WASHINGTON — In 2015, Paul Rudd starred as a size-shifting superhero in “Ant-Man,” then stole the show from The Avengers with his brief cameo in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016).
This weekend, he returns for the sequel “Ant-Man & The Wasp,” which might not be the most memorable Marvel movie, but is a fun family outing for the long Fourth of July weekend, not to mention a lighthearted reprieve from the gut punch of “Infinity War” (damn you, Thanos).
We pick up after “Civil War” as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) enjoys fatherhood under house arrest with a tracking device on his ankle. He must find creative ways to ditch the device to join Hope van Dyne aka The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to battle a menace named Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who may hold the key to finding Hope’s mother (Michelle Pfeiffer), the original Wasp who’s stuck in subatomic purgatory in the Quantum Realm.
From the jump, Rudd reminds us why he was so beloved in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) and “I Love You, Man” (2009). He exudes charm right from the opening scene, playing with his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) in an elaborate cardboard fort, fostering her young imagination with creative string puppets, the world’s coolest self-made sliding board, and an Indiana Jones prize at the of the tunnel: a little-league trophy for “World’s Best Grandma.”
Sharing a title role with Rudd is Lilly (“Lost”), who kicks butt as The Wasp and improves upon his ideas with suggestions of her own. In one scene, he says, “I’ll go high and you go low.” She responds, “My suit has wings. I’ll go high and you go low.” Heading in, you’ll roll your eyes at the double insect title; walking out, you’ll be glad that you got bit by the superhero bug.
Surrounding the dynamic duo is a deep cast: Laurence Fishburne as tech whiz Dr. Bill Foster; Hannah John-Kamen as a molecular villain tortured by understandable pain; Randall Park as a comically suspicious parole officer making sure Rudd doesn’t leave the house; Michael Douglas as Hope’s father who’s “not going to be ignored” as he pipes up from the back seat; and Pfeiffer as Hope’s mother who’s off screen most of the movie after her noble sacrifice.
Still, the real show-stealer is Michael Peña (“Crash”), who returns as Scott’s twitchy former cellmate Luis, who now runs a small security company with David Dastmalchian (“The Dark Knight”) and rapper T.I. (No, “Rubber Band Man” is not his superhero name). Peña had me crying with laughter during a truth serum bit, narrating a flashback sequence where Rudd, Lilly and the other actors move their lips with Peña’s voice coming out. It’s comedy perfection.
Hats off to Rudd and fellow screenwriters Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, who pen rapid-fire repartee that is often laugh-out-loud funny. Occasionally the jokes don’t land, such as a debate over Rudd’s trashy office desk, but most of the time it soars, particularly a hide-and-seek story that leads to a debate over wardrobes vs. dressers.
Granted, few folks go to superhero flicks for the dialogue; most go for the action, which I’m happy to say packs a punch. Director Peyton Reed (“Ant-Man”) fills the battles with size-shifting comedy, as cars, buildings and Pez dispensers shrink and expand like “Honey, I Shrunk the Superheroes.” The best fight scene unfolds in a restaurant kitchen, as the microscopic Wasp runs along a knife blade and a giant salt shaker flies through the air.
It’s these little touches that make “Ant Man & The Wasp” so consistently enjoyable. My favorite nuance comes from Rudd as a gigantic Ant-Man mounts a semi-truck like a Razor scooter, kicking his foot on the ground to build up speed to ride down a San Francisco hill.
You can’t help but smile through much of it, which is welcome after the genocide at the end of “Infinity War.” For those craving answers to how Ant-Man fits into the larger Avengers plot, stick around for the first post-credits clip, which is gasp-inducing and vital to the franchise going forward (feel free to skip the pointless second clip at the very end of the credits).
In the end, there’s not much new here compared to the first “Ant-Man;” critics must dock points for originality simply because this is Ant-Man’s third appearance on screen. There’s also a good chance the plot details will fade from memory just hours after you’ve seen it. Still, for the two hours this baby is on the big screen, it’s an absolute joy to watch with the family.
For a superhero premise where size matters, it’s the size of the film’s heart that wins the day.
