Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), along with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Lang’s daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), go on a new adventure exploring the Quantum Realm that pushes their limits and pits them against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).

Having shepherded one of Marvel Studio’s most interesting and unique superheroes to the big screen with both 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man & The Wap, celebrated filmmaker Peyton Reed steps back into the MCU and charts a brand new course for Phase Five and Ant-Man. And this is his most daring adventure yet. Having faced the threat of Thanos and helped to bring the world back from The Blip, Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) finds the world flipped on its head as he’s sucked into the Quantum Realm and a brand new cosmic, sub-atomic adventure awaits. Reed and screenwriter Jeff Loveness take audiences into a new realm of possibility and escape with the Quantum Realm. And an incredible level of creativity and visual wonder will make audiences sit up and notice.

Once again donning the red and black suit and preparing to dive into the Quantum Realm is Paul Rudd as misunderstood thief turned superhero Scott Lang/Ant-Man. As the Avengers all around everyman, he’s a character whose come a long way since the events of 2015’s Ant-Man and this time he faces his biggest and most personal challenge yet. Sucked into the Quantum Realm, Lang finds his duel duties of superhero and family man clashing together and he’s in for a wild test at the hands of a calculating and intimating new enemy. Rudd brings a lot more drama to his performance this time around as Lang and he’s really tested by the narrative of this new adventure.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also happens to be a family adventure as the Lang-Pym family find themselves thrown into the Quantum Realm and fighting a dangerous new adversary. Returning to the picture are Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, along with the introduction of Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, who has now grown up and is finding out how much fun Pym particles can be. Family has always been at the core of the Ant-Man films and it’s awesome to see how Reed tests the capabilities and powers of the Lang-Pym family, and each of them gets their moment to shine on screen.

Bringing tremendous gravitas to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the form of the new ‘Big Bad’ Kang the Conqueror is Jonathan Majors. And this formidable actor makes his presence known. With a quiet, omnipotent demeanour and an incredibly menacing presence, Majors is an incredible force on screen as Kang. And audiences will sit up and take notice of him in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Balancing both intelligence and rage, Majors makes it known that Kang is an incredibly dangerous new threat and he has a tremendous presence and power on screen as the MCU’s new big bad. Kang is a complex and intimidating character and he’s a worthy new villain for a bold new phase of the MCU.

There’s an incredible level of creativity and world-building on presentation in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and audiences will marvel at the complexity of the Quantum Realm. New battles are fought and a whole new world of creatures awaits, and alongside the wonder, Reed also injects plenty of humour into the narrative. There are also a fair few surprises and one of them is the arrival of a long-time Marvel Comics fan favourite villain M.O.D.O.K. and this deranged cybernetic killing machine brings all kinds of loco fun to the big screen.

Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania sets the stage for a brand new era of the MCU Multiverse Saga and we’re introduced to a villain who is a very credible threat to the future of the MCU. With its action, creativity and humour, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania delivers plenty of fun for the audience and I’m excited to see what awaits the Avengers everyman hero next.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Now with a fixed location on Moff Gideon’s Imperial Star Destroyer, the Mandalorian posse’s up with a team of heavy hitters who include Bo-Katan, Koska Reeves, Cara Dune, Fennec Shand and Boba Fett and makes his assault on Moff Gideon in a bid to rescue his beloved Grogu. From its opening moments to its shocking conclusion, ‘The Rescue’ is a straight-up, all-out action ride that genre fans will fall in love with, and this is Star Wars like we’ve always wanted to see it!

Director Peyton Reed returns to direct the series finale after his work on ‘Chapter 10: The Passenger’ and once again proves why he’s one of the biggest talents working in Hollywood today. Striking that perfect balance between action, suspense, drama and sentimentality, Reed’s direction of ‘The Rescue’ is about action as narrative and he structures the episode in such a way that each new moment feeds off the one before it. The story he tells in ‘The Rescue’ is simple and to the point. A child needs to be saved and the Mandalorian and his crew are the one’s to do it. But mixed in amongst so many different characters are new motivations and revelations and each moment of this episode grips you tighter and tighter until the third act’s shocking conclusion.

