20 – And-Man and the Wasp
I’ll be honest, this isn’t one of my favorite films in the MCU franchise. It wasn’t a bad movie at all, but I just liked others more. But again, that’s like saying it was only an 8 instead of a 10. It was still an 8. It just didn’t have the same umph as some of the other movies. Don’t get me wrong though, I still really like the movie. It had some really great moments, some incredible action sequences, and some pretty funny comedy. It was a fun film, and a worthy entry in the franchise. Its blend of humor and action was spot-on.
Paul Rudd is always good, as is Evangeline Lilly, and you can never go wrong with Michael Douglas, and a new addition to the cast, Michelle Pfeiffer. And we can’t forget returning actors, Michael Pena, Tip “TI” Harris, and David Dastmalchian, Scott Lang’s crew. We also got Lawrence Fishburn, Hannah John-Kamen, and Walton Goggins. I think it’s important to mention them all because they all did a fantastic job. I especially liked Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, but then again, I’ve never seen her do a bad job in anything. Sadly, Fishburn’s part as Bill Foster was a little lackluster because of the script, though as always, his acting was very good.
One of the complaints many people have with the MCU is its excessive use of CGI, but I say, if it is as good as it is here, then why not use it. The visual effects were incredible. Everything that took place in the Quantum Realm were visually stunning! It was bright and colorful and had a unique beauty that was all its own. I especially loved the tardigrades. That’s one thing at which all the MCU movies have been amazing. They create fantasy worlds that are unlike anything ever seen on the big screen. But if we’re talking about that, then why not go one step further and talk about the production design, in general. The rest of the story takes place on Earth, and so the settings are pretty familiar. But the way they portrayed Ghost on the screen, the way she phased in and out of existence, was so cool! And the actress did a great job selling the character.
The movie was an action/comedy and none of it fell flat. The bits with Scott’s posse were really funny. Michael Pena is a treasure as Luis. He was a fan favorite in the first Ant-Man movie, and he didn’t disappoint here. I loved the truth serum scene. “You put a dime in him, you got to let the whole song play out.” “He like human juke-box.” And the fast, stream-of-consciousness way he has of talking is just fun. And the Baba Yaga running joke with Kurt makes me laugh every time. And who can forget the funny scene where Scott is trying to get something from his daughter’s classroom at her school, and he has several size mishaps? That was comedy gold.
But on the flip-side, the action was what we have all come to expect from an MCU movie. It was fast-paced and thrilling to watch. The first big action sequence where Hope fights Ghost was amazing. And I think this movie succeeded where many of the other MCH movies did not. Often-times the heroes are pitted against villains with similar, if not identical, powers. But Ghost was a wildly unique villain. Try to punch her, and your fist will hit nothing but air.
And finally, I’d like to give a special shout out to a small character who was memorable enough to bring him back later on when Disney made the first MCU TV show, Wanda Vision. Randall Park played Jimmy Woo, the FBI agent who was constantly trying to catch Scott breaking his house arrest, but failing every time. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record at this point, but the movie got so many things right, and so few things wrong. It was exciting and fun, and even tied into the devastation at the end of Infinity War. The OMG moment in the post credit scene where Scott is stuck in the Quantum realm was just mind-blowing, because when we see the three clumps of dust floating away, we all know what it means! It was ominous and haunting, and the perfect way to end the movie. Now that’s some incredible story-telling!
Top 10 Favorite Parts
- Scott and Cassie’s cardboard ant-maze was fun and shows how great a dad Scott really is.
- The first big fight with Burch’s men in the kitchen and the fight with Ghost
- Scott and Hope infiltrate Cassie’s school.
- Eva (Ghost) tells her backstory and Cassie’s interrupting phone call.
- The truth serum scene. Michael Pena is genius.
- Janet inhabits Scott’s body and talks to her husband and daughter. “Nothing. I’m getting nothing.”
- Hank goes into the Quantum Realm to rescue Janet
- The car chase through the streets of San Francisco, and Scott knee-boarding on the flatbed truck.
- Janet is reunited with first her husband, then her daughter, and then meets Scott for the first time. Also, she heals Ghost a little.
- The post-credits scene where Hope, Hank, and Janet are dusted by the snap. Holy Smokes!!!