Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

7 years ago, long before Marvel movies expanded into the cinematic universe it is today, I went to film camp. Naturally, we were all given nicknames to remember each other more clearly. I became "Ant-Man". It stuck. So much so that one morning when I came in, one of the TA's slyly dropped a handful of computer print-outs on my desk of pictures of Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Ant-Man, more than even I realize, has been a staple of my identity ever since.

So when Marvel announced a cinematic treatment of Ant-Man in 2015, how could I resist. Casting comedy legend Paul Rudd was a gamble worth shooting for. Even if it fell flat, it would have been a bomb as memorable as Ryan Reynolds's Green Lantern. Luckily, Ant-Man was an inventive, clever, funny and entertaining hit. Easily the most carefree film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ant-Man and the Wasp is completely in spirit of it's predecessor. But as with all sequels, it's shortcomings are noticeable.

Is it as fresh and surprising as it was the first time around? Of course not. The mystique of the shrinking and growing super-suit of Scott Lang is already developed, and unfortunately, not really expanded here. The amount of things you could do with shrinking and growing objects leave the imagination in a whirlwind, but it seems that was too much to gamble on for the filmmakers. This is a real play-it-safe movie. When it hits, its irresistible, but it doesn't always. What we do get is a sentimental story about family that packs more of a punch here than certainly the last one was capable of. I'll admit, I was fascinated by the Quantum leaps and bounds this film took in the search for Hope's long lost mother. Everything else is popcorn fun, if nothing else. Even Michael Pena's running joke from the last film returns, and luckily, they utilized it in the way they should have. Not overdone and overblown, and even at the same time, laugh-out-loud funny. I guess playing it safe has it's upsides after all.