July 24, 2018 2 min to read

Ant Man and the Wasp

It’s not a movie that attempts much, but Antman is good, clean, uncomplicated fun.

by Zach Saul

In a lot of ways, Antman and the Wasp is the quintessential Paul Rudd movie. Scott Lang (Rudd) isn’t uniquely capable, a brilliant mind, or an extraordinary personality…..but damn is he likeable. Rudd always manages to feel like someone we know in real life, and that we could quite possibly be friends with.

If the Marvel universe is a decadent feast, Infinity Wars is the eight layer lasagna, and the Antman movies are the palate-cleansing sorbets they serve between courses to perpare you for the next plate of roast turkey. The reason Antman and the Wasp works is because both the sequel and the original don’t take themselves all that seriously.  Lang (Rudd) feels like an accidental superhero, and it almost feels like he fell backwards into his role as the Antman. Where other superhero flicks would insert cliched monologues about justice and duty, Antman opts instead for deadpan humor, and simplified explanations of the “subatomic realm”. While I’m sure some dead physicists are spinning in their urns, as far a summer blockbusters go, I thought it worked excellently.

Although there wasn’t a prominent villain the way other Marvel movies have them, Antman benefits from a fun cat and mouse dynamic between superhero, and federal agent. There was an immense and specific joy I took in watching Scott Lang and his daughter dupe Antman’s parole officer (Randal Park) over and over again, and even though Park knows he’s been duped, he falls victim the same way the audience does for Rudd’s charisma. Hannah John Kamen’s role as Ava was interesting, but the audience doesn’t root against her in the same way we root against Thanos, or Loki. Ava would certainly be an interesting insertion into future movies, as she’s clearly teetering on the line between good and evil - and could be had by either side.

The Good: Antman is good, clean, uncomplicated summer fun. We like just about every character, and understand their intentions, and the movie is easy to follow without furrowing an eyebrow. Rudd and Lilly, and Michael Douglas have good chemistry together and play well off each other in comedic situations.

The Bad: It’s not a movie that attempts much. It’s a branch of Marvel’s franchise that wants to bring casual fans back into the fold, and invite non-superhero enthusiasts to the table. The background premise, about Hope trying to find her mother in the “subatomic realm” is also, in fairness, a little weak. As much fun as I had watching Antman, even my eyes rolled a bit when Hope’s mother planted an antenna in Scott’s head from the beyond.