A question about Ant-Man and the Wasp (Ant-Man 2)

[The Kid]

I guess whether or not it deflated serious moments is up to personal opinion but IMO the big dramatic moments specifically focused on Odin, Thor, and Hela still hit. And of course, just saying comedy underscores it. It was a hilarious movie. A great comedy >>>>>>> ok drama every time

[j9ac9k]

Comedy/drama has always been a delicate balancing act, and it's subjective and it's not always successful. In my opinion, the best balance isn't 50/50... then you have no idea what kind of movie it is. I also think if you have 70% drama, 30% comedy, that's too much comedy interfering with your drama because the comedy feels out of place since you're spending most of the time in a drama. But if you have something that has more comedy throughout, while laying the seeds in the backstory, then when those dramatic moments hit, they can still be effective. Dramatic moments in a comedy is easier to take in if the story has done its job of making you care about the characters (I don't know why, but "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" came to mind) as opposed to being in the mood to accept comedy within a drama. For a drama, you only need just a bit of comedy here and there to lighten things up, but it has to be used sparingly. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but it's just my gut feeling.

For example, in "Ant-Man & the Wasp", (the subject of this thread) while it's mostly comedic, or at least lighthearted, we know enough about the characters so when Jan is reunited with her family, it means something and hits dramatically. And the comedy doesn't diminish the tragedy of Ghost's backstory which isn't played for laughs.(IMO)

[Frontier]

I guess whether or not it deflated serious moments is up to personal opinion but IMO the big dramatic moments specifically focused on Odin, Thor, and Hela still hit. And of course, just saying comedy underscores it. It was a hilarious movie. A great comedy >>>>>>> ok drama every time

Odin, yeah, Hela...they really underplayed the sister angle and just made her a hammy bad guy (which Cate Blanchett played with aplomb, but still).

The end of Asgard was probably the worst handled, with Korg making a joke about it.

[ed2962]

I liked the lean towards comedy in Ragnarok. That and the psuedo-Kirby set designs made the film for me.

[Scott Taylor]

Odin, yeah, Hela...they really underplayed the sister angle and just made her a hammy bad guy (which Cate Blanchett played with aplomb, but still).

The end of Asgard was probably the worst handled, with Korg making a joke about it.

There are at least three jokes that fall flatter than a pancake in flatland. Thats one of them. For me, though, the jokes aren't the fun thing about Ragnarok, its more about the character interactions and decisions. This is one of the few MCU films that actually advances its characters through development rather than plot.

[Dr Will Hatch]

I love AM&TW! I find it to be a very charming and joyful film that leaves a smile on my face when it's over. It's nowhere near the bottom of the MCU.

I think some fans dislike it because it's a mostly self contained story that doesn't really tie in the rest of the MCU(Other than the use of the quantum realm in Endgame). They also seem to take a big issue with the light-heartedness of it all, which confuses me. Personally, I love Scott as a positive, upbeat character who made mistakes in his life but is genuinely trying to turn his life around, and the fact that he and and his ex-wife and her partner have such a healthy relationship with each other is refreshing to see.

Likewise, the fact that Ghost isn't really a villain but a person dealt a shitty hand in life and is just trying to not die, and that her conflict with Scott and the Pyms gets dealt with peacefully at the end once Janet returns from the quantum realm was a change of pace that I appreciated.

Jokes were funny. They all landed, and all the weirdness associated with Pym Particles were just so cool to see done in live action. Bring on Quantummania!

[Frontier]

My issues with the movie:

- For a movie titled Ant-Man and The Wasp and billing Wasp as a co-lead...Scott still felt like the central protagonist and main character more than Hope, even when the movie was ostensibly all about bringing her mom back.

- Also in a movie centered around Ant-Man and The Wasp, you'd think their relationship would be central and core to the movie...but it's instead as underdeveloped as it was in the first movie where Scott and Hope suddenly start kissing because the movie needs them to.

- Hope quips a little but compared to Jan as Wasp it feels like she's missing that zest and personality that defines The Wasp, probably because that's what Scott brings as Ant-Man in this incarnation of the duo. So she comes off kind of boring beyond being effective at kicking-butt, but that's a given.

- I'm glad they incorporated Egghead, but I would've preferred him as a Cold War era nemesis for Hank and Jan and not Ghosts' dead dad.

- Ant-Man and Wasp vs. Ghost was nowhere near as memorable or creative as Ant-Man vs. Yellowjacket.

- Bill Foster didn't go giant.

- Superspy Jimmy Woo gets turned into...a comedy relief FBI agent. Kind of dashed my hopes for the Agents of Atlas.

[j9ac9k]

^^ Frontier, I know this doesn't change your experience of the movie, but I thought it worthwhile to point out for the general discussion that 4 out of 7 of these issues are about expectations you had based on comic book history of certain characters, rather than with the movie itself. "Comic book expectations" are a whole other part of these movies when it comes to fan reaction and it's valid, but I think it's still an important distinction when critiquing one of these movies.

[Frontier]

^^ Frontier, I know this doesn't change your experience of the movie, but I thought it worthwhile to point out for the general discussion that 4 out of 7 of these issues are about expectations you had based on comic book history of certain characters, rather than with the movie itself. "Comic book expectations" are a whole other part of these movies when it comes to fan reaction and it's valid, but I think it's still an important distinction when critiquing one of these movies.

True, although I never said I was trying to be objective .

Personally I did enjoy the movie overall...

[j9ac9k]

True, although I never said I was trying to be objective .

Personally I did enjoy the movie overall...

Actually, thanks for pointing out the Egghead reference - I never caught that. (good that he wasn't murdered by Hank like in the comics - they spared Hank that, at least )

[Castle]

True, although I never said I was trying to be objective .

Personally I did enjoy the movie overall...

I welcome objectivity, do you like it better than Eternals?

Eternals was kind of styling itself as more ambitious and different, Whereas Antman and the Wasp came off as very unapologetic status quo MCU formula movie. Am I wrong?

[Kirby101]

Yes, you are wrong, because there is no such thing as a status quo MCU formula movie. They are all different.