Reed brings a profound level of professionalism and focus to the events of ‘The Rescue’ and his work on this episode will leave long time Star Wars fans salivating. From pitched space battles that see Boba Fett face down a pair of TIE fighters, to high-speed blaster fights to a mano-o-mano duel between the Mandalorian and a Dark Trooper, ‘The Rescue’ is sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats. The Mandalorian has always made wish-fulfilment a big part of its production, and fans have long had many of their biggest Star Wars wishes come true with this series. ‘The Rescue’ again does this, but also delivers some shocking surprises, and sets the stage for a brand new arc in the coming third season that none of us could see coming.

Once more Pedro Pascal is out front in the vanguard as Din Djarin, and here he’s willing to go to any lengths to rescue his kidnapped son Grogu. For two seasons we’ve seen a deep and loving bond form between these two characters, and we can be certain that Djarin’s character will go to any length to protect Grogu, including sacrificing his own life if it means saving him. This attribute of the Mandalorian’s character is a defining feature of anyone who finds themself as a parent, and Pascal once again does a terrific job in portraying his love for The Child and his resolve to save him.

Facing down against Djarin and his crew is The Mandalorian’s big bad Moff Gideon who for two seasons has been portrayed by all-star performer Giancarlo Esposito. And in ‘The Rescue’, Esposito goes full dark side. Where the Mandalorian will do anything to protect Grogu, Esposito’s Moff Gideon will do everything in his power to take from The Child, and he’s not going to let his prize go without a serious fight. Esposito’s nature as a performer keeps you off guard the whole time while watching ‘The Rescue’, and as we’ve come to learn from his body of work we never know what he’s going to do next. This level of caginess and menace really builds up the tension and results in a pitched battle between good and evil.

In terms of its spectacle, ‘The Rescue’ absolutely delivers on the action front and this is Star Wars just the way we love it. Alongside its pitched space battles and blaster fights, there are two standout moments that absolutely cement the episode’s blockbuster thrills. The first is an intense brawl between the Mandalorian and a Dark Trooper which exemplifies the base battle between man and machine. And Reed delivers some chilling suspense as the Mandalorian is beaten to within an inch of his life in this intense fight. The second is the mano-o-mano duel which pits Djarin’s Beskar against Gideon’s Dark Saber, and if you through lightsaber duels where fun, just wait till you see this! Sparks fly in this pitched battle between good and evil, and Reed certainly has his audience hooked.

In discussing ‘The Rescue’ we cannot move past the shocking moments of the episode’s third act and the return of a legendary Jedi master. This is the moment that made the entire episode for me, and it’s the meeting of the old Star Wars and the new one in The Mandalorian that connects not only to the sense of lineage in this franchise but also the diverse themes and narrative elements that George Lucas first conceived of more than 40 years ago. This part of ‘The Rescue’ absolutely takes your breath away as an audience member, and will raise your sense of excitement to a whole new level. Plus make sure you watch for the season’s post-credit sequence….because this moment sets up an exciting future series that is going to be nothing short of badass.

But it is ultimately ‘The Rescue’s’ concluding moments that truly bring this episode together with a great sense of love and sentimentality. The relationship formed between the Mandalorian and Grogu has been one of immense love and devotion since the very start, and all of that is visited here in the episode’s final moments. This moment is exceptionally touching and you’re sure to have tears welling up in your eyes as the Mandalorian shares a deep and profound moment of love with his son. While the presence of intense space battles and blaster fights are always fun to watch, it’s the connection between this father and son that has made this series so extraordinary and these closing moments of the series finale are in keeping with every reason why we love Star Wars.

The season two finale of The Mandalorian ‘Chapter 16: The Rescue’ is nothing short of exceptional and sets the stage for an exciting third season, whose narrative direction is anyone’s guess now. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Peyton Reed knocked it out of the park with this one, and this galaxy far, far away is about to get very exciting.

The Mandalorian streams every Friday on Disney+

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Following the events of Civil War, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) find themselves framed and on the run. With no one to trust but themselves, Pym designs a brand new suit for his daughter Hope and she teams up with Scott as The Wasp, and two set off to clear their names and stop a dangerous new threat to the world.

Director Peyton Reed takes us back to basics with Ant-Man and the Wasp as we catch up with Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang following the events of Captain America: Civil War. Bound on house arrest for two years he’s just days away from his freedom and this has caused some serious issues in his life. But Scott’s not the type of guy to moan or whinge about his situation and is instead making the most of his current life, and that’s exactly why I love Ant-Man so much!

