Movie Review: Ant-Man And The Wasp

In the continuing expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have come to know and love what would have been considered as obscure heroes who would have remained unknown to the masses and one of them is Scott Lang's "Ant-Man". 

After a successful origin movie a few years ago, Paul Rudd's take on the "small but terrible" hero has been welcomed by a new generation of fans and if you liked the first movie, with it's crazy cast of characters, the tummy ache comedy and all the possibilities of it's science fiction then you will definitely enjoy it's sequel.

The film opens with Scott on house arrest after his little adventure in Germany with "Cap" (AKA Captain America and #TeamCap) during the events of "Civil War" in violation of th Sokovia accords and it's days before he is finally released and is looking forward to that freedom after endless days of entertaining himself through video games, show reruns and ugly crying over Young Adult books. 

Of course as the day of his freedom approaches so does trouble in the form of "Ghost"  (Ava Foster) personified by the beautifully broken Hannah John-Kamen and the Southern criminal Sonny Bursh (Walton Goggins) who both want Hank Pym's portable lab, where he and his daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) AKA "The Wasp" have been working on a project that will  bring his wife Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) back from the Quantum Realm.   

Scott is drawn back into the thick of things when he has a dream about Janet and it turns out it might actually be more than a dream and he just might be what Hope and Hank need to get to Janet before she is lost forever. 

Ant-Man and The Wasp is a welcome reprieve from the dark and heavy events of Avengers: Infinity War, and is confident in a cheeky kind of way, more so than its predecessor and will continue to impress audiences with new tricks up its sleeves, with two heroes who can shrink and blow up to massive sizes in a split second and an antagonist who can phase through solid objects, the possibilities are endless. 

Ghost is an interesting villain as she is not out to destroy  the world but merely on the move to look out for herself and she is not exactly a villain per say and John-Kamen delivers an impressive performance and her phasing out silhouette -just beautiful!   

I was actually worried that the climax was not leading up to a big exciting sequence but was relieved to have a thrilling and hilarious car chase and it was nice to see one of the MCU's break out stars Micheal Peña have an absolutely great time playing the lovable, dub-smash talkative Luis. 

I just thought that the cop comedy and parole officer relationship between Scott and Agent Wu (the obliviously hilarious Randall Park) was a a tad bit trying hard comedy, I was also a bit disappointed with Laurence Fishburne's minimal screen time as Bill Foster. I would have wanted to have seen some "Goliath action" even as a flashback. I just felt that there was wasted opportunity there. 

A delightful sequel, which scales up in size while keeping the same charm from its well loved cast of CRAZY characters and the easy comedy. It also expands on the myth and science of the "Quantum realm" while opening up a world of possibilities in a smaller universe. We've already come to love the characters and we get to love them all over again, trust me you'll end up in stitches from laughing (Paul Rudd + Michelle Pfeifer mild meld!) and you will enjoy the well balanced action sequences with the magic of special effects + that post credit scene.....!!! Wow! 

7.5/10 - "Ant-Man And The Wasp" is now showing in cinemas. 

Go BIG with Ant-Man

It seems that Marvel has their formula for success down that even with a relatively unknown super hero, audiences will be leaving the cinemas with a new favorite hero. It's interesting to note that it is not the special effects and CGI graphics which make Ant-Man a highly recommended movie. 

It's the characters which you come to love and love to hate which makes you laugh, cheer and jeer in the movie house. It is these characters whose search for redemption or desire to do good and save the world or just kick back and enjoy the good life which is what keeps you invested throughout the movie. 

Of course, the awesome special effects and CGI don't hurt at all especially since we see new stunts on a totally different level. Remember the big fight of The Hulk and The Hulkbuster (A.K.A. Veronica) in Avengers: Age Of Ultron? Well, we've already seen these big bad as* fight scenes, what we haven't seen is taking the fight to the size of an insect- a small insect at that. 

Imagine two ants having an all out Super Saiyan battle, complete with large-hole-in-the-wall damages; well that just scratches the surface of it because half of what makes the fight amazing is how the two Super Saiyan ants interact with seemingly ordinary objects. 

It's not just these minuscule fights which bring something new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also Ant-Man's ability to command armies of ants; it may not seem that impressive but if you've been bitten by a fire ant then you know that these guys mean business; multiply that one tiny fire ant exponentially and you're in for a very bad day. 

Honestly after seeing the movie I will never look at ants the same way again. #ANThony 

Ant-Man as a hero is something refreshing and unique and whatever beautiful words I use will not bring it justice; it is something you need to see and experience on your own (in 3D if you can). 

After talking about the awesomeness of the fight scenes, the special effects and the CGI allow me to talk about loveable characters of Ant-Man. 

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) if you're a 90s kid you probably remember him from Clueless, which celebrated it's 20 year anniversary recently - and deym he has aged gracefully -is such a cutie! is a Robin Hood kind of burglar who after being released from prison wants to live a straight life. 

Unfortunately that's not going to be easy given that companies aren't so keen on hiring ex-cons. 

Pushed by his desire to be a better father to his daughter, Scott is caught in a web or in this case - ant hill of big proportions. 

Scott, along with his unlikely team plan a (more than a) heist to steal technology that is similar to the Ant-Man suit, that in the wrong hands can mean disaster. 

Micheal Peña plays Luis, Scott's hilarious side kick of sorts and he steals the show! Early review for the film praised Peña for his refreshing and natural humor. You would think that Marvel would have used up all the jokes and delivery in the book but here comes Peña with spot on delivery you can't help but crack up every time he comes on the screen. 

