Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

In the days that followed my viewing of Avengers: Infinity War, I have to admit that a particular question kept popping up in my mind over and over again when it comes to the MCU in that, how on earth was Marvel going to top this particular story? I mean, this one really had it all. Every single epic moment that we nerds could have asked for in a comic book movie presented itself on the screen, leaving the other Marvel releases slated to hit before the next Avengers movie with some large shoes to fill.
 
If anything, that particular question was on my mind when I settled in to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp the other day because we are now in uncharted territory for the MCU where anything can happen and, in all honesty, I’m glad that I walked into this one with a little bit of worry in my soul so to speak, because as it turns out…this movie was able to soothe all of my concerns. Because this next chapter in Scott Lang’s wild life was downright magnificent through and through, and kudos to Marvel for taking the opportunity to use this film to serve as the anthesis to Thanos’ evil machinations.
 
Because what makes this film so great, is that it is quite the lighthearted affair, with plenty of downright hilarious moments that leave you chuckling and the movie also does a fine job of resurrecting the comedic awkwardness we all enjoyed in the first Ant-Man film and much of that is of course driven by Paul Rudd and his portrayal of Scott Lang since he does such a phenomenal job of playing the ‘loveable loser’ so to speak and Rudd’s honest take on the character is what allows for the film to become so incredibly relatable when all is said and done. 

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​I say that, simply because, there’s a real honesty to this particular film since every single character in this story does a fine job of putting their emotions on display and that honestly caught me off guard while I was watching it since you rarely see that kind of stuff in comic book films. But hope, fear and doubt are all on display here when it comes to our heroes and seeing them exude that sucks you into the story right away and it helps for you to root for the Pym family and Scott to be successful in their mission and really, it is the mission, one revolving around saving Hank’s wife from the Quantum Void, that truly impressed me most of all since it helps to combine all of these elements together to create what is in essence, a throwback superhero film.
 
After all, these days these types of movies tend to focus on the darkness within and overcoming great odds and adversity on all sides to either become a hero or maintain a status as one but none of that is present here. Everyone, with the exception of Sonny Burch (who is played with a magnificent zest and zeal by Walter Goggins) is working to do something good in this film and even the villain is trying to improve their way of life and well, that’s just refreshing to see in superhero film for a change and as I mentioned, this all serves as a throwback to more classic movies from this genre wherein the heroes were inherently good and only focused upon doing wonderful things.
 
Though, I do suppose, that if I have any particular complaint about this film, it would be that it needed more of Luis’ patented rants because nobody pulls those off like actor Michael Peña. But that’s really as far as my fussing will go when it comes to this movie, and that’s good thing because it’s a great film. It’s fun, it’s heartwarming and it’s downright hilarious and it really is a lovely pallet cleanser for the MCU and while there are some tie-ins to the dark events of Infinity War, the smile that is plastered to your face when you leave the theater overshadows any of that because it’s simply a feel-good superhero flick, and one that everyone should see as soon as possible. 

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