Ant-Man and the Wasp is
a pretty good film and does not even aspire to reach the shocking high of Avengers: Infinity War or the cultural
high of Black Panther. It is the
third marvel film to be released for 2018 and will be the one that least
inspires major discussion on social media. In some ways that is a good thing
but the latest box office numbers for the film suggests that it won’t add much
to the Marvel studios behemoth. Relatively speaking it will still be counted
as a success regardless. The film doesn’t have such a massive budget anyway and
that is reflected in the overall presentation. The only question is that based on the
smallness of the film with very few giant moments is it really worth the price
of a movie ticket.
Ant-man and the Wasp
is the follow up to the minor Marvel hit Ant-Man. It continues the
adventures of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) as Ant-man after the events of Civil War
where he is currently under house arrest after cutting a deal with the
government. On the other hand Hope Van-Dyne/the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank
Pym (Michael Douglas)will need Lang’s help in navigating the quantum realm.
Added to the mix are villainous characters seeking to gain access to Pym’s
cutting edge quantum technology for various reasons.
Positives
The primary positive of this film is the contained
atmosphere that allows for a different perspective to the grand Infinity War episode. Eventually it does cross paths with Infinity War with the first post-credit
scene but up until that point it has its own story to tell. It’s a very
personal story that is much less about Scott Lang and more about Hank Pym and
Hope/the Wasp and their relationship with Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer),
the original Wasp. Lang’s story is pretty straightforward and not much is added
to the original in that regard but the story of Hope/the Wasp is much more
affecting. She is the star of the show and the film is appropriately titled Ant-Man and the Wasp as opposed to Ant-Man 2. The Wasp genuinely adds to the direction of
this small franchise and should be a mainstay going forward. There are also
some great moments between the two leads which demonstrate why it’s natural
that they come together (apart from the usual romance). This contained atmosphere which focuses on
the very personal story of Hope-Hank-Janet is a welcome deviation from the
major epic drama of Infinity War. There
is also the addition of new characters which also expand the small world of
Ant-Man in their own way. It remains to
be seen if the mainstays of the franchise will be given the chance to add to
the grander Avengers 4 saga.
One other thing which also stood out was the quantum realm.
The quantum realm as it is discussed and portrayed does add a
crucial dimension to the film and, by extension, the franchise and the wider marvel universe. It makes the
small world of Ant-Man and the Wasp
more than just a Tv sitcom. Eventually if Ant-Man is going to contribute to the
efforts of the Avengers in Avengers 4 then the quantum realm will play some
role. The film got me very interested in reading up on quantum mechanics and it
made me realize why it fits perfectly with the world of Ant-Man and the Wasp. The quantum realm was briefly featured in the
original Ant-Man but here it takes
centre stage and knowing marvel studios this means that it will play a major
role going forward.
The franchise continues the same comedic streak which began
with the original. Obviously we now realize that the Ant-man side represents
the comedic elements whereas the side of the Wasp represents the more serious
or dramatic side. How the two sides come together is the real strength of the
partnership and the film.
Lastly, I appreciated seeing how everything comes full
circle with the two generations of Ant-man and the Wasp. This should mean good
things going forward for the franchise
Negatives
The primary negative of this film was the very small scale
of it all. Apart from the few giant moments the overall film has a smallness
which borders on the inconsequential. The action is not great, the villains aren’t
impressive and the atmosphere is isolated from the grand scheme of things. At
times while watching the film there were lapses that made you feel you were
watching a regular TV series. The small scale of the film is not radically
removed from that level of production in parts. Things really got going when the
quantum realm came into play and the personal moments came to the fore. So it’s
not a surprise that the film isn’t lighting up the box office. At times it didn’t
feel like it was worth the price of an admission
ticket although it is a well made film. It
was the post-credit scene which featured the tie in to Infinity War which
really got some members of the audience going. So hopefully we will finally get
to see Ant-man play a crucial role in the wider marvel universe apart from
turning big.
The comedy was a drag and makes you wonder how relevant
Ant-man is as a character. Still looking forward to the time when he’s truly
tested or when he reveals his more dramatic or serious side. This is why I am
glad that they included the side of the Wasp. She should bring out more of the
serious moments going forward and so make the franchise relevant. I am still looking
forward to the time when they blend more effectively but based on what I’ve
seen from the opposition I’m not so sure that any of their villains will truly
test their resolve. The franchise will
need to bring out moments that make these characters resonate and so far only
the moments with the Wasp have done that so far. A bit more will be required
for this franchise to remain relevant. This franchise needs its own serious
moments (without tie ins to the grand marvel universe) to get the people talking.
This is a good start
No comments:
Post a Comment