Ant-Man and the Wasp has been released, and there's plenty to talk about. While the newest adventure of the tiny heroes is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, it's actually arriving in theaters following Avengers: Infinity War. That alone led to many questions ahead of the movie's release.
Now that it's out, and people are seeing it; however, GameSpot is ready to take a deep dive into the spoiler pool to talk all about what we loved, what we didn't, how it connects to the rest of the MCU, and what we think this will all mean for the future of the Ant-Man franchise. Warning: The following story and the above video contain heavy spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp. if you haven't seen the movie, stop reading and watching now!
If there's one thing you can say about this movie--and Ant-Man before it--it's that this piece of the MCU is entertaining and funny. After the devastating ending of Avengers: Infinity War, it's nice to get a palate cleanser like this to remind you of just how exciting the Marvel universe can be.
The story finds Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) nearing the end of his house arrest sentence, which explained his absence during Infinity War. It's not long, though, before he's dragged back into his former Ant-Man life as Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) have found a way to rescue Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm. In doing so, they encounter a supervillain, a rich Southern gentleman, and a wacky FBI agent as they race against time to save Janet.
Overall, the movie succeeded at just about everything it tried to do. The returning characters shined even brighter than before--with bonus points going to Lilly's Wasp and Abby Ryder Fortson, who plays Scott's young daughter Cassie. Among the new additions, Pfeiffer didn't have much screen time but owned the moments she did have, and the addition of Randall Park as FBI Agent Jimmy Woo added a fun, new comedic element to Scott's story.
The action delivered in every way it possibly could, especially when it comes to the chase scenes that involve shrinking cars. In a world where Fast & Furious movies have practically perfected these kinds of moments, it's nice to see Marvel throw something new into the mix.
We didn't love everything about the movie, sadly. Walton Goggins over-the-top character was a little too much of a cartoon villain, while Ghost--the primary antagonist played by Hannah John-Kamen--wasn't given enough to work with to truly stand out like a baddie of that magnitude should.
Additionally, a lot of the movie itself felt sort of cookie cutter. It's entirely possible this is due to the fact that Ant-Man and the Wasp is following in the footsteps of Infinity War, which was a real mic-drop of a moment for the MCU, but it left this film feeling inconsequential.
As for what the future holds, thanks to that end scene that saw three of the four main characters turned to dust like half of the rest of the MCU, it's hard to know where this series goes next. Hopefully, there is a future, though, because Ant-Man and the Wasp was too much fun to just end there.