ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) ****

Ant-Man and the Wasp is one of the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.  There is lots of imagination on display and plenty of fun to be had.  Not only is it chockful of inventive action sequences, there’s also tons of heart.  In a summer full of dazzling special effects, big-budget sequels, and costumed superheroes, it’s nice to find one that engages the heart as much as it does the eyes.

It’s also refreshing when the fate of the world isn’t always at stake.  Nope, this time out, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is just trying to help his former partner The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) rescue her mom (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Zone.  Since he’s supposed to be home under house arrest (thanks to his participation with Captain America in Civil War), Scott has to do some tricky maneuvering.  It’s hard enough to fight bad guys and find items to piece together a machine that can send people into a parallel universe.  Imagine doing all of that without tripping your ankle monitor.

Because of Scott’s constant juggling of family, loyalty to his friends, superhero obligations, and need to be back home in time for his court-mandated check-ins, Ant-Man and the Wasp feels closers in tone and spirit to the Spider-Man movies than the overstuffed Avengers-style of spectacle.  (There’s also a bit of Iron Man 3 here as Scott’s new prototype suit has a bunch of glitches that pop up at inopportune times.)

Another refreshing tactic:  Scott is practically the third wheel in his own movie.  A lot of the heavy lifting goes to The Wasp and her dad, the original Ant-Man (Michael Douglas).  Most of the scientific gobbledygook goes over Scott’s head, leaving him ready to quip away at the drop of a hat.  Because of that, Rudd has plenty of opportunities to shine, even if he has to defer to the experts on most occasions.  

I also found the villain, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) quite interesting.  Her aim is self-preservation, not world domination.  She’s willing to achieve that at any cost, which makes her a threat, and her singlemindedness makes her oblivious to the fact that the people she’s fighting against are more than capable of helping her.  

There are so many moments to treasure.  The action involving oversized Pez dispensers and salt shakers are a joy and the bit where The Wasp shrunk a motorcycle down to size while the rider was going at top speed was inspired.  We also get a Bullitt-style car chase with miniature cars!  The laughs are plentiful too.  The sight of Rudd shrunk down to junior size and running around a school trying not to get caught by a teacher is one I won’t soon forget.  My favorite moment though was the makeshift drive-in (showing Them of course).  Also, more movies should include scenes where Michael Pena is injected with truth serum.

All this AND Walton Goggins TOO?  It’s almost as if director Peyton Reed picked my brain and put everything I always wanted to see in an Ant-Man movie into Ant-Man and the Wasp.  Not only is it one of the best MCU films ever made, it’s the best picture of the year.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Scorecard: 
Avengers:  Age of Ultron:  ****
The Incredible Hulk:  ****
Iron Man:  ****
Thor:  Ragnarok:  ****
Ant-Man and the Wasp:  ****
Spider-Man:  Homecoming:  ****
Iron Man 3:  ****
Captain America:  Civil War:  *** ½
Ant-Man:  *** ½
Guardians of the Galaxy:  *** ½
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:  *** ½ 
Avengers:  Infinity War:  *** ½
Black Panther:  *** ½ 
The Avengers:  ***
Captain America:  The First Avenger:  ***
Captain America:  The Winter Soldier:  ***
Thor:  ***
Thor:  The Dark World:  ***
Iron Man 2:  ***
Doctor Strange:  ** ½ 

2018 Comic Book Movie Scorecard:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: ****

Avengers:  Infinity War: *** ½

Black Panther: *** ½

Deadpool 2: *** ½

Accident Man: ** ½