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Yesterday, now that basically the entire world, except for Portugal, China, and Japan (according to IMDb), has seen Ant-Man and the Wasp, Marvel's latest film finally hit theatres in my shithole country and since I love Marvel, I got the 9pm ticket hoping that I would not fall asleep in there (backstory, I wake up a 5am every day and I haven't been getting a lot of sleep in the past few days).
Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War but before those of Avengers: Infinity War, the film finds Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) under house arrest as he struggles to entertain himself. When he only has days left of confinement, Scott has a strange dream and decides to call Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Pym and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) then approach Scott with an urgent new mission and Scott must put on the Ant-Man suit to face a new enemy.
Pretty much like every single Marvel movie out there, Ant-Man and the Wasp too has a very simple and rather predictable plot. And it isn't particularly compelling either as it lacks exciting plot points, solid twists and real complications as the obstacles are overcome way too easily. Also, there are several subplots that don't add much to the film, like the romantic subplot between Ant-Man and the Wasp, which deserved way better than this, and the worn out father and daughter subplot that is heartwarming as it's still a lovely relationship between a dad and her adorable daughter, but isn't properly developed.
The characters are kind of a mess too. The returning characters, Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, Hank Pim, and Luis, are pretty thin; the new ones, specifically Hope's mother, Janet van Dyne, not only lacks development but doesn't have anything resembling characterization. Despite these flaws, I found myself caring about them and wanting them to succeed.
Which wasn't that hard since Ant-Man and the Wasp easily has some of the worst villains in Marvel's latest movies. Walton Goggins's Sonny Burch is completely useless as he doesn't have any motivation whatsoever and doesn't even work for humour. The worst though is Hannah John-Kamen's Ava Starr/Ghost. She is a really interesting addition to the film, we are given some backstory and her motivations. Unfortunately, she isn't particularly developed and soon the film gives up on her. And John-Kamen's performance makes the character even more forgettable.
All of that being said, Ant-Man and the Wasp still is an entertaining and enjoyable film, the main reason being some of the main actors. While Michael Douglas, but especially Laurence Fishburne and Walton Goggins are wasted in the film, Paul Rudd, who basically plays Paul Rudd, is wonderful as always, and once again makes for a strong and entertaining lead as he delivers plenty of humour. But it's Evangeline Lilly who steals the show every time she is on screen.
The film has pretty good humour too. While some of the jokes and gags fall flat --there'll still be that one person who laughs at every single joke though--, it is overall funny. Also, the action sequences and special effects, although they are pretty much copied from the previous film, are pretty awesome, and the soundtrack fits the film quite well.
Pretty much like every single Marvel movie out there, Ant-Man and the Wasp too has a very simple and rather predictable plot. And it isn't particularly compelling either as it lacks exciting plot points, solid twists and real complications as the obstacles are overcome way too easily. Also, there are several subplots that don't add much to the film, like the romantic subplot between Ant-Man and the Wasp, which deserved way better than this, and the worn out father and daughter subplot that is heartwarming as it's still a lovely relationship between a dad and her adorable daughter, but isn't properly developed.
The characters are kind of a mess too. The returning characters, Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, Hank Pim, and Luis, are pretty thin; the new ones, specifically Hope's mother, Janet van Dyne, not only lacks development but doesn't have anything resembling characterization. Despite these flaws, I found myself caring about them and wanting them to succeed.
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| Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
All of that being said, Ant-Man and the Wasp still is an entertaining and enjoyable film, the main reason being some of the main actors. While Michael Douglas, but especially Laurence Fishburne and Walton Goggins are wasted in the film, Paul Rudd, who basically plays Paul Rudd, is wonderful as always, and once again makes for a strong and entertaining lead as he delivers plenty of humour. But it's Evangeline Lilly who steals the show every time she is on screen.
The film has pretty good humour too. While some of the jokes and gags fall flat --there'll still be that one person who laughs at every single joke though--, it is overall funny. Also, the action sequences and special effects, although they are pretty much copied from the previous film, are pretty awesome, and the soundtrack fits the film quite well.
I agree on Goggin's character. I enjoy the actor but I still don't get what the point of him was. I liked Ghost though.
ReplyDeleteThat's lame that you had to wait this long to see it. I don't understand why all release schedules can't just be the same time.
What angers me is that it was supposed to release at the beginning of July and then it was changed to August. I have no idea why.
DeleteNice review. I liked this movie more than I expected. It's definitely a lighter Marvel flick after the tension of Infinity War. For me that was a strong point.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteI really enjoyed this film as I felt it was something lighter than the previous MCU film as it wasn't afraid to be family-friendly and also be funny. Plus, how can you not love Luis? He's the funny one and the fact that he loves Morrissey just makes me love that character even more. After all, Morrissey is GRANDE with Mexicans and Mexican-Americans (although I'm Honduran-American).
ReplyDeleteI love Luis, he is the best, but I wanted more of his sparkling bromance with Scott.
DeleteI wouldn't mind more of that. I hope he returns for the sequel or in Infinity War 2. Me gusta Luis.
DeleteVisto anch'io ieri: l'ho preferito al primo capitolo e pure al recente e tanto osannato Infinity War. C'è il divertimento, si crea un buon legame con gli eroi protagonisti e, soprattutto, si apprezza finalmente una coppia di supereroi sullo stesso livello. Poco importa dei nemici e dei personaggi di contorno: ho apprezzato questo sequel proprio perchè si concentra su Ant Man e Wasp e sul loro essere semplici genitori o figli. Sì, si può dire che questo Marvel abbia molto più che una leggera sfumatura di Disney che, tuttavia, aggiunge un pizzico di tenerezza in più ad un film che, in modo molto pop, si avventura tra le responsabilità di tutti i giorni, non solo quelle in formato "Avengers" ;)
ReplyDeleteComunque a breve ne parlo anch'io e, come avrai intuito, il mio giudizio sarà leggermente più alto :D
Sì, avevo visto su Twitter che ti era piaciuto molto. Passerò da te al più presto :)
DeleteI have heard the same issues from every review so no surprise but I will still want to see it once I see the other 2
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'd enjoy this. It's got issues but it's fun.
DeleteI ended up not seeing it in the cinema at all because postponed release date here pissed me off. Dammit, we are not second class movie goers! :D
ReplyDeleteI waited only because I hate cam movies.
DeleteNice review! I quite liked Ant Man and the Wasp and felt that it was a good follow-up to the first one. I didn't really expect for it to be different than the first one, just the hearty, harmless flick that Marvel can afford to put out and not worry about being taken too seriously. Though I think it should've come out around Thor: Ragnarok because the post-credit scenes felt forced and unnecessary, almost ruins the whole movie to be honest.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind the post-credit scenes to be honest. Anyway, thanks!
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