As a director Reed understands that his hero is Marvel’s every man character and again he focuses the narrative, characterization and action of Ant-Man and The Wasp on a less is more philosophy. Sometimes you don’t have to go big to save the world, sometimes it’s far more interesting to keep the narrative contained and have it play out as a more interior story. Reed of course delivers big on his story, but this more contained and personal narrative, which has a real romantic-comedy spin to it, really does something unexpected and different and this once again really shakes up the Marvel Cinematic Universe in terms of content.

Paul Rudd again proves why he’s one of the most in demand actors around with his performance as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Rudd’s performance as Lang is an homage to the every man out there. While Lang might be a hero, he’s also a bit of a screw-up and again couldn’t help but get caught following the events of Civil War. Having paid the price for it with being under house arrest he’s now desperately again trying to prove to his daughter Cassie that he can be a good Dad and a superhero at the same. Something which Cassie thinks is just the best thing ever.

While Rudd is again back in full action man form, and has the abs to prove it, he’s also really cranking out the comedy! Whether it’s his quick one-liners or his idiotic reactions, Rudd delivers plenty of zingers and this time he gets to inject some great physical comedy into the role thanks to his super shrinking powers. While I can’t go into specifics without running the risks of spoilers I will say that what results are some hilarious scenes that will get you pretty damn giddy.

But if Ant-Man and The Wasp has a scene stealer then it’s undoubtedly the presence of Evangeline Lilly who returns in the role of Hope Van Dyne and who now assumes the mantle of the super powered Wasp. Like Scott’s Ant-Man, Hope also has the ability to change her size, but she gets the added benefits of wings and blasters which deliver a serious sting. While Rudd’s Lang might have been the have-a-go amatuer, Lilly’s Hope is a true professional when it comes to kicking butt and she gets to show off some seriously cool combat moves as she mows through the bad guys.

Things are also a lot more personal this time round for Hope as she and her father, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), try to unlock the mysteries of the Quantum Realm in an effort to retrieve Hope’s long lost mother and Hank’s lifetime love Janet Van Dyne, who disappeared years earlier in a very dangerous mission gone wrong. This commitment to rescue her mother and make things right really gives Hope a dynamic drive and you can’t look away as she’s ready to do everything in her power to set things right. As an audience member I was very excited to see what Lilly could do as The Wasp and I look forward to seeing her in a greater capacity within the MCU going forward.

Ant-Man and The Wasp also gets some interesting villains this time around in the form of Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost and Walton Goggins exotic and colourful black marketer Sonny Burch. As a villain John-Kamen really does something different with her approach to the villainous Ghost and her particular powers and the predicament that they leave her in cast her as a very interesting character who brings a multitude of feeling to the role. Matched beside John-Kamen is the always dependable Walton Goggins who brings a good helping of charm and quirkiness as Burch. Together they provide plenty of trouble for our heroes.

But how do you deal with bad guys, well teamwork obviously helps. And that’s what this film is all about. While Scott learnt that he could save the day in the first Ant-Man film, here he gets the benefit of a partner in both heroics and love and this is where Ant-Man and The Wasp takes a twist into something that I just loved: a full-on romantic comedy. Yes it’s a change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I absolutely loved that Marvel were willing to take that risk and obviously it keeps things fresh as well.

I also have to jump in and say that the action and special effects of Ant-Man and The Wasp are just crazy cool and Reed and his team of creatives really get up to a lot of fun with the film’s unique use of the power of shrinking. Everything shrinks this time from heroes to cars to whole buildings and Reed knows when to use it for both comedy and action. In my own opinion Ant-Man and The Wasp has one of the coolest car chases ever filmed and all I’ll say is that Michael Pena goes on the ride of his life. Seriously you have to watch this on the biggest screen possible because the spectacle just jumps off of the screen. I also liked how Ant-Man and The Wasp really makes this film a ‘science hero’ type of genre piece with so much of the action and narrative interweaving science and the quest for the unknown into the film.

If there’s a central theme to Ant-Man and The Wasp then it’s that above all else family does indeed matter. Whether it’s Scott and Cassie, Hope and Hank or the mission to once again unify the Pym/Van Dyne family, it’s narrative filmmaking that really pulls at your heart strings and I really enjoyed watching it.

Oh and by the way….make sure you stay till the end credits.

If you’re looking for some straight up fun at the cinema then I highly recommend you check out Ant-Man and The Wasp. With a good dose of action and comedy and a double serving of romance it’s a film that really entertains and keeps the MCU fresh while also showing that sometimes the smallest heroes can have a very big impact.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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