The most powerful female superhero in the Marvel Comics film universe at this moment is the Wasp (as played by Evangeline Lilly). Not only can the tiny hero defeat a room full of thugs with Captain America's ease and deal with the most complicated situations with the same skill as Tony Stark, but Wasp single-handedly saves "Ant-Man and the Wasp" from slipping into the kind of mediocrity that made the original "Ant-Man" in 2015 such a small movie in the comic book-inspired movie world.
The problem with the franchise continues to be Paul Rudd, who is to leading men as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is to fine dining. Rudd has neither the kind of cutting wit that Robert Downey Jr. brings to Iron Man, nor the chiseled physique Chris Hemsworth has used to make Thor such an impressive figure. Rudd's a bland performer who looks like he wandered in from a failed comedy.
What he's landed in is a story that is large on efforts to generate laughs and thin on the elements that make a superhero movie work. Scott Lang (Rudd) is nearing the end of his house arrest, but that may all go bad as he's roped into helping Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Pym's daughter, Hope (Lilly), complete their plans to save Pym's wife, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), from the sub-atomic world, where she's been stranded for decades.
Their efforts to complete the missions are blocked by a mysterious figure, known only as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who wants to steal all of Pym's work for her own use. After the casting of Rudd in the lead role, this is the film's second biggest mistake. Although Ghost's actions are often villainlike, it is eventually revealed that she's not committing crimes to further some major evil operation but for a more personal reason. This element obliterates any chance Ghost would end up being the kind of dark and menacing force that makes comic book-inspired movies work.
It is as if Thanos revealed in "Avengers: Infinity War" that he wanted to wear the gauntlet because his hand gets cold.
The best way to watch "Ant-Man and The Wasp" is to look at it as a movie where the Wasp is the hero and Ant-Man is handling the same duties Robin does for Batman. Rudd's character has all the traits of a superhero sidekick: He's not very good at the hero work, he's always ready with a bad joke at the most improper times and he's a clumsy mess emotionally. And, it wouldn't be that big of a deal if the character was left out of the production.
On the other hand, Lilly plays The Wasp with great determination and skill. She's not only super believable when she's zipping around the room as a miniature hero but is spot on with big emotional scenes. Lilly and Douglas have a bond that extends to an even larger range when her mother becomes a part of the story.
Director Peyton Reed has staged some interesting action sequences including a car chase through the streets of San Francisco filled with big and small moments. There's nothing wrong with those scenes but once they stop, the problems with the casting and script become gigantic.
To get through the problems with "Ant-Man and the Wasp," keeping telling yourself this is "The Wasp and Ant-Man" or just "The Wasp." Looking at the film that way brings out the best it has to offer: Lilly.
