Let's
make one thing straight right off the needle: if you didn't like the
first Ant-Man film, no need
to state the obvious about this one. But if so, why are you even
reading this? It's a Marvel Studios movie, so of course it follows
the MCU recipe for big-screen popcorn munching success. Yes, all
their movies slightly try to be their own thing -and on that point
I'll stare-contest to death anyone who disagrees that Ragnaork
and Iron Man 3
are the best of the lot because they stray more- but they all follow
the same guidelines. Unlikely hero rising, plenty of funny banter, a
generous splash of CGI, breeze-light tone and a cardboard cutout
vilain.
The
story picks-up roughly two years after the events of Civil War, where
SPOILER ALERT
diminutive smartmouth Scott Lang joined the now-outlaw Captain
America and fought a losing battle against Tony Stark's Avengers. As
explained in one of those condescending plot-exposition speeches,
both to a character and to the audience, the American & German
governments reached a deal to have Scott extradited back home under
house arrest and probation for two years. Meanwhile his wanted
“accomplices”, Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne, are working to figure
out if Janet Van Dyne is still alive in the microverse (Miniverse?
Teenyverse?). Three days before Lang goes “Scott” free, he
receives a mysterious message from the stranded lady, and therefore
again joins less-than-happy-about-it father & daughter to try and
bring back mommy. Standing in their way is a tech-dealing gangster
who looks, talks and acts a lot like Raylan Givens' best frenemy Boyd
Crowder, and a masked figure who can walk through walls thus gets
obviously nicknamed Ghost.
Little
attention is paid to the story, to be honest, and that as much by the
viewer than the writers. Plotholes are sometimes so large you could
drive a van into them without even shringking it, as long as the van
is from Hyundai who clearly paid sponsorship fees through the
nostrils. But you barely really notice or care because it allows for
a brisk and very well sustained pace, one that may take a little
while to take off but thereafter never sets down. And isn't that what
going to the movies is all about? If you're gonna pay seventeen bucks
to sit for two hours in a cold dark room with smelly strangers, you
better have tons of stress-free, unrelenting fun!
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| Introducing: ANTonio Banderas! |
On the other hand charcters suffer badly in their development. Kudos to the actors for finding ways to remain interesting to watch because they're being given very little to work with. Starting with the vilains, an aspect with which the studio is still struggling since the original Iron man. Hannah John-Lamen may be the breakout star of 2018 (this year alone she was also in Tomb Raider and Ready Player One whle still headlining SYFY's hit show Killjoys) she's given next to nothing after all the fight scenes are done. Her character Ghost is left with a 3-minute bad-guy monologue to explain her backstory, movitation, intentions and state of mind all wrapped in one lazy package. Walton Goggins is spared such a thing but feels like every baddy he's played since Justified, while Morphe.. I mean Laurence Fishburne's appearance should rank just a smidge above cameo.
Unsurprisingly
though, two actors manage to pull the right cards and rise above the
rest. Paul Rudd, the man who just won't age, plays such a likeable
anti-hero that you want to be his little girl and play-pretend a
robbery with him. Even though the two films are named after his
character, this is much more the Wasp's movie where Scott is
relegated to being her comic relief, yet never do we feel Rudd using
that as an excuse to phone it in like many a lesser actor would have.
But mostly, Michael Pena once again steals the show with the
over-caffeinated Luis, who's story-telling skills are cranked up to
eleven.
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| Whaddaya mean not "that" kinda dump truck?!? |
