Still suffering from Infinity War blues? Then you should catch up with Marvel's latest release, Ant-Man and the Wasp that might give you some hints whether our beaten Avengers have some hope in the future. Paul Rudd returns as Ant-Man, and joining him in the superhero fight is Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp. Michael Douglas and the always scene-stealing Michael Pena also return with some interesting additions in the cast. Check out our review of Ant-Man and the Wasp below -

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is under house-arrest for his participation in the events of Civil War. With three days more for his release, Lang is abducted by Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her father Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) from his home. They themselves are on the run from the law, after it was found out that it was Pym's tech that Lang was using when he was arrested. Despite their anger towards Lang, Hope and Hank want him to help them extricate Hank's wife Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) from Quantum Realm. However, they face a huge obstacle in their mission when a constantly phasing entity called Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) wants to steal the tech for herself.

As a movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp should be seen far from the proceedings of Avengers: Infinity War with no Thanos-like expectations. It is mostly a standalone affair, away from the adventures of the rest of the Avengers. If that's the case with you, then Ant-Man and the Wasp is a thoroughly enjoyable film. Like with the first movie, the sequel depends on humour and oh man, there is plenty of that! The scope of the movie may be quite small, as no one is saving the world here, but the entertainment factor is too high.

Director Peyton Reed smartly uses the dynamics of shrinking and enlarging sizes to great effect in making you laugh, as well get awestruck. Unlike the first film, there is no heist buildup. In fact, Ant-Man and the Wasp looks like Marvel's version of Fast and Furious what with nonsensical physics and silly chase sequences. And of course, equally entertaining. Especially in the last half an hour or so. Here's where Reed uses the USP of the shrinking dynamics to invoke one of the most frenzied, innovatively engaging chase sequences ever filmed. Special mention also has to be given to the VFX team, as the effects seem more polished than the first film. Just check out that whole Quantum Realm sequence. Or how they amazingly managed to de-age Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas and Laurence Fishburne in a couple of sequences.

But it is not just all ha ha hee hee ho ho. The emotional bits also work, be it between the scenes between Hank and Hope, Hank and Janet and even Scott and his daughter, Cassie. They may not be as gut-wrenching as Rocket Raccoon helplessly looking at Groot disappearing at the end of Infinity War, but they do not disappoint. Moreover, there is a smooth transition between the emotional and the funny sequences, a quality that Deadpool 2 struggled with in maintaining. The action sequences are well choreographed, be it the aforementioned chase sequence or Hope as the Wasp taking on goons in the kitchen in the first fight scene.

And then there is Paul Rudd. He is the best superhero casting Marvel has managed to do after Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. There is something so likable about Rudd, that you don't mind seeing him just do karaoke for two hours. Even without trying hard, Rudd manages to bring the house down, if all he does was a twitch with his lips. His Ant-Man is not a typical superhero, thanks to his clumsiness and that he thinks too much from his heart. And that's why we root for him at the end of the day. Badassery, meanwhile, is left to Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp, who deservedly gets her moment to shine, after being mostly a mentor of sorts in the first film. When it comes to superhero action, Hope is far more composed and confident, and she gets some of the best action bits. Lilly also shared a breezy chemistry with Rudd that leads to some light banter.

Michael Douglas is again in fine form, getting to do here a lot more than the first film. His motivations, the second time around, feel more believable as a man desperate to reunite his family, and he also gets to wear his own Ant-Man suit at a point. Michelle Pfeiffer has a couple of scenes only but she easily sells every moment of her presence. And of course, Michael Pena steals the show once again with his fast-jabbering antics. Though we only get one of his trademark flashback sequences, it is one of the best scenes in the film. As his cronies, Tip 'TI' Harris and David Dastmalchian are hilarious. Ditto for Randall Park (rooting to see him in future Ant-Man movies) as Lang's parole officer. Walton Goggins is entertaining as one of the antagonists, a black market tech dealer. Abby Ryder Fortson as Cassie Lang has an expanded role here and she is quite an actress, even at such a young age.

If there is something that Ant-Man and the Wasp disappoints is in the depiction of its main antagonist, Ghost. Technically speaking, Ghost is not a villain per se; she just wants Pym's Quantum tech to save herself, and not to end the world. But, in spite of having an intriguing motivation, her whole arc feels lackluster and tends to bring the proceedings down at times. This has nothing to do with Hannah John-Kamen as an actress, who is really good here. It is only that we don't really empathise with her actions, like we, even perversely, did with Civil War's Baron Zemo, Black Panther's Killmonger or even Thanos. Also, the whole Quantum physics exposition feels heavy-handed and hard to follow. At one point, even Scott, voicing our own exasperation, blurts out if they add Quantum before everything.

And before I end the review, let me remind you that there is an awesome mid-credit scene that shouldn't be missed. So keep your butts glued to the seats till that is over.

Yay!

- Paul Rudd

- Evangeline Lilly's badassery

- An excellent supporting cast, with a scene-stealing Michael Pena

- A balanced humour

- Special effects

- Fun action and chase sequences

- Mid-credit sequence

Nay!

- The antagonists and what they bring to the table

- Sometimes too exposition heavy

- The scientific babble is annoying

- Judy Greer and Bobby Cannavale are wasted

- The end-credit sequence is underwhelming

Final Thoughts

Ant-Man & The Wasp continues Marvel's miraculous trend of not putting a foot wrong. Coming after the heavy dosage of Avengers: Infinity War, the movie feels like a downgrade for sure. But what Ant-Man & The Wasp lacks in scope, the movie makes up high entertainment, plenty of laughs and some awesome action sequences. Also, Paul Rudd is rad!

Rating:
3.5 out of 5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2018 12:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).