Ant-Man And Wasp Review

Maybe you just need someone watching your back, like a partner. (Cassie to Scott Lang)

In the epic sequel, this is exactly what happens as the Wasp comes into the picture, this time with wings and blasters.

Ant-Man And The Wasp picks up right where Captain America: Civil War left off. Scott Lang on house arrest for two years while trying to spend every moment either with his daughter Cassie or trying not to be bored waiting for her to come back.  That’s when Hope and her father realize the only way of rescuing her mother is through Scott’s mind, but how to get him out without the FBI knowing.

Through phenomenal special effects and stunt work, the movie captures the same punch as it’s predecessor marvel movies, as Scott and Hope delve into the search through the phantom zone while going from super small to huge in the a split of an eye.  Similarly the chemistry between Scott played by Paul Rudd and Hope played by Evangeline Lily is exceptional as the two race to find her mother while trying to keep Scott safe from the FBI.

That’s where his best friend, Luis, played by Michael Peña comes in, complete with his sidekick ant buddy that copies his every move while inside his house in hopes of fooling the FBI.  Pena as in other movies including the Chips remake, adds  to the comedic timing which makes the film that much more enjoyable.  And like the first Ant Man, there is a moment with expose that Pena handles exceptionally with talking over the characters in a type of truth serum trans.

The finally element to the equation is that of Scott’s young daughter, Cassie which brings a subtle father daughter moment to the action driven film.  Young  Abby Ryder- Fortson reprises her role and  carries herself well as she even helps by him time to get back inside the house before the agents realize he’s gone.   She additionally meshes well with Rudd as well as all the other actors and even has a slight comedic flare of her own, which’ll be interesting to see how she pursues it as she matures.

Overall at just under 2 hour run time, Ant-man and the Wasp is a film unlike the other superhero movies as it has the same comic appeal, but kind of fits in more closely to Deadpool in the sense of underrated super hero with less of the offensive langauge.  Overall it’s a clean cut movie for all ages and will have audiences laughing and cheering all the way through.

And for those who are avid marvel universe fans, the film does answer the question that all are wondering with Avenger’s Infinity War.  That is where does Ant-Man fit into the picture.  For that answer, one’ll just have to see Ant- Man and The Wasp exclusively in a theater near you.

 

“Infinity War” Review

 When I’m done, half of humanity will still exist. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be… I hope they remember you. (Thanos)

The summer movie season is official on us with the blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War that swept the box office with Friday estimates alone totaling over 105 million domestically.

The Marvel film is a mash up off nearly every single superhero one could imagine including the latest “Guardians” who discover Thor while in space and discover that Thanos is threatening Earth by seeking to find the rest of the infinity stones hidden throughout the heroes which thus give some of them their powers.  Now it is up to all of them, from Ironman to Black Panther to ban together and protect everyone.  But the question is can they really do it in time?

At roughly 2 and a half hours, Infinity War is packed with so much information that the ending, without giving to much away, leaves audiences saying, “What?”   Ultimately, its not the typically ending of a blockbuster, although the ending is a similar concept to that of another film that came out a few years ago, Batman v. Superman.  All I can say is one has to watch it and make their own mind as to whether or not those are dead or if there’s a possibility of something else.

Overall, the film’s director’s Mark and Joe Russo did an exceptional job of combining all the stories into one and showing where they all fit on the Marvel Universe timeline.  Nothing seemed rushed at all as the story flowed from the opening scene with Thanos and Thor where we see his plot to get all the stones to the obvious first encounter with Thor and the Guardians, which we saw in the trailer, and ultimately the question that we all had, how did they fit Black Panther and the country of Wakanda.  In addition, the choice of Peter Dinklage to the Marvel cast was a smart move as he played Eitri, the one that one didn’t know if he was a villain or just trying to protect himself.

The film had so many comical lines, one can’t see it just once to get the full exposure to everything.  The funnest scenes would have to be the self dialogue between Hulk/Bruce Banner, where Mark Ruffalo shined in his portrayal of someone who just can not change into his green self.  Another breakthrough performance is the addition of Spiderman played by Tom Holland.  Though he is just a kid, Holland has matured in his portrayal of Spiderman, taking Ironman’s (Robert Downey Jr.) advice and sticking to being the “friendly neighborhood spiderman” but when the neighborhood is threatened, he is finally brought on board as an Avenger.  His comedy as an awkward kid shines on the scene as he really does come in handy when the other more experienced heroes start to fall.

Overall, Avengers: Infinity War came out this weekend on April 27 and is definitely worth seeing at least once on the big screen.  One won’t regret it but it will leave you wanting more as it has unanswered questions that we’ll have to wait for the next Avengers movie to hopefully answer them.