July 13, 2018 – Ever since the first Iron Man movie Marvel Studios has outdone the rest of the movie industry in its ability to crank out a high volume of hit movies, and most are good quality films as well. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is no exception. Most studio sequels are second-rate, but this film in an exceptional sequel, building not only on the first film, but on the events seen in “Captain America Civil War.”

If you are keeping up with all these films, you will know that when we last saw Ant-Man he was in a high-tech, high security prison somewhere in the ocean, about to be freed by Captain America. In this film, we find that Ant-Man (Paul Rudd, reprising his role) has gotten off with a relative slap on the wrist. He is under house arrest, wearing an ankle bracelet, which is not a very effective restriction for a man who can shrink himself down to ant size.

This time, Ant-Man gets to rescue some people from jail himself on his way to a journey to the quantum realm, in a plot detail hinted at in the first film. He is not only in trouble with the law, but he is in trouble with the inventor of the shrinking suit, Hank Pym, and his daughter Hope (played by Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly, respectively, both reprising their roles).

When we catch up with Hank Pym and Hope, we find that Hope has become The Wasp, as hinted at in the first film, so naturally she teams up with Ant-Man for some capers and adventures. New characters include Dr. Bill Foster (played by Lawrence Fishburne of “John Wick: Chapter 2”) and Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen of “Ready Player One”) an unstable woman who can phase in and out of solid matter, and Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins of “Tomb Raider”) a criminal who deals in black market technology.

The plot involves trying to outfox both police and criminals in order to embark on a very dangerous venture which, naturally, must be accomplished on a deadline. This involves the usual gunplay, fist fights, car chases and lots of shrinking things down and making small things big. As in the first film, the story includes a generous dose of humor along with the action. This works most of the time, but once in a while the humor seems forced.

This is an enjoyable action film, and it is not as dark as many Marvel films. Usually, in these films, the heroes are trying to save the world. This time, the stakes are more modest. It is more of a personal journey, which is a nice change of pace. It is a bit lighter and a lot funnier than most actions films. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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