Blu-ray Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Synopsis: In “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is grappling with the consequences of his choices, as both the Super Hero Ant-Man and a father, in the aftermath of “Captain America: Civil War.” As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission to rescue Janet van Dyne  (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp, all while attempting to serve house arrest, assist fast talking-Luis (Michael Peña) and the X-con Security crew, and thwart the efforts of a new adversary called Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and her ally Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne).​

Main Feature: The original "Ant-Man" film was a fun one. Rudd very much is in the RDJ lane of Marvel traffic: keep it light, sarcastic with some minor seriousness. I was skeptical of it's outcome, given how the great Edgar Wright had developed an Ant-Man flick dating to prior to the original "Iron Man." With the success of that film, the outlook completely change, and Wright got the boot because he wanted to make a singular film, not something that was part of a larger picture. The Wright-less final product, directed by Peyton Reed (with a script polish by Adam McKay and Rudd) was still very fun. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" is very much a similar outcome. Nothing too serious or flamboyant, a below-the-radar, entertainment flick with Rudd very much enjoying the spot in the MCU. Douglas continues to also find a way to fit into a genre not akin to his norm. Lilly is the individual who seems tailor made for this type of stuff. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" is neither better nor worse than it's predecessor. Same goes for the spectrum of Marvel films: it's no "The Avengers," but it also isn't "Thor: The Dark World" or "Age of Ultron." its just middle of the pack, delightful fun. 

Special Features: Not a vast amount of extras, which is not the Marvel norm. Given the low-level nature of the film, not many bonuses were warranted. Still, a series of gag reels--including Stan Lee specific outtakes--and a few making-of featurettes are enough to round out this decent set.

Final Call: "Ant-Man and the Wasp" maintains the size and scope of it's previous outing with a fun, entertainment, pint-sized entry into the MCU.

Grade: B