MCU Catch-Up: ‘Ant-Man’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’
Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 7:32PM 
I see a lot of movies. Still, I sometimes miss big releases if a) I don’t see the film either at a press screening or right when comes out and b) it’s not an awards contender. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s so much to keep up with. At a certain point, there are some entries that I just never get around to seeing. Among the few I was missing up until recently were Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, the lead-ups to the forthcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Thanks to a long flight last week and two Disney+ downloads ahead of time, I’m now caught up with everyone’s favorite shrinking hero…
Prior to getting the origin story of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), I did find him to be an extremely entertaining part of Avengers: Endgame (I also just caught up on another blindspot, Captain America: Civil War, where he plays a major role). While I had heard from some that having him all by himself is a bit much as compared with his comic relief value in a film with deadly serious themes, it turns out that he’s an enjoyable anchor who functions just fine in both capacities. He’s very likeable even if he sometimes makes the wrong choices, and there’s something that feels appropriate about how goofy he is given the nature of his powers.
Ant-Man (2015)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
What works very well about both films is the incorporation of the technology invented by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) that allows for the shrinking and growing of both people and random objects, particularly toy cars and the giant lab building that can be transported like a piece of carry-on luggage. There’s an effective rhythm to the action and the way in which Ant-Man and the Wasp fight battles, and a decent showcase of hand-to-hand combat with some enticing power-enhanced twists. These movies are very watchable, and while the experience of seeing them on a big screen would surely be a delight, they play out satisfactorily on a tiny screen, too.
Both films are much more about the heroes and their quibbles than the villains, though I can appreciate Corey Stoll in a scenery-chewing role any day (watch Billions on Showtime to see more of that, with slightly less outright evil impulses). And Walton Goggins, best known for his roles on The Shield, Justified, and The Righteous Gemstones, may be one of the most under-appreciated actors of this generation, and it’s fun to see him in the sequel. There’s a lot going on in Ant-Man and the Wasp from multiple sides, and that enhances the overall enjoyment of a film that fortunately clocks in at just about two hours long, the perfect length for this material. After watching the season one finale of Loki, I’m extremely excited to see what Jonathan Majors does as the big bad in number three.
Rudd is a terrific fit to play Lang, and it’s clear that he’s having fun. While Evangeline Lilly has doubled down on her anti-vaccine stance in real life, she does exhibit great chemistry with Rudd in the films. From the supporting casts, the clear standout is the man at the center of a meme I encountered long before I saw these films: Michael Peña as Luis. He’s all about the conversation and the long explanations, and hearing his voice as other people move their mouths is a blast. Him falling victim to truth serum was also a highlight.
Both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp capture the playfulness of the MCU that makes following this incessant stream of movies such an obsessive pleasure for millions. There’s no reason to take them very seriously, and the gimmicks add to the enjoyment factor. The third film promises to be more enticing as it fortifies tie-ins to the overall MCU, which tends to up the stakes and involve appearances from other Marvel characters. While, with some heroes, that might not be appealing, the chance to see Ant-Man interact with anyone else should absolutely be worth the price of admission.
Are you planning to see Quantumania this coming Friday?
Ant-Man, Evangeline Lily, MCU, Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, sequels, superheroes
Reader Comments (8)
I think these movies are kind of disposable but also underrated if that makes any sense. I've heard through the grapevine that QUANTUMANIA is far more in keeping with the rest of the MCU in terms of its self seriousness but I love how silly these two movies are and their action scenes are unusually creative, like the directors and craft teams really thought about what *these specific powers* might do in a fight, which is more than you can say for so many of the movies with their ball of CG energy + fistfights.
Ant-Man is my favourite MCU character, by far.
And Paul Rudd is just so goddamn sexy.
I was going to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania this Saturday but I pushed it to the next day because I'm babysitting my niece and nephew on Saturday.
I am going to be at nudist holidays in the sun when it opens... no cinema around, so I will have to wait and avoid spoilers till next Monday...
Ant Man is the most fun MCU franchise - even over Guardians of the Galaxy, sorry. Mainly because it's built in a smaller - pun intended - scale, at least on the surface. Peyton Reed maybe not a master - even if Down with Love is absolutely outstanding - but he's damn good.
There won't be any releases we'll miss World's Hardest Game. Only when we try to see the first published releases it is quite difficult but then they will be shown again on the media channels.
The ANT-MAN movies have definitely been one of my favorites because as others have said already, they are FUN and mostly stand-alone films. The stakes are relatively low-key as well. This third film looks to change that up, which is a pity, but hopefully they don't do away with the fun-ness of it all. Or if they ARE then I hope Majors as Kang and an expanded role for Pfeiffer will at least be a fair trade-off I guess!
Is there a Michelle Pfeiffer only version.
Every time I move house, I long for Hank Pym’s method of moving lab, office building, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s beautiful Victorian house. And yes, I covet the pack of cars.
Michael Pena is indeed wonderful and I hope for more of him with each movie.