Hank Pym has always been one of my favorite comic book characters. He’s an incredibly complex individual who’s donned a ton of different superhero identities. Yellowjacket is my favorite, but Ant-Man is a close second.
When Marvel announced they were doing an Ant-Man movie, I loved the idea but feared the execution. I mean, come on, a guy who talks to ants? But like every other movie in its 10-year history, Marvel Films delivered big with 2015’s Ant-Man starring Michael Douglas as Dr. Henry Pym and Paul Rudd as the hilariously outmatched new Ant-Man Scott Lang.
I LOVED the first Ant-Man. It had everything you’d want in a Marvel movie. Plus Evangeline Lilly. (Kate from LOST!) So what could you possibly complain about?
This weekend I took the kids and a few of their cousins to see the sequel: Ant-Man & The Wasp. I wanted to give a quick SPOILER-FREE review of the movie for any of you still on the fence about diving into this anthill.
What you need to know going into Ant-Man and the Wasp
If you haven’t seen the first Ant-Man yet, go watch it. It’s great and it will help set you up nicely for this sequel that follows right up.
If you watched it long ago and forgot some things, here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know before shrinking down to size for this movie:
- Scott Lang spent time in jail for basically pulling a Robin Hood to right some wrongs from his former company.
- Scott is divorced. His ex-wife is dating a cop, who is rooting for Scott to go the straight and narrow but isn’t afraid to put him behind bars if need be.
- Scott has an adorable daughter Cassie, who knows he was Ant-Man and loves that adventurous side of her dad.
- Scott and Hank Pym’s daughter Hope started getting a bit romantic. (Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly? Swooon.)
- After the first Ant-Man movie, Scott showed up next in Germany to join Team Cap against Team Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War. Being an unregistered, unsigned vigilante went against the Sokovia Accords, and thus Scott Lang was arrested again. This time he’s on house arrest.
What I loved about Ant-Man and the Wasp
There were so many great things about Ant-Man and The Wasp, I honestly don’t know where to start. The one thing I will say though is that the trailers did not do this movie justice. I was expecting a very different overall plot than what was delivered. I can’t say more without spoiling anything, but the actual main story in the movie is awesome.
New villain Ghost is super cool too. Her powers are pretty neat and her origin is a tragic one, which makes you feel for this character whose plans look to seriously upend the lives of the Pyms.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is even funnier than the first film. One of my favorite parts of Captain America: Civil War was when Ant-Man attempted to grow into Giant Man for the very first time. Well, that humungous hero makes another hilarious appearance on the streets of San Francisco this time around.
Did I mention Evangeline Lilly is in this movie? She’s also pretty darn amazing as the titular character The Wasp. Not only is she the first female superhero to get her name in a Marvel movie’s title, but she more than deserves it. She’s as tough as the Black Widow with the brains of her scientist dad. She also has a super cool suit that lets her fly and shoot blasts out of her wrists.
The Wasp is a fantastic addition to the Marvel superhero lineup and I hope she gets loads more screentime. Perhaps even a solo movie at some point?
And of course, there are the usual post-credits scenes. If I have to tell you to stay until the very end of the credits to a Marvel movie, well, then you’re really not paying attention! I cannot say a word other than the fact that the first post-credits scene at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp may very well be the greatest one yet from Marvel Films. When it finished, my entire theater literally gasped and then applauded like mad.
In theaters now!
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