Ant-Man and the Wasp (Film Review)

2018 Marvel Studios
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly,Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip "T.I." Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas
Directed by: Peyton Reed; Written by: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari
Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

After Avengers: Infinity War's traumatizing ending, it's safe to say that Marvel needs a palate cleanser before it dives back into heavy stakes. At the same time, Infinity War is the crowning achievement of this entire 18 interconnected-film Marvel experiment. Whatever follows Infinity War has to not only give a breather, but not drop the ball.
Thankfully, the Peyton Reed-directed film, Ant-Man and the Wasp, is up to the challenge. It fits into Marvel's greater narrative whole, with Paul Rudd's Ant Man on house arrest, and Ant Man suit inventor, Gordon Pym, along with his daughter, Hope, on the run as a result of Ant Man's actions in Captain America: Civil War. If that seems like a brainful, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of watching Ant-Man and the Wasp. The film, like the previous Ant Man, is able to stand by itself.
Paul Rudd brings the same non-laconic humor to this film as before, as Ant Man tries to keep himself out of trouble and his young daughter entertained, during his last few weeks of house arrest. Gordon and Hope, though, have other ideas, enlisting Ant Man to help them find Gordon's wife/Hope's mother, Janet van Dyne, who was shrunk down into unimaginable quantum depths many years before, during a world-saving mission with Gordon. Yes, many years ago, Gordon was the original Ant Man, a hero in a suit that can change the wearer's size, and Janet was the Wasp, Ant Man's similarly-size changing cokick.  Now it's up to Rudd's current Ant Man, and Hope, the new Wasp, to team up to save Janet, all while battling Sonny Burch, a southern criminal looking to steal their technology, as well as Ghost, a young woman who can phase in and out of matter, and if you think this all sounds ridiculous, don't worry because so does Ant-Man and the Wasp.
This is, afterall, a movie where our heroes, in one of Ant-Man and the Wasp's many imaginative action scenes, take out some bad guys with an enlarged Hello Kitty Pez-dispenser.  Rudd is game in continuously pointing out the insanity in the film's plot, all while the plot manages to be coherent, and flow along nicely. The film is also able to wring some emotion out its family dynamics, with the Pym/van Dyne's desperate to be made whole again, and Ghost simply trying to be made whole. Ghost , who is slowly dying because of her uncontrollable phasing powers, which were given to her unwillingly during her own father's failed and fatal experiment, is at odds with our heroes due to no fault of her own. In its most remarkable achievement, the film makes it clear that she's no villain, and simply trying to survive, watched over by Laurence Fishburne's, Bill Foster. Fishburne, exercising the same paternal power he did all the way back in 1991's Boyz n the Hood, brings an entirely greater level of emotion to the film, as his selfless care for Ghost makes what is essentially a children's film far more complex.
This is, at heart, a family film, about family, and geared toward families. It's got non-stop humor, mostly due to Ant Man's silly Michael Peña-led crew, and far more personal stakes than the "half of all beings in the universe will die" ones of Infinity War, though of course, the incredible Infinity War was able to make those stakes quite personal, as well.  However, with all of the plot excess and silliness, no matter how fun, Ant Man and the Wasp can't help but feel a little inconsequential. I remember several key moments well, but find the rest of the film fastly fading from memory.
Still, mission accomplished: my family was entertained for two hours, I'm ready for more Marvel movies (and yes, the ending of Infinity War is referenced in a post-credit scene that left audience members gasping, a testament to the power of that film), and I might even be ready for another Ant Man movie. 2018 Marvel is three-for-three.