Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) - Written Review
I remember really enjoying the first 'Ant-Man' film back in 2015, but subsequent re-watches have caused me to re-evaluate the film not as a bad one, but simply as a solid Marvel flick. It just lacks the creative flair I think a movie like 'Ant-Man' needs, and I was disappointed to hear that Peyton Reed would return for the sequel. However, credit to him, Reed has clearly tried with both films to make the most out of the material, and he does showcase his strengths in directing improvised comedy scenes, but he lacks the flair of a director like Edgar Wright (who had been working on 'Ant-Man' for 12 years prior to his departure from the project). 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' suffers in this respect, as the action set-pieces feel like they're being directed from a very formulaic perspective. There's no really creative shots in the film, and every time Reed shows off something inventive, he doesn't really push it. The action sequences aren't poor - one character is attacked by a giant Hello Kitty, and another by a giant salt shaker - but they're a little too conventionally-directed for a big-budget Marvel film, just like last year's 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'. Taika Waititi handled his 'Thor: Ragnarok' sequences much better, which is quite surprising given how inexperienced he was in action cinema.
That being said, the film is very lovely and funny, and if you enjoyed 'Ant-Man', this is a quality sequel that will give you more of what you love without sacrificing anything. However, I'd argue that what 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' could have used was a new creative voice, a Taika Waititi to come in and re-shape the project, because the film is incredibly uneven and messy in a way that I haven't seen from a Marvel Studios film for quite some time. Perfectly enjoyable, and if you really enjoyed the film I'm not surprised at all. It's good in the moment, and the script is by no means bad or misguided - it's just very messy.
'Ant-Man and the Wasp' presents us with three antagonists throughout the film: Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), not to mention another FBI agent who's working with Sonny for...reasons, I guess. Two out of the three antagonists could easily work, but the film feels over-stuffed considering that we still have Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Luis (Michael Pena) and his little trio, Cassie and her parents, and on top of that we're introduced to Michelle Pfieffer as Janet van Dyne and Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster. This is just too much for a film that doesn't even run for two hours to handle.
Michelle Pfieffer is barely in the film, and her ultimate role in the ending is just...terrible writing on the part of the screenwriters. Walton Goggins really makes the most out of his villainous role, but his character is entirely superfluous to the plot; while Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost is a fantastic character who just feels horribly underdeveloped. The film never dedicates enough time to explore her character in any kind of depth, and she just feels utterly wasted. Thankfully, the film leaves the door open for some kind of expansion in a future Marvel entry, and I hope someone takes it. Laurence Fishburne also feels a little under-used in the film, and his role is to help develop Ghost and also Hank Pym: one of whom feels underdeveloped, and the other is further revealed to perhaps not be an all-that-great guy only for it to be glossed over and forgotten about in the next scene. The film's main conflict is resolved in an abysmal deus ex machina by the screenwriters to such an extent that I couldn't help but feel cheated by it.
Furthermore, I can't help but see Luis and the gang's inclusion as purely fan-service. There's an extended "Luis tells a story" scene that feels awkwardly thrown in there to gain a cheap laugh from the audience, essentially re-capping things we already know. It's not even a really funny prologue, it's just thrown in because people liked those moments in the first movie. It's a whole five to ten minute scene that is entirely superfluous to the plot or even character development; put simply, it's unnecessary. Oh, and the ending glosses over a key sub-plot of the FBI chasing Hope and Hank, how Scott and Hope's relationship has developed over the film and pretty much anything you want to know about Michelle Pfieffer's Janet van Dyne. Considering her rescue is the main focus of the narrative, you'd think they'd actually do something with her character in the film.
Saying all this though, it's a pretty darn great cast, isn't it? Paul Rudd's still lovably charming, and Evangeline Lilly is just a born action star (couple this with her role in the latter two 'The Hobbit' films), while Hannah John-Kamen is surprisingly great considering how little development she's given over the course of the narrative (again, great villain, poorly developed). Michael Pena might steal the show again for some, but I actually loved Randall Park's role as the FBI agent. He really holds his own with the improvised comedy with Paul Rudd, and quite often stole the show for me. Also, kudos to the actress playing Cassie, who does a really great job. As for the rest of the cast, just look at the list above - they're all pretty fantastic.
Christophe Beck returns from 'Ant-Man' to score this sequel and I am so glad he did; it's a really great continuation of the themes and motifs from the first film whilst also incorporating a new main theme for The Wasp. Fantastic work! Also, the CGI is pretty great throughout and there are some wonderfully weird and wacky visual effects-based sequences. Ghost's powers are brilliantly realised, as is the Quantum Realm. Sadly though, the cinematography looks pretty bland throughout. The film's colour palette seems to mostly consist of grey, making for a film that visually just doesn't look all that visually appeasing. At least 'Avengers: Infinity War' used grey to contrast with the other colours used for each location. Here with 'Ant-Man and the Wasp', it just looks flat. Even the costumes look surprisingly de-saturated, especially when compared to the film's theatrical posters.
Overall, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' would probably seem like a better film if this was being made by any other studio, but considering how great Marvel Studio's output can be, and just how wonderfully creative it's been recently with 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'Thor: Ragnarok' and 'Black Panther', this film just feels a bit generic in comparison, with an incredibly messy narrative that never quite manages to focus on one main element. Not a poor sequel by any means, but I had hoped for so much more - I think the filmmakers just crammed too much in. 6/10
Comments
Post a Comment