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Sequel lacks the buzz of original
If you were wondering where Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man was when the Avengers were trying to stop Thanos from wiping out the universe, this solid sequel has all the answers.
And this time around the diminutive superhero has a partner in crime with Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp sharing the limelight — the first female character to feature in the title of a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flick.
The first Ant-Man was a cracking caper firmly rooted within the heist movie genre and while much of what made that film work is present and correct here, there’s no escaping that this is an inferior follow-up.
Bar Rudd himself, none of the original’s credited writers return, with four newbies contributing to the script, but Peyton Reed is back in the director’s chair.
This sequel’s strength is its comedy; whether it’s the playful banter between Rudd and Lilly, Michael Douglas’ (Hank Pym) grouchiness, Michael Pena (Luis), T.I. (Dave) and David Dastmalchian’s (Kurt) unorthodox trio or Randall Park’s (Woo) inquisitive FBI agent.
Its biggest failure is a sense of true life-ordeath peril — especially coming off the back of Infinity War — and some of the MCU’s weakest villains to date.
Walton Goggins’ (Sonny Burch) oily businessman doesn’t cut it at all, much like his Tomb Raider reboot baddie, and while Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost’s powers are visually cool, there’s not a lot to her character.
Most of the film is taken up by various parties clashing over possession of a miniaturized laboratory which becomes a little tiresome.
Successful tropes from the original like Luis’ motor-mouthed, unnecessarily padded out stories and familiar small objects becoming gargantuan — the highlight being a Hello Kitty Pez dispenser — can’t help but feel less effective second time out.
The closest thing to the first flick’s heist trappings is a fantastically fun mini-raid on a school and Rudd has a ball with his hero’s house arrest scenes, including a priceless running gag about learning magic tricks.
Lilly’s heroine’s presence in the title is more than just a gimmick used by Marvel to deflect criticism over its lack of female-led adventures; the former Lost star suits up in style with focused determination and a knack for agile a**-kicking. However, just about swiping the whole movie from everyone around her is 10-year-old Abby Ryder Fortson, who is a delight as Rudd’s on-screen daughter Cassie, with neat nods to her character’s comicinspired future role.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is always on the move and never less than entertaining, but just feels like it’s lacking the Marvel magic we’ve come to expect.
But the fact this fun ride is the MCU’s weakest entry since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger just shows the colossal standards set by the comic-book movie juggernaut.