Ant-Man and the Wasp

Having enjoyed a vast majority of Marvel's superhero output (more so than most) without worshipping them, 'Ant-Man' was a minor effort from them but there was still a good amount to like about it. Despite being positively received by critics, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' as of now has received also heavy criticism from fans and some Marvel non-fans, so was conflicted in seeing it.

'Ant-Man' and its slightly superior follow-up 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' managed to be better than expected. 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' to me was not as great as critics are saying, but it is also nowhere near as bad as people here have said, while sharing a few of their criticisms. Do like the character of Ant-Man. He is not exactly a household name and is always tossed aside in favour of other superhero characters like Spiderman that have had longer longevity and perhaps have more compelling origins and stories, hence why they are adapted more. Also wasn't sure what to make of the trailer, which made the film out to be rather bland in story and too reliant on humour while being very well made, directed and acted with thrilling action and funny and clever moments.

Seeing it for myself, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' could have been better and has its faults, ones that are somewhat the same as the first 'Ant-Man' and somewhat what was expected from watching the trailer. The script is mostly fine, but has patchy moments, namely the overly-wordy and sometimes over-complicated jargon and inconsistent humour. While the humour mostly works wonders, there are a few instances where it's not so funny and not very well placed.

Such as in emotional scenes that are actually quite poignant and heart-warming (more so generally than 'Ant-Man')and then interrupted by a joke that is not only forced and unfunny but also not belonging in the scene, though more sporadically thankfully than before. The family scenes are a mixed bag, sometimes they are sweet and touching, the chemistry is more believable here, while at other times they're a little flat and predictable, contributing towards a few rare dull stretches in a film that generally is appropriately lighter in tone and faster paced.

Like many people here, also found the villains underwhelming. Burch is especially pointless and forgettable and only really there because there seemingly needed to be an obligatory villain when actually there could have been just one. 'Thor Ragnarok' and 'Infinity War' only had one major one, and they, especially Thanos were the best villains in the Marvel canon. Ghost fares a little better and is an improvement over Corey Stoll's under-characterised villain in the first 'Ant-Man', her problem was that her back-story was very rushed and didn't feel developed enough. Michelle Pfeiffer is wasted in a very underwritten plot-device role.

On the other hand, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is a great looking film, it's beautifully shot, very atmospheric, is very slick and the special effects, are clever and of the usual high-quality Marvel standards. The music avoids being over-bearing, one-note, too quirky or too bombastic, fitting well tone, mood and pace-wise.

Direction is more than competent, keeping the story going at a solid pace and the telling of it interesting enough, though maybe a little more flavour may have been more welcome. While the action is not as much as most Marvel films, it is fun, thrilling, nicely choreographed and tautly shot and edited, especially towards the end. The stuff with sizes was clever visually and interested and entertained while the film is better than a lot of sequels in being consistent in the continuity.

There is some very smart and hugely entertaining scripting and dialogue here in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' too. While it doesn't work completely seamlessly, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp's humour when it works is some of the funniest stuff of all Marvel films, and the film doesn't take itself too seriously or too much of a joke either, instead not being afraid to embrace the silliness and humour while ensuring still that the subject matter is treated with respect. The truth serum and the feminine side being brought out parts were hilarious.

The story is mostly diverting, it's and the first 'Ant-Man' film are narratively simpler than most Marvel outings and less risks here are taken than most Marvel films but it always makes sense, moments of dullness and jarring are few (while not being completely absent either), it's fun and it doesn't try to do too much or try to insert too many characters.

While not complex as such, the characters are mostly engaging, with the reservations being with the villain and Pfeiffer's character. Paul Rudd is a strong and hugely entertaining lead, while Michael Peña's hilarious in a role that could have been really annoying. The seasoned support of a distinguished Michael Douglas adds hugely too, and Evangeline Lilly and Abby Ryder Fortson give the film some much needed heart. Hannah John-Kamon does command the screen and Walton Goggins has an oily presence that is more than what the forgettable and useless character deserved.

Overall, not one of Marvel's best and has its flaws but a good sequel and film with many great things. 7/10 Bethany Cox

After Avengers: Infinity War I was worried that anything that would come after for Marvel would be underwhelming but I was wrong because AntMan and the wasp used the same formula as the last Ant man movie which was that it was a small story and a family oriented story inside a superhero movie.