I also love how the movie uniquely handled the subtle romance in the film (no nauseating or awkward scenes) which is a first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speaking of MCU, the film was able to seamlessly blend the characters and timeline to the rest of the movies in the MCU without giving you a headache. It's worth mentioning that you should starry after the movie for not one but two post-credit scenes!!! 

All in all, it was a good family / date / friend film with lots of touching father-daughter scenes that left the little ol' daddy's girl in me teary eyed. 

A refreshing take on an origin story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man will bring you to a whole different world, in an entirely new scale-where no Avenger has gone before. You will laugh, you will cry and you will be amazed. Ant-Man is loads of funny and full of heart. Time will fly by in the cinema just because you're enjoying the movie so much and like me, you'll probably have more respect for ants afterwards. 

Adorable photo of Paul Rudd with some eager Marvel kids at an exclusive movie sneak peek of Ant-Man. Something tells me we'll be seeing a lot of kids dress up as Ant-Man for Halloween and maybe Ant-Man themed birthday parties? 

All photos in this post are from Marvel Studios. 

Enjoy Marvel Movies for only P50.00 in Select SM Cinemas!

Remember that Cornetto commercial "San Makakarating ang P20.00 mo?" (Where is your P20.00 going to get you?). I ask you the same question with "San Makakarating ang P50.00 mo?" 

Well apparently you can re-watch and enjoy your favorite Marvel movies in all the glory of the cinemas PLUS get an extended look at Ant-Man before it hits cinemas on July 15. 

Marvel's Super Hero Mania is available at select SM Cinema Branches: Mall Of Asia, North Edsa, Megamall and Manila. 

Promo is available from July 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12! 

Ant-Man could be Marvel's new Underdog

When I first saw the trailer to Marvel's upcoming movie Ant-Man I thought to myself "Ant-Man?? Seriously??" I honestly was not familiar with the hero. My friend to my side had the same reaction as I did when we saw the trailer in the movie house. As the idea of Ant-Man, burrowed itself in my mind the more intrigued I became. 

Marvel has already explored everything big in all their past movies. What would happen if they went on the opposite direction and went on a smaller scale instead? 

Before Guardians Of The Galaxy came out, people were predicting that it would be a flop but it turned out to be a box office hit and currently holds the title of 'our favorite Marvel movie to date'. 

Guardians- taught us that you don't need to have a popular super-hero to have a successful movie. Could Ant-Man be going on a similar direction as well? 

Early screenings of the movie have resulted to positive reviews from critics. 

Here are some witty tweets. 

"Ant-Man is both fun and funny."

-Christina Radish @ChristinaRadish

"Marvel's most human film to date." 

-Jack Giroux @JackGi

"Ant-Man is great. Way better than Age Of Ultron."

-Gregoryellwood @HitFixGregory 

"Most inventive action scenes yet and tons of heart."

-Erik Davis @ErikDavis 

A little research revealed some interesting facts on the original Ant-Man. 

Hank Pym (Michael Douglas in the movie) became the first Ant-Man in Tales To Astonish #35 (1962). 

Ant-Man was a founding member of The Avengers (and yes- the guy in the gold tin suit is Iron Man).

Pym appeared alongside The Avengers in the team's debut in Avengers # 1 in 1963. 

In later years, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) becomes Ant Man to save his daughter. 

When Marvel’s “Ant-Man” hits Philippine theaters on July 15, director Peyton Reed believes the movie will surprise audiences. “Ant-Man is an incredibly powerful character,” says Reed. “He can shrink down to a very tiny size and actually command armies of different types of ants. The great thing about the comics and the great thing about this story is you get to see what kinds of things a bunch of ants can get done and the interesting ways in which they can help Scott Lang aka Ant-Man.”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new action-packed adventure brings us master thief Scott Lang as the present-day Ant-Man. After being armed by Dr. Hank Pym with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, Lang must embrace his inner hero and help Pym protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Directed by Peyton Reed, Marvel’s “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Judy Greer as Maggie, Tip “Ti” Harris as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Wood Harris as Gale, Jordi Mollà as Castillo and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

Marvel Goes on a different scale with Ant-Man!

At 4'11 (and 3/4) I've probably heard all jokes and jibes on my height. From being asked to stand when I'm already standing to being accused of looking like a kid being asked to buy all sorts of condiments from the store (suka) vinegar,  (toyo)-soy sauce, you name I was supposedly sent out to buy it. 

So it's nice to see Marvel give a nod to the "little" hero for a change. 

From living a vertically challenged life it would be nice to see Marvel take on a whole different scale and go smaller for Ant-Man. Yeah, people might think that bigger is always better but what about the little guys? That fight scene between The Hulk and Iron Man in the Hulkbuster was awesome but what about going small for a change? It will definitely be a new challenge and a whole new frontier for movie producers to create and for audiences to watch. 

The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Marvel’s “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Judy Greer as Maggie, Tip “Ti” Harris as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Wood Harris as Gale, Jordi Mollà as Castillo and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Ant-Man” delivers a high-stakes, tension-filled adventure in Philippine cinemas on July 15, 2015.

As a special treat starting Friday, June 12, moviegoers can catch a six-minute extended look at Marvel's "Ant-Man" when they watch "Jurassic World" in IMAX 3D.

Marvel's smallest hero comes to life in the biggest way imaginable with the immersive IMAX experience, featuring the most advanced technology in picture and sound.