suppliers, the sleazy Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), is on to them and wants to steal their tech, and 3) the mysterious Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) also seeks to unlock secrets to the Quantum Realm and is willing to steal Hank's tech to do it. As much as Scott wants to do right by his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Forston) and stay out of trouble, he also realizes that Hank and Hope, who were both compromised as a result of his adventures in Germany, really need his help, and may well need the help of his old crew Luis (Michael Pena), Dave (Tip Harris) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian) as well.
The first Ant-Man was a pleasant little hoot, one I welcomed after Avengers: Age of Ultron disappointed somewhat back in 2015. This film, which has the distinction of being Marvel's first film with a female co-lead, captures the spirit and energy of the first film, with a lot more besides. It helps that the cast, most of whom return from the first film, have fantastic chemistry together. The humor is still front and center, and unlike Avengers: Infinity War, which seemed to be tonally muddled at times considering that the grim subject matter was often peppered with jokes, this film breezes through. Of course, Rudd, who shares scriptwriting credit, is at his comedic best here and really does the perfect "everyman" for this role, while Lilly and Douglas get considerably more screen time than last time out. John-Kamen, who was delightful as a bad guy in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, again shines here as the fiercely driven Ava Starr, whose very life may depend on Pym finding the Quantum Realm. Laurence Fishburne has a brief, somewhat unremarkable turn as Pym's former S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague Bill Foster. Pfeiffer is less a character here than she is a driving plot point and, ultimately, a sort of deus ex machina, but I hope she shows up in the inevitable sequel with more to do. And of course, no Ant-Man film would be complete without a narration from Michael Pena's Luis, who gladly obliges us about halfway through the movie.
The action scenes are quite imaginative, with Pym's shrinking technology being put to good use in not only the hand-to-hand fighting, but also in the most engaging car-chase sequence set in San Francisco since the one in Bullitt. It's also interesting to see how someone who can shrink at will fights someone who turns intangible at will.
It really is an enjoyable time at the movies, though of course, as with any movie involving science or pseudo-science, which, as usual, becomes the script's magical tool to explain what happens, no matter how illogical, it does feel a bit goofy at times. Director Peyton Reed does well to keep the action moving briskly so we don't find ourselves asking too many questions.
As an aside, and this isn't really a major issue, I have to say I wasn't too thrilled that Jimmy Woo, the rare Asian Marvel character, was portrayed as a complete goofball in the film considering the pedigree of his comic-book counterpart. Still, Park was a lot of fun in the role.
As MCU offerings go, this was a great way to cap off what's been a banner year for the ladies and gentlemen at Marvel.
7.5/10
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