ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Paul Rudd     Evangeline Lilly     Michael Pena     Walton Goggins     Bobby Cannavale    Michael Douglas

Judy Greer     Michelle Pfeiffer    Laurence Fishburne     Randall Park     Hannah John-Kamen     Abby Ryder Fortson

     Paul Rudd is one of my favorite actors, so I was already inclined to like this Marvel Comics film, and I wasn’t disappointed—especially when he as Scott Lang is playing a fantasy game at home with his daughter Cassie (Fortson). (He is on home arrest following his mistakes in Captain Marvel: Civil War). Right off the bat, though, we get a little surprise, which sets up the rest of the story nicely.  Overall, it’s appealing in its parent-child exchanges, its pairing up emotional connections with scientific inquiry, its attention to the needs of different characters, its portrayal of characters who change across time and bridge the gap between them and their competitors, and its insertion of humor that fits in seamlessly with the action (a somewhat rare feature in action films).  The humor stems from the well-developed characters and their predictable tendencies, rather than being tacked on by a jokemeister.

     The film follows up on its two previous stories about Ant-Man, Ant-Man(2015) and Captain Marvel:  Civil War(2016). In his plea deal with the FBI, Scott has agreed to be on house arrest with an ankle bracelet and have no contact with Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas), the designer of suits that can shrink/grow a person to tiny or huge personifications, or to Hank’s daughter, Hope (Lilly), who as Wasp collaborated in the previous adventures.  Dr. Pym and Hope have suffered similar consequences.  They only agree to collaborate with Hank at this point because he may have something essential they are seeking.

     The intrigue in this story involves this skittish relationship between Scott and the Pyms; Scott and the FBI monitors led by Jimmy Woo (Park)—although, sadly, the FBI does not come off looking very good in this story; the bad guys who want to steal Hank Pym’s technology, led by Sonny Burch (Goggins); and Ava (John-Kamen), a “ghost” character who is also after the technology. Additionally, we see an old rivalry surface between Dr. Pym and his previous colleague, Dr. Bill Foster (Fishburne).  

          Part of the fun is listening to the scientist characters (the Pyms and Foster) reel off technical jargon that we can only imagine their meaning, such as “the quantum realm”, molecular disequilibrium”, and “wasteland beyond the quantum void.”  These are probably defined in the Marvel fiction—and they may be currently accepted terminology—but this reviewer simply enjoyed the hints about their meaning, and Scott’s impatience in trying to understand them: “Do you really just put the word quantum ahead of everything?”

       Outstanding to me in Peyton Reed’s production are the colorful, descriptive sets and special effects, the music (Christophe Beck), and the actors.  Oh, the actors!  Rudd, Douglas, and Fishburne perform at their usual fine level, and it’s refreshing to see less well-known actors deliver.  The Wasp played by Evangeline Lilly (Ant-Manand Hobbitmovies) shows a range of emotions and good chemistry with Rudd. Walton Goggins is appropriately cunning and sly as a thief.  Abby Ryder Fortson is delightful as Scott’s child Cassie.  And stand outs are Hannah John-Kamen (Game of Thrones,Ready Player One) in her mysteriousness and physical abilities and Michael Pena as Scott’s hilarious current business partner and wannabe hero.

This fast-paced entertaining story should keep fans of Marvel superheroes happily engaged.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

READY PLAYER ONE

Tye Sheridan     Olivia Cooke     Ben Mendelsohn     Lena Waithe     
T. J. Miller     Simon Pegg     Mark Rylance

Philip Zhao     Win Morisaki     Hannah John-Kamen

      Are you ready for the world of 2045?  Steven Spielberg’s vision is that everyone will be so absorbed in virtual reality (VR) games they’ll be spending most of their time there, rather than in the work-a-day real world.  We get a striking picture of how that will be by watching Ready Player One.  Unfortunately (for me), most of the action is like a video game with car chases, fights, and wars.  But there is a story underlying all the racing around, plotting, and attempts to figure out a master gamer’s clues leading to a lot of money and ownership of the Oasis, the ultimate gaming organization of the time.

    Humble Wade Waits (Sheridan) lives in the “Stacks”, a slum in Columbus, Ohio, consisting of house trailers (rather then apartments or condos) stacked upon one another (a visual masterpiece reminding of the favelas up a mountainside above Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and right away we get to watch him traverse down to the street level by jumping, leaping over balconies, and sliding down a rope.  Wade’s parents died, and he lives with his sister Alice (Susan Lynch) and her current boyfriend, an abusing lout. 

     Now, Wade has an avatar, Parzival, and he is hell-bent on solving the riddles left by the mischievous creator and owner of Oasis, Halliday (Rylance), who—by the way—has died.  But whoever solves his riddles for three keys will become rich and gain the power of ownership of Oasis. 

     Parzival manages to develop a kinship with other avatars, and they form a party of five:  Wade/Parvizal, Samantha/Art3mis (Cooke), Aech/Helen (Aech), Sho (Zhao), and Daito (Morisaki), working together to find the keys; but they are thwarted by the unsavory giant corporation led by Sorrento (Mendelsohn) and his minions, foremost of which are I-ROk (Miller) and F’Nale Zandor (John-Kamen).

    A matching of wits and devices follows, with the occasional appearance of Halliday/Anorak making the keys available as they are won.  Sorrento has developed a corrupt organization that is determined to out-smart anyone else in vying for the keys by hook or by crook—mostly crook.  The scenes switch back and forth between the virtual reality and real worlds, which becomes frightening when you realize that what happens in VR can affect people and events in the real world. 

     The story is engaging, acted out so well by the two leads, Sheridan and Cooke.  It was rewarding to see them as a real team, with one and then the other taking on a critical role in saving each other.  Usually, it’s Art3mis who is the quick wit figuring out the clues after Parzival’s initial win.  It’s nice to see the breaking of stereotypes in this and in their personalities, with the Cooke character being sharp and canny, and the Sheridan character being more naïve, but still solid in values and character.  Ben Mendelsohn is perfect as the charming, conniving villain Sorrento.  Other noteworthy performances were rendered by Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Hannah John-Kamen, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki, and Simon Pegg.

     This is fairly typical Spielberg with impressive production, substantive story, and well-defined characters.  It’s fascinating (and humorous) as well in its multiple references to other films (not necessarily Spielberg’s), and it does a good job in having appeal for both younger (technology, videogames) and older audiences (references to other films).  Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography, Alan Silvestri’s music, and Adam Stockhausen’s production design make this a first-rate production.

     As much as I loved watching this film, it is primarily aimed toward fantasy enthusiasts who will revel in the special effects and references to previous iconic films.

Catch a futuristic ride into the world of virtual reality where “you can be anything you want to be.”

Grade:  B+                                                By Donna R. Copeland