ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
Oh, how the tiny have fallen.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp,” the first sequel to 2015’s “Ant-Man,” is barely an exoskeleton next to its much better predecessor. It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, the superhero who turned shrinkage into a positive attribute was the rising star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The first flick had a lot going for it: clever cinematography, a refreshing irreverence and Paul Rudd’s boyish charm. But “Wasp” is scant, man.
Scott Lang (Rudd), aka AntMan, has been under house arrest for two years since the calamities of “Captain America: Civil War,” spending his days playing in forts with his daughter and practicing card tricks. But Lang’s hero mentor, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), has discovered that Hank’s presumed-dead wife, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), is trapped in the subatomic Quantum Realm, which could be what Scott Bakula calls his bedroom.
So Hank and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), aka Wasp, who also can manipulate her size, smuggle Scott outta the house to help with the rescue. Along the way, he gets huge and teensy a few times, and battles Ghost (see story at left) and other baddies.
The movie avoids being a disaster thanks to Rudd. He’s one of the most appealing actors around, knows it and always delivers. But the lazy script is littered with more clichés than a corporate keynote.
Running time: 125 minutes. Rated PG-13 (science-fiction violence). Now playing. Read the full review at NYPost.com.