First Take: Ant-Man and the Wasp- sorry, is he a giant?

SYNOPSIS- As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.

Let’s face it- following up Infinity War is a big task. Everyone adored that film. And while I can’t go into specific plot details, the events of April’s major release are still being felt, as the followup to 2015′s Ant-Man arguably isn’t as solid as the original film.

Peyton Reed returns to direct, he does a good job as ever, but the weak link this time round is the script- it feels written by a committee (literally, 5 writers have a credit) rather than by a singular creative force, and the film ultimately suffers, as we get a lot of ‘all filler, no killer’ when it comes to the overall narrative of the MCU. As a standalone film, it works fine, and I have no issues, but I now know why us Brits had to wait. Behind the camera is Dante Spinotti, and Christophe Beck once again delivers a good score, but the script from Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari and Paul Rudd creates a technical team that isn’t quite well oiled.

The performances though save the film, as ever, co-writer Rudd is on fire, but his comedic elements are a lot more restrained, but for a very good reason: this is Evangeline Lilly’s time to shine in the Marvel universe. THIS is how you introduce a character’s powerset, and of course, having Michael Douglas on hand alongside Laurence Fishburne, Michael Pena, Hannah John Kamen, Bobby Cannavale and a brilliant cast on hand for a moment that changes the path of the MCU forever is a big thing, and it’s arguably the film’s highlight (along with some very unique car chase sequences), but at the end of the day, this film provides very little in terms of narrative progression on the Road to The Still Untitled Avengers Sequel.

THE VERDICT

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a good film, don’t get me wrong, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired, especially following such a perfect piece of filmmaking as Infinity War. Ultimately, after those post credits scenes, we know where Scott Lang stands as we get closer to next April’s conclusion to Marvel’s much talked about Phase 3.

RATING- 4/5