The Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie: Will It Be Good?

My brother wrote an article dealing with his thoughts of the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie a little while back. It was really good and he brought up some excellent points that got me thinking about my own thoughts. Now, with the movie upon us, I thought I’d take some time to write them down before I see it. Then, after I’ve watched it, I will do another article about my thoughts after seeing it. It’s kind of my own personal experiment. I’m interested, as I am sure you are, in seeing how much my thoughts change in a three-day span.

I don’t know how to feel about the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie. At the time of this writing, I have not watched it but I look to correct that this weekend.

At the conclusion of the first Ant-Man movie, I left the theatre thinking that I had just watched an average movie. It wasn’t anything special, nor was it that memorable. Aside from introducing the world to Hank Pym, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, and showing a glimpse of the Quantum Realm, it didn’t do anything that propelled the MCU forward. 

I don’t want to take anything away from Paul Rudd because he is an exceptional actor. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t relate to the movie or even root for its success. It was Ant-Man. Ant-Man. Not an A-List hero like Spider-Man. Ant-Man.

Maybe it’s the fact that through his existence the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym has undergone so many character, personality and costume changes that I don’t resonate with him. Or maybe it’s that his gimmick is a little too hokey for me. I just have never really liked him.

Then it happened

My feelings started to change after I saw him in Captain America Civil War. Even though the movie was outstanding, it was his transformation into Giant Man that sold me on the character. It was Giant Man and he was awesome. For reasons that I still don’t understand, this small moment in time changed my perception of the character. So, yeah. I can handle another Ant-Man movie.

And now the MCU is introducing the Wasp but I’m a little scared.

The comic book iteration of the character has been a stand out in my world for quite some time. Janet Van Dyne has led the Avengers, suffered through great sacrifice, all the while maintaining her per, charm, and likability. She is the female incarnation of Ant-Man with wings but comes across so much better. I am proud to say that I like the Wasp. Or at least I like the Janet Van Dyne version of the Wasp.

But this movie isn’t Janet Van Dyne.

Hope Van Dyne

Like I said, I haven’t watched the new movie but I plan to change that shortly. I have put a lot of faith in Marvel movies over the years and very rarely have I been let down. I hope that the Hope Van Dyne version that will appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp will be similar to her comic book counterpart, Janet Van Dyne. The Wasp has a reputation to live up to and its incredibly important that she does so. Not only is this the first time we will see the Wasp, it’s the first time we will see Hope as the Wasp. 

Perhaps my hesitations aren’t warranted and Hope will be amazing. Perhaps I need to give her a chance and put my apprehensions aside. And perhaps I should just sit down and enjoy the movie for what it is and not scrutinize it.

At the end of the day, I suppose time will tell and after I see the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie, I’ll let you know if my fears were off base or not.

Cheers, 

Joel