Film Review: ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: 3/5
118 minutes
Director: Peyton Reed

For those who had missed out on the 2015 ‘Ant-Man’, Scott Lang aka Ant-Man had been under house arrest for close to two years for his ‘heroic’ role in the Civil War (‘Captain America…’). Fast forward 20 years and we have Scott trying to cope with the predicament of being a super-hero and father to Cassie. Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who’d invented Scott’s size-shrinking Ant-Man suit, and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) too are on the run and want back their wife/mother Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), who’s been in exile for 30 years in the Quantum Realm.
That’s where the super-hero antics and theatrics are brought to the fore by director Peyton Reed in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 20th production. AMW is as close to a family film in the sci-fi/fantasy genre as one could get, especially with the father-daughter bonding and some tender moments with potential in-laws. The entry of the villainous ghost Ava (Hannah John-Kamen) adds some glitter to the film.
In the supporting cast are Michael Pena as Luis, Scott’s business partner and Randall Park as FBI agent Jimmy Woo who’s been tasked with keeping a close eye on Scott.  A brief flashback of a ‘young’ Michael Douglas is noteworthy. Co-writer Paul Reed’s drumming pays candid tribute to director Reed, who’s himself no mean drummer. More than the wizardry of visual effects and the backstories associated with superhero films, it’s the familial relationships and ties which keeps the viewer hooked for two hours. And as with every Marvel movie, wait for the copious end credits to stop rolling – not just once.