Antz

By Tom Pacak

Even with two movies released this year that hit the billion-dollar mark, did you really think Marvel was going to sit the rest of the year out? Nope. Now comes “Ant-Man and the Wasp” a fun superhero movie that’s not the Shakespearean masterpiece “Black Panther” or the big box office winner that “Avengers: Infinity War” became. Instead, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is a goofy run through of the misadventures of Scott Lang aka “Ant-Man” (Paul Rudd). This film is much needed for fans who are still depressed about that “Avengers: Infinity War” ending. After watching that, I know I’m sticking with the ant colony.

Scott Lang is a superhero but nobody really sees him in that light. The feds hate him for being a criminal and his partners Hope aka “Wasp” (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) hate him for the Berlin incident in “Civil War.” The only person that really sees him as a superhero is his daughter, Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). Almost everything Scott does is for his daughter; he loves her to the moon and back.

Set before the events of “Infinity War,” the film opens with Scott being on house arrest for his involvement in the Berlin incident. He’s got four days left until he’s finally a free man. He's spent his days playing Wii drums, taking baths, and watching sad movies. One night, Scott has a dream about Pym’s wife, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) who is still stuck in the Quantum Realm after a suicide mission. Thinking the dream means something; Scott calls Pym about the dream and is later drugged and kidnapped by Pym himself.

Immediately, Scott demands to be taken to his house to finish his sentence. He has screwed up many times before and he can’t afford a twenty-year sentence. The thing I really love about Scott Lang is his desire to always redeem himself even when being a petty criminal gets in the way. He clearly wants to be finished with the criminal life but must commit harmless crimes to save the people important to him. This philosophy even is shown to his daughter who tells him, “I want to help people like you daddy.” 

The adventure starts off with Scott and friends looking for an easy tunnel into the quantum realm. Wasp tries to get the technology from a sleazy black market dealer, Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) but he is a very difficult one to work with. During this meeting, a molecular villain named Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) comes looking for the technology as well to heal her molecular illness. Despite being billed as the main villain, Ghost is actually far from being evil. The only reason you could consider her a villain is her continuous clashes with the film’s heroes. She actually has similar goals as the protagonists but is much more aggressive about it. Once you hear her story, you sympathize with her and hope that both she and the protagonists succeed in the end.

 “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is amazing with its comedy. You can put Paul Rudd in anything. He can do comedy and drama. His always-ending desire to be a hero father to his daughter is one anybody can relate to. Plus, I want him to teach me some of those magic tricks that he does. It’s also fun watching the great chemistry he has with his derpy but kind-hearted friends Luis (Michael Peña), Dave (T.I. Harris) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian). The jokes they have with Walton Goggins are hilarious as well.

Director Peyton Reed (Ant-Man), knows what to do with the less serious superhero movie. He knows a movie about a guy who can shrink to ant size can’t be too serious. All audiences want is some good laughs and clever action sequences. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is a blast when it doesn’t try too hard. The film is successful at that until a post-credit scene that proves nobody is safe when Thanos has those Infinity Stones. Just drink the truth serum, you'll realize this film is rehab from "Infinity War." 

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

Note: Now Playing in Theaters