Review: Ant-man and the Wasp

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Avengers: Infinity War left viewers wide-eyed in shock, trying to process the ending and how to comprehend what just played out on the screen. Marvel fans eagerly anticipated the release of the next Marvel movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp, myself included. However, I went into the theater knowing two things:

  1. The movie is NOT set after Avengers: Infinity War. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp is set after Thor: Ragnarok and before Avengers: Infinity War, with the first end credit scene occurring simultaneously with Avengers: Infinity War.
  2. One of the end credit scenes would explain Ant-Man and the Wasp’s whereabouts during the events of Avengers: Infinity War (more on the end credit scenes later).

Ant-Man and the Wasp follows the story of ex-criminal Scott Lang and uber-rich scientists Hank Pym and his equally intelligent daughter Hope, all of whom were introduced in Marvel’s 2015 hit Ant-Man. In the film, the Pyms actively ignored Lang after he “borrowed” Hank Pym’s Ant-Man suit in Captain America: Civil War, until their project to bring back Hope’s mother Janet, the original Wasp, from the quantum realm takes a turn towards the unexpected. Due to Scott’s previous successful journey into the quantum realm in the first Ant Man movie, Janet and he get “linked”, prompting an unwelcome reunion to extract the knowledge inside Scott’s head.

The quest to find Janet, who has been being stuck in the quantum realm 30 years, is not without bumps on the road; in Ant-Man and the Wasp, the bumps in the road are three groups the trio repeatedly evades: the FBI, determined to prove Scott left the house (Scott’s actions in Captain America: Civil War left him on house arrest), a shady businessman whose deal with Hope turned sour and Ghost, the main antagonist with a complicated past involving an altercation involving her father and Hank. Their dispute ended with Ghost in a constant state of phasing, or a constant state of changing states of matter. The condition left her in constant pain, and ultimately, if gone uncured, death.

Like all other MCU movies (excluding The Incredible Hulk), Ant-Man and the Wasp provided all the traditional witty one-liners and hysterical jokes. However, the movie would not be complete without the storytelling of Scott’s best friend Luis. Marvel delivered, giving viewers the backstory of the friendship, complete with all the craziness involved in Luis’s storytelling skills. Throughout the movie, I felt myself laughing, making this film one of the funnier MCU movies. Humor-wise, I rank Ant-Man and the Wasp a solid 8/10.

No Marvel movie is complete without an infamous end credit scene, or scenes. As previously mentioned, the first end credit scene tied Avengers: Infinity War to Ant-Man and the Wasp. When I saw the first end credits scene, I jumped out of my seat with shock, wishing there were 50 more minutes left of the movie, not 5. When you go see this movie, or any other Marvel movie, you must stay through the entire film. In this particular movie, the first of two end credits scene was even one of the best parts of the movie, in my opinion.

While Ant-Man and the Wasp isn’t my absolute favorite Marvel movie, I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Rather, the movie’s actual ending is sweet in comparison to the ending of the Avengers: Infinity War. The end credits scenes humorously paved the way to the next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The third and final solo Ant-Man movie, whose release date has yet to be revealed, will be held to a high standard, one I’m positive Marvel will exceedingly meet.  

As a senior, Kayla Rubenstein spends her fourth (and heartbreakingly final) year on staff as Online Editor-in-Chief, Business Manager and Social Media Correspondent. Wanting to make the most of her senior year, Kayla serves as the President of Quill and Scroll, Historian of Rho Kappa and Co-Historian of NHS, while also actively participating in EHS and SNHS. Outside of school, Kayla contributes to Mensa’s publications and volunteers with different organizations within her community. An avid reader, Kayla can often be found with her nose in a book when not working on an article for The Patriot Post or developing a project for iPatriot Post.