Double the size, double the fun.
An Ant-man sequel was a no-brainer. It isn’t what you call a cult classic but it was a mess of a film when it was being made and then what came out after production wrapped was considered a success by most standpoints. A man who can shrink easily became a fan favourite and was one of the first films (in the Avengers universe) to grab hold of a comedic theme and run with it. I’m not saying other Avengers films don’t have comedy but this film knew what it had and what it wanted to be. It paid off and now there here is the no-brainer sequel, but does this movie have the brains to stick to what it needed to be? Or does it fail to live up to size?
The story is nothing amazing but it doesn’t have to be, as again, the story is really only there to help the character development. The mother of The Wasp needs to be rescued and she needs Scott Lang (the Antman) to help. In doing so, she upheaves his whole life and chaos (and hilarity) ensue. Along with Wasp making her debut, the villain Ghost appears and causes havoc for the team as they try and finish their mission. I want to write more, and there is a little more, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll leave it at this. Your favourite characters from the last movie come back, there are new characters that are interesting and sometimes very funny and I wasn’t bored at all.
From the very opening scene, you know this film is going to have heart and I feel that’s what these, now two films do best. In having a smaller cast and a non-earth threatening event, the story can be more of a personal focus and it’s not the Avengers saving the world, it’s Scott saving his own world (which pretty much boils down to his daughter). The same goes for the Pym family and the film shines for it. There are more character interactions that actually mean something and that’s another way the jokes can land. The jokes are thick throughout and don’t get tiresome. Just like the last film, it’s awkward and sometimes nonsensical but only in the way that this mini personal universe can show and I loved every minute.
The other main component of this film, that isn’t the humour or heart, is the CGI and actions scenes and now that we know how the suit works, there’s no dumbing down and its just full-on crazy size swapping action. There are people changing sizes, places changing sizes and many, many objects that, you guessed it, change size and it all makes sense in the reality or this universe and it was always amazing to watch. The movie was full of CGI and it never once looked cheap, the aspects of reality for the heroes were always realistic and that paid off for the action scenes. They were all choreographed superbly and were some of the better fight scenes I think I’ve seen in a while.
The actors were all committed, Paul Rudd was his usual charming self and Evangeline Lilly was strong and fun as The Wasp. There was plenty of support from the entire cast and if you ask my opinion, Randall Park was my highlight throughout. The film itself took some predictable routs but also did things I wasn’t sure would happen. I’m glad it ended how it did and I know this movie will be a success and hey, who knows maybe we will find out where this movie takes place in all that Avengers racket.