Welcome to week 20 of the 39 week countdown to Avengers: Doomsday. I’m watching the MCU films in order of release, one per week, in the buildup to December 17, when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters. This countdown will culminate the following day, with my thoughts on that film.
We have crossed the midway point, and are more than halfway to Doomsday! That sounds bad in a normal context, but fortunately we’re talking about a film, and not the actual end of the world! That film is the follow-up to the 2015 hit Ant-Man, the aptly titled Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Some of the earliest superhero stories of the Silver Age of comics, which Marvel kicked off in 1961 when they released the first issue of The Fantastic Four, featured Ant-Man, and he was soon joined by his crime-fighting partner, and love interest, the Wasp. That means there’s a whole lot of history behind this super-team, though most of it has been radically altered by the MCU. In truth, little more than their names and their powers have survived the move from funny book to silver screen. That may be for the best, as their’s is a somewhat dark story. I prefer the lighthearted comedic action of the MCU franchise bearing the Ant-Man name.
Coming in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp had some big shoes to fill, and I think they approached it in the right way. Rather than having our heroes face off against some sort of global threat, Marvel instead chose to keep the stakes small. Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, learns that his wife, Janet, the original Wasp, may still be alive, and trapped in the Quantum Realm. Scott and Hope, the current Ant-Man and Wasp duo, help him find her, but have to deal with a mobster, played by Walton Goggins, as well as a super-villain called Ghost, both of whom are out to steal their laboratory.
Goggins makes for a great foe. He’s motivated by money, and his pursuit of their lab makes sense. Ghost, not so much. As a child she was involved in an accident in a lab studying the Quantum Realm, and is slowly shifting out of existence. She’s sought help from one of Hank Pym’s old associates, Bill Foster, and together they’re trying to steal Pym’s lab in order to cure Ghost. The issue I have with this is that, while there is clearly some animosity between Pym and Foster, they’re ostensibly still friends, at least to the extent that Pym goes to Foster for help when he needs it. Had Foster simply asked Pym for help, he’d have surely worked with him to cure Ghost. I wish the scriptwriters had come up with a more compelling reason for Ghost to be battling Ant-Man and friends. Ultimately, when she fails in her attempt to kill Hank and Janet, Janet cures her anyway, so why all the drama, Ghost??
That gripe aside, the movie isn’t bad. It’s hilarious in moments, especially when Randall Park shows up. He is so good at playing… that guy he plays. If you’ve met “that guy” in real life, and I’ve met several, you know just how perfectly Park nails the role. He more or less steals the movie whenever he shows up.
Paul Rudd is at his best, too. He’s given more of a chance to flex his comedic muscles here, and he’s funny in his inimitable dry, deadpan manner.
How Good Is It?
It’s okay. It’s not bad, it’s not great. It’s a good movie. The action scenes are top notch. As before, the transitions between the large and small worlds are fantastic. The Quantum Realm is beautifully depicted. The film is simply lacking in terms of plot.
What Did Giacomo Think?
“I would put this in between “okay” and “really good.” Carmine says, “I really liked it. In fact, I loved it.” Back to Giacomo, who says “I liked all the jokes that I understood, but I feel that the story could have been better. Maybe they needed to do more with the Ghost.”
It’s interesting to hear him say that, as I didn’t say a word to him about my thoughts on the movie, but he more or less mirrored them. You can look at that as great minds thinking alike, or me thinking like a 10-year-old. Take your pick!
My Watch History
I watched this on opening day, Friday, July 6, 2018, at the AMC Oakridge 20 in San Jose. Letterboxd reminds me that I watched it again on July 11, 2024, and again last night.
How Did I Watch?
This is the third film so far that I don’t own on physical media.
You can click the image below to buy yourself a copy, but the link will take you to the 4k version. You can always click to the cheaper, regular Blu-ray if you want the same one I have. (I get nothing if you do, so this isn’t a ploy to make money.)
Best Scene in the Movie
As much as Randall Park’s comedic moments rock, they’re all quick hits and one-liners. The best scene is clearly Scott and his daughter’s cardboard maze adventure.
Will This Tie Into Doomsday?
We know from the trailer that both Ant-Man and Ghost will be featured in Avengers: Doomsday. I don’t know how much you’ll need to know about the characters in order to follow that film, and likely very little from Ant-Man and the Wasp will be relevant, but there is certainly going to be some sort of Quantum Realm aspect to the upcoming film. The Quantum Realm the key to leaping between multiverses, and it seems that multiverses colliding is very much on the Doomsday menu. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the collision of multiverses is what is causing the titular Doomsday, so you may as well watch or rewatch this to be up on your multiversal lore in time for Avengers: Doomsday.
How May Stars Does It Get?
While contemplating this project my biggest question was whether or not I should rate the films. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m terrible at assigning films a score. I either like ‘em or I don’t. However, I know readers like ratings, so I’ve come up with something close. I’m going to rank the films as I go along. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, and with each week it grows more difficult.
The Updated Ranking
The Avengers
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Avengers: Infinity War
Thor: Ragnarok
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
Ant-Man
Iron Man 2
Iron Man
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Iron Man 3
Black Panther
Thor
Doctor Strange
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Incredible Hulk
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Thor: The Dark World
What’s Next
Next week I’ll write about the 21st installment in the MCU, Captain Marvel.
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