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Published On: Wed, Jun 27th, 2018

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ is a small film making an even smaller impact on the MCU

In the wake of The Avengers: Infinity War and the massive success of Black Panther, Marvel Studios is now releasing their Ant-Man sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp. The new film centers mostly on Evangeline Lilly’s Hope aka. The Wasp, finding her strength as a superhero and her mission to possibly find her mom.

Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang has been on house arrest following the Sokovia Accords in Civil War as Hank (Michael Douglas) believes his lost wife, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), sent back a message/map using Scott’s connection to the Quantum Realm.

A mysterious villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) is seeking the same control of the quantum project developed by Pym, with an arms dealer, played by Walton Goggins (Justified, Tomb Raider) stuck in the middle of the action as well.

Part heist film, part cat-and-mouse and part-romantic comedy, Ant-Man and the Wasp can’t seem to find its way. Rudd’s character is poorly written, with Hope’s transition into action star taking center stage in a far superior way. There is even a contrived trip to a school to setup Scott’s incompetence with the suit and more mediocre jokes.

Laurence Fishburne plays a former partner of Pym and befriends Ghost, which creates more confusion over the capabilities of the quantum power. Randall Park plays the FBI agent tasked with keeping tabs on Lang, offering weird oddball jokes to break up the action.

Back for the sequel are Michael Peña, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris and David Dastmalchian. Only Pena makes us really laugh.

In fact, Cannavale is so badly used, I don’t think he’s in a scene that doesn’t involve him hugging Scott.

The biggest problem is that Infinity War raised the stakes for the entire universe and Hank’s pet project to save his wife despite the blunders of Scott, doesn’t ever seem that interesting or important.

I’m unsure who is supposed to be likeable in the film. Pena’s Luis is the most genuine character on screen, but the bar is set pretty low with the cardboard characters all running around.

Hope is setup to be a worthy addition to a future Avengers team, showcasing better skills and superior tech than Scott and his version of Ant-Man. The feminist agenda is clearly in the forefront and Pfeiffer’s brief appearance sets up a mysterious “power” and potential “contribution” to the MCU – totally overshadowing Hank’s genius and role in the franchise.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is entertaining, good at a lot of different things, but never great at anything. Audiences may enjoy the first viewing but it seems unlikely to worth the time for multiple screenings.

Overall Ant-Man and the Wasp receives 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

The film is a must watch for most of the Marvel fans, but, much like the first film, Ant-Man and the Wasp does little more than setup Wasp as a “kick butt female” nearly equal to Black Widow. The film is clean and entertaining, so that part of Marvel’s formula is not tarnished, and keeps parents free to bring along the kids.

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About the Author

- Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professionally in 2003 on Crazed Fanboy before expanding into other blogs and sites. Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) and completed the three years Global University program in Ministerial Studies to be a pastor. To Contact Brandon email [email protected] ATTN: BRANDON

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