Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie Review (SPOILER-FREE)

It's a little scary how much of a winning streak Marvel has had with their movies lately. I mean, sure, their TV shows and Netflix shows have had a blunder here and there (I personally stopped watching Agents of SHIELD after they revealed that cheap-looking rendition of Ghost Rider), but thus far, their movies have killed with critics, audiences, and the box office each and every time. Even when the first Ant-Man movie went through a delayed production and a switch in directors, it still came out as an entertaining product. Now, our hopes that a more focused and less troubled production would result in an even better product have been fulfilled, as Ant-Man and the Wasp is an energetic, witty, and creative comic book movie that delivers all the fun and enjoyment that people have come to expect from these movies.

THE PLOT
Scott Lang is under house arrest for assisting Captain America in Civil War (My girlfriend says it's because he has a daughter to look after....... Say, have you noticed that Ant-Man is the only MCU hero that has a kid? Him and Hawkeye, I guess...), and his old partners in crime from the first movie, Hank and Hope Pym, are on the run as his accomplices. However, they pull him out of his house as they need his help to re-enter the Quantum Realm to find Hank's wife who got lost in the Quantum Realm years ago. Things get complicated, though, when a mysterious figure known as Ghost attacks them and tries to retrieve their technology as (he/she) has a conflicting interest of utilizing the Quantum Realm as well.

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT?

There's Much More Focus in its Direction
The first film, while still entertaining, suffered from a change in directors, and it showed. There were funny ideas set in place by Edgar Wright, but Peyton Reed's direction didn't quite grasp his comedic timing (my least favorite example being the Baskin Robins joke in the beginning). This one is fully Reed's project, and as a result, it picks a style, sticks to it, and doesn't try to reach beyond it. It's a simple comic book movie with a simple comic book style.

The Action Scenes are Creative
This movie takes the idea that was seeded in the first movie of shrinking and growing certain objects and elevates it, as any sequel should. Swapping between shrinking and growing allows for some energetic action scenes, including a riveting car chase involving that weirdly awesome Hello Kitty Pez scene from the trailer.

The Universe is Expanded
The best part about Phase 3 of the MCU is that every movie makes the universe bigger and bigger, allowing for all sorts of possibilities for storytelling and characters, something that, aside from the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Phase 2 never fully took advantage of. Here, exploring the Quantum Realm expands the universe even further, which is said to play a part in Avengers 4 next year.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK ABOUT IT?

The Villain is Flat
This part isn't quite as ineffective as I thought it would be, given what everyone's been saying about it, but while the villain does play (his/her) part, (he/she) does pale in comparison to some of the great villains we've seen in Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Infinity War. (He/She) isn't given very much development or screen time, (he/she) doesn't have a very fun personality, and even (his/her) powers aren't especially interesting.

Don't See it in IMAX or 3D
My girlfriend and I went to see this in IMAX 3D, and it's not worth the money. The film is too small in scale to see in IMAX, especially after Infinity War, and as far as the 3D is concerned.... When the characters are shrinking or they're in the Quantum Realm, it looks great, but the problem is that there aren't very many scenes like that, so what you're looking at are either talking scenes or hand-to-hand combat scenes, which you can easily see on a regular 2D screen.

FINAL VERDICT?
It may not be perfect, and some might not be a fan of the smaller-in-scale Marvel movies by this point, but I still had a blast with Ant-Man and the Wasp. Those who weren't impressed by the lingering ending of Infinity War will enjoy this beginning-middle-end superhero story, and fans of the first film will get more of what they loved from the first film. Check it out as soon as you can, and as always, stay through (at least half of) the end credits.

(There is a post-credits scene, but it's more of a joke scene. The mid-credits scene is essential.)