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. 

Movies: Cast Of 'Avengers: Infinity War' Reflects On 10-Year Legacy

We’re not only days away from Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” landing in Philippine theaters on April 25, but also, the 10 year anniversary from when the Marvel Cinematic Universe journey began with “Iron Man.”

In a new 10-Year Legacy featurette, the cast of “Avengers: Infinity War” talk about their MCU family and what it has meant to them over the time they’ve spent together making MCU films.

Take a look at the featurette at https://youtu.be/trcditUaQJg.

Movies: Marvel Studios Kicks Off The Marvel Cinematc Universe 10-Year Anniversary Celebration

Iconic "Class Photo" Unveiled Featuring Talent & Filmmakers

From The Last Decade Of Marvel Studios' Films

BURBANK, Calif. (February 8, 2018)—Today Marvel Studios kicks off the year-long Marvel Cinematic Universe 10-Year anniversary celebration with an iconic class photo featuring talent and filmmakers from over the last ten years.

On October 7th, 2017 a group of more than 80 actors and filmmakers all came together in secret in Atlanta, Georgia, on the set of Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” to memorialize the last ten years with a photo and to celebrate the accomplishments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=GjwjzIFcX7U

An impressive group of Super Hero talent assembled, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Chadwick Boseman, Brie Larson,  Jeremy Renner, Tom Holland,  Sean Gunn, Hannah John-Kamen, Zoe Saldana, Angela Bassett, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kurt Russell, Danai Gurira, William Hurt, Karen Gillan, Emily VanCamp, Tessa Thompson, Don Cheadle, Dave Bautista, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, Evangeline Lilly, Elizabeth Olsen,  Paul Bettany, Frank Grillo, Letitia Wright, Laurence Fishburne, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Stan, Ty Simpkins, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Benedict Wong, Michael Rooker, Vin Diesel, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson and Jeff Goldblum.

Filmmakers from the past 10 years of MCU film joined the festivities, including Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Stan Lee, Scott Derrickson, Trinh Tran, Alan Taylor, Brad Winderbaum, Louis Letterier, Jon Watts, Sarah Finn, James Gunn, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Joss Whedon, David Grant, Mitchell Bell, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Jeffrey Ford, Peyton Reed, Jonathan Schwartz, Stephen Broussard, Ryan Coogler, Jeremy Latcham, Nate Moore, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Taika Waititi, Erik Carroll, Ryan Meinerding and Craig Kyle.

Marvel Studios’ 10th anniversary begins with the release of “Avengers: Infinity War” and covers an impressive decade of Marvel Studios’ blockbusters released from 2008 through the “Avengers” untitled film in 2019. In celebration of the anniversary, fans can expect exclusive consumer products and collectibles, along with in-theater events and much more in the coming months.

Marvel Studios’ unprecedented success over the last ten years is reflected in its cumulative box-office receipts of over $13.5 billion worldwide. Legions of fans—both old and new—have enjoyed the live-action exploits of favorite Marvel Super Heroes in films that express the unique vision and creativity of the filmmakers, and deliver spectacle and thrilling action with relatable characters.

Movies: LONG LIVE THE KING IN NEW “BLACK PANTHER” POSTER

Marvel Studios has just revealed a new poster for Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” during the San Diego San Comic-Con.

Check out the poster below and watch Black Panther in Philippine cinemas in February 16, 2018.

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.

The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole wrote the screenplay.

Marvel's Black Panther will be distributed in the Philippines by The Walt Disney Company (Philippines). Follow the official social media accounts of Marvel, namely, (FB) MarvelPhilippines, (Twitter) @marvelstudiosph and (Instagram) @marvelphilippines.

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.