Ant-Man and The Wasp is an enormously delightful experience

After the tension-filled affair that was Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel is back with Ant-Man and The Wasp, which is a much-needed crowd pleaser to put a smile on audiences faces.

2015’s Ant-Man was not the smash hit contender as most in Marvel but the movie was a surprisingly good flick considering what it was up against. Since then, the character made his mark in Captain America: Civil War and now has a sequel involving the long-awaited appearance of The Wasp–which was originally teased in the first film.

The new sequel titled Ant-Man and The Wasp is one of Marvel’s, best as well as one of the most delightful experiences at the box-office this year.

The story takes place sometime after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is free from being imprisoned and is now on house arrest for violating the accords. He has only a few days left stuck inside his home, and he is finding hilariously creative ways to entertain his daughter. We also learn that Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) have broken off all communication with Lang for his actions in Civil War.

Early in the film, we discover that Lang’s time in the quantum realm somehow gave him a connection to Hank Pym’s wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). This leads to a serious of crazy events that force Scott, Hope, and Hank to work together again– and to bring Janet back from the quantum realm.

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Most hardcore fans remember the production issues from the first film when Edgar Wright left the project and Peyton Reed came onboard. As good as the first film turned out, it was easy to see the movie was trying to figure out what it wanted to be in several spots. In Ant-Man and The Wasp, the voice of the film feels much more confident. Reed’s direction seems much stronger and more pronounced now that he is involved from start to finish. It feels less like a child trying to learn how to walk and much more like an adolescent sprinting with confidence.

This can even be felt in the action scenes which strike an amazing balance between spectacle and comedy. The size-shifting gags and setups seem like a director pushing himself further in different ways. For example, most of the humor with mundane objects seem more memorable this time– even the Pez Dispenser gag from the trailer feels more iconic than anything from the first entry. He may not be the visionary that is Edgar Wright but Peyton Reed has more than proven himself with this property after making this movie.

Paul Rudd once again does a fantastic job doing his Paul Rudd thing in this film. He has always had a lovable everyday man charm that makes him so fun to watch. Not to mention he has an uncanny ability to have the best comedic timing.

The show stealer of this entire movie though is Michael Pena. His character Luis is the greatest gift to this franchise and he never stops being funny in this film. He’s the type of character that in most franchises becomes obnoxious by this point but with Pena, it never loses its charm.

Ant-Man and The Wasp also contains a lot of Marvel newcomers including Lawrence Fishburne, Randall Park–as the quirky FBI guy,– and the menacing presence of Walton Goggins. Fishburne plays a former colleague of Hank Pym’s in this movie and while he doesn’t have a lot to work with on the page, he has a lot of fun with what he is given. Goggins, on the other hand, felt like one villain too many in this movie– But you will not care because as always he does amazing character work. Randall Park is one of the more memorable characters in this film though playing one of the best quirky cop performances in recent memory. I feel like he needs to be used much more in the MCU in other films besides Ant-Man, like another Agent Coulson.

I could search for nitpicks in Ant-Man and The Wasp but it seems like such a disservice to what the film accomplished. This movie has one goal in mind, just to let the viewer sit back and have a great time. It’s not trying to teach you something or get too serious. It’s that one goofball friend that you hope is at every party because somehow they always brighten the mood with cheesy jokes and one-liners.

Most of all, this film continues the tradition of redemption within a family circle. Scott Lang has been fighting to give his daughter a normal life since the first movie. Here he pushes that redemption further by trying to be responsible and pay his dues with those around him– as well as mend his relationship with Hope and Hank. It’s the glue that makes even the corniest of moments feel stronger than they should be.

Next: Where in the MCU timeline is Ant-Man and the Wasp?

Overall Thoughts

Ant-Man and The Wasp is the crowd pleaser we needed after the gloomy events of Avengers: Infinity War. It’s easily the most delightful experience you might have at the theater this year. If Infinity War was a cheeseburger, then this movie would be the milkshake to help compliment the meal. Most of all, this is one of the rare Marvel films that really is fun for the entire family. I cannot recommend it enough.

Ant-Man and The Wasp is now in theaters