It may not the sequel we want, but it's the sequel we need.
As a followup to multiple films, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" does not answer our burning questions from "Avengers: Infinity War," the Marvel Universe film that directly preceeds it. However, it does provide a fun denouement to the last time we saw Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) on the big screen: 2016's "Captain America: Civil War."
And of course it's a sequel to 2015's "Ant-Man," a fun, if more lightly-regarded, entry in the Marvel mythos. That makes it a direct sequel to no fewer than three films (though in "Infinity War"'s case, you could argue it's addition by subtraction).
"Wasp" picks up about 3 years after the events of "Civil War." Scott has ceased being Ant-Man after his role in the Berlin entanglement (and subsequent bust-out of the secret ocean prison by Captain America), and as a negotiated part of his plea agreed to 3 years of house arrest and no contact with anyone super-powered, including his previous compadres Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), who are themselves on the lam and considered enemies of the state.
Scott has been doing a solid job of walking the line, holing up with his daughter and maintaining a good relationship with his ex-wife (Judy Greer, again underused), and her new husband (Bobby Canavale, ditto). He has been working from home as a consultant to his buddy Luis (Michael Pena)'s new security company.
But when he suddenly has a flashback to his time in the Quantum Realm (in a flashback from the first "Ant-Man."), he got a clue as to the location of Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), Hank's wife, long consigned to the realm. Suddenly, there is a clue to her whereabouts, launching Hank and Hope into a mission to find her and bring her back into the world.
And it wouldn't be a superhero movie without a villain. This time we get Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), a woman who phases in and out of permanence, who uses this ability to take in an effort to cure herself. She's a stop-gap baddie, but one who adds to the film's effectiveness.
"Wasp" takes the light-hearted nature of the first film and amps up the action, introducing Hope as the new Wasp, and finally giving her room to breathe (and tussle with bad guys). Her ability to fly, and her fight training makes her arguably even more a super-powered weapon than Ant-Man, who here is given an experimental suit that has increased abilities, but glitches as well.
The result is a vibe not unlike the one in "Iron Man 3," where Tony's series of malfunctioning suits continually stymies him. Here, though, Scott's foibles play for greater comedy, such as when a suit malfunction at an inopportune time leaves him at about 50% size.
Most of the film's comedy bits are along these lines--largely family friendly, and on the silly side, even for Marvel, but most of the jokes score to some degree. The comedy extends into the action sequences, with bits where Hot Wheels-sized cars are revealed to be shrunken actual cars, whose ability to go small proves helpful in the middle of a chase sequence, and the ability to shift sizes continues to aid the heroes in innovative ways. It adds a new wrinkle to what otherwise would be routine, by-the-book action scenes.
Director Peyton Reed (returning from the first film) amps up the ability to shrink things, going so far as to shrink an entire building, outfitting it as a suitcase-sized box on wheels that becomes almost a maguffin in the film as the villains and heroes alike covet the equipment inside it.
The combination of Ant-Man and the Wasp's size-shifting ability and Ghost's phasing makes for fun, engaging, don't-blink fight scenes, managing to add yet another wrinkle in a movie series that has had just about every power and creative battle scene you can imagine. Their ability to keep things fresh is another laurel for them, and a testament to the enduring nature of the characters.
There are also more hints at a relationship between Scott and Hope, who...shall we say dated between films, but in the grand spirit of sequels have split in order to let the sexual tension simmer. Their romance is passable if not as, shall we say, explosive as others.
In all, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" provide solid, universal thrills that continue Marvel's hot streak (that's now 20 for 20), and that seem both similar to and different from previous entries to keep up the entertainment factor without pandering too much.
Oh, and for that "Infinity War" connection: don't look for too many answers to your questions, but if you wait around long enough (say, past the start of the end credits), you might get a couple more questions, or possibly hints at what's to come.