The Whole premise is Janet Van Dym Hank Pym's wife is trying to get saved from the Quantam while AntMan is underhouse arrest.The story was simple enough and built Aroundt which is why it was so good.

The first act was a tad slow but not boring is it set up where the characters are and had some fun action especially with the introduction of the Wasp.The second act was a kind of boring with the pace diping and nothing exciting happening.The third act picked up the pace and the chunk of the action was in the last 30 minutes so that was my favorite part.The villain or antagonist of the movie Ghost wasn't bad but not really that interesting she has a reason to be there but didn't add anything significant with the plot expect for fancy powers which made for good effects.Michael Douglas' performance amd Pual Rudd were the best characters in the movie as they were serious when needed to be and funny when needed to be.The Wasp as I said was cool with as a good enough performance from lilly.Michelle Pfeiffer did well in the role she was given and had good chemistry in the scenes she had with Michael Douglas.

Antman and the Wasp was funnier than the first one but of course its Marvel but It had some out of place humor that took away from the serious moments but of course again its Marvel.This had more action as well but mainly in the last 40 minutes or so because as I said the second act was mostly slow and kind of dragged on.

So what to take away from all of this is that Antman and the wasp is similar to Back to the Future its funny,has a story with a heart and just a plain fun blockbuster.

Just an overal good movie. The story could have been a bit better and the villans were not Thanos-level but it just does the job. I wanted more actually, because the CGI was really good. Also this is one of the funniest mcu movies, so if you want a good laugh I recommend this.

I applaud Paul Rudd and Micheal Douglas, great performance!

If you're a marvel fan this will satisfy you 100% and even if you just want to relax and enjoy this movie with the family, that's cool too.

It's kind off not really tied to the rest of the mcu, just as the first one, only captain America civil war a bit. Make sure u stay for the first post credit scene!

I love what Marvel have done in the creation of their "Universe" it's an overwhelming triumph and despite my fears they managed to slot Antman in there perfectly back in 2015.

A heavily comedic character is was heavy on charm, humour and elevated by a fantastic charm. Truth be told I found myself really hyped for the second movie, more than any other (Except GotG).

With every cast member both big and small returning a fantastic villian and the one and only Laurence Fishburne, the stars were aligning for another fantastic addition to the universe. And it is................kind of.

Regarding the previous films I've enjoyed them all with the exception of two. I didn't see the appeal in Dr Strange and thought that Black Panther was one of the most overrated movies in the history of the industry.

Antman 2 delivers, it does just not to the extent I hoped. Rudd, Lilly and Douglas are excellent once again and the story is fantastic though I think much of the impact of some of the story is highly lacking.

Our new villian delivered more than I'd ever expected, Pfeiffer was a great addition and Pena managed to annoy me less than usual!

The first movie got a solid 7/10 from me and this sequel is recieving the same. What that means is I consider it a good film, it's just not exactly groundbreaking stuff. I feel the movie played it a tad safe and didn't meet its potential.

Regardless it's funny, it's action packed and it's likeable and therefore it's another Marvel success in my book.

The Good:

Incredible cast

Genuine laughs

Fits into the universe well

The Bad:

I still don't like Pena

Some of the impact was lost

Bit generic

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Lilly is a very clever actress who picks her roles well

Someone still needs to explain to me how they do that age regression thing sfx

Walton Goggins has friends in high places

The size shifting has all kinds of bedroom possibilities

Truth serum IS a thing

Scott Lang, is under curfew day and night, for joining with the Cap, in the Avengers Civil War fight, but he's had a weird dream, it's almost like somebody's beamed, a message in his head to shine a light. It results in reconnection with Hank Pym, and his daughter who's now Wasp, called Hope Van Dyne, they're pursued by glitching Ava, though Bill Foster want's to save her, while Sonny Burch leads to, and causes, much chagrin.

It's not the worst Marvel movie you've come across, as the race is on to recover Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm, and prevent two competing parties from scuppering their plans. The usual humorous dialogue, scales up and down, and will keep you entertained.