Ant-Man and the Wasp (5 Stars)

This is the 20th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, released in July 2018. I've now re-watched all the MCU films so far, so I shan't be able to continue until "Captain Marvel" is shown in the cinemas next month. It'll be an interesting film, but so far removed from Marvel canon that I'll have to force myself to forget everything I ever knew about Captain Marvel (the character).

In a six-second cameo Stan Lee plays a man whose car shrinks in front of his eyes. Speaking words that can easily be understood by any former LSD user, "The sixties were fun, but now I'm paying for it".

I criticised the humour in "Thor: Ragnarok", but in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" it's totally appropriate. The story is so well written, and the elements of slapstick only make it better. There are various plotlines that are expertly interwoven, interrupting one another when we least expect it. To sum up:

Scott Lang is under house arrest for two years as punishment for his illegal super-hero activities in "Captain America: Civil War". Hank Pym needs Scott's assistance to rescue his wife from the quantum realm, so he has to bypass the electronic tag that checks he's still at home. An illegal high tech trader, Sonny Burch, is attempting to steal Hank Pym's laboratory. Hank's former colleague Bill Foster has adopted a girl (now a woman) who needs the energy from the quantum realm to cure herself from perpetual phase shifting.

Even though today is the third time I've watched the film I felt as excited as if it were the first time. There's something thrilling about the film. This is the film that should have been nominated for an Academy Award, not "Black Panther".

It's good to see Hank Pym finally put on an Ant-Man suit. You're never too old to be a super-hero.

Hank Pym's daughter, Hope Van Dyne, puts on her mother's costume to become the Wasp. She wears it well.

Scott Lang's daughter Cassie wants to become the next Wasp. She should wait another ten years. With the right preparation she could become the best Wasp yet.

Scott Lang was an unlikely person to take on the mantle of Ant-Man, both in the comics and in the films. He's not a hero by nature. He's a family man who would like to enjoy a simple life without great wealth, just enough money to get by.

In the comics Bill Foster goes on to become one of Marvel's biggest heroes. I doubt that will happen in the MCU films. We'll have to wait until the franchise is rebooted, which probably won't be in my lifetime. They're not like the Spider-Man films which are constantly being rebooted.

Success Rate:  + 1.8

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