"So I take it you don't have that tech available for me?" "No, I did."

Movie Preview 038 & Full Trailer Review & Breakdown 002

Ant-Man & the Wasp

 MARVEL 

[July 06th, 2018]

Trailer(s) Effectiveness =
100% for introducing the premise and teasing Hope Van Dyne as the Wasp!

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 "When Cap needed help, if I asked you, would you've come?""I guess we'll never know.""... but if you had, you’d have never been caught.”

The aftermath of Captain America: Civil War affected all of the participating individuals and the accidental reveal of his power to the world had a lot of repercussions for the most everyday hero of the bunch, Scott Lang, and the originator of the Ant-Man suit, whereby the former is being closely monitored by the FBI (notice the ankle tracker) and the latter is forced out of hiding and on the run from nefarious forces who want a hand on the technology. 

"I do some dumb things, and people I love the most will pay the price."

His daughter and ex-wife would be sidelined as he would want to go further away from them to avoid causing more harm on them, although the same can't be said for the Pym family, as the FBI seemed to have them surrounded and how they get away is still a mystery although their signature technology would come in handy right about now.

"Thanks to you, we had to run. We're still running."

The first of the couple great gags that are exactly in tone with the 2015 original is another convenient use of the shrinking technology, being the opposite of the tank scene whereby it's used to shrunk the Pym's new facility into a more convenient, easy-to- carry luggage size, complete with its own wheels and handy handle (Stop thinking about the logic, okay? Just enjoy it for what it is ...). I'm sure these kind of antics would be more prominent in this followup since the original premise is a successful proof-of-concept. Regarding the scene, it appears that they are in a hurry and Scott is not exactly in on it since he's still in his pajama and/or robe.

"Let's go."

Laurence Fishburne finally got his wish came true, crossing the stream from DC to Marvel to be Bill Foster which will be revealed more in the coming trailers, but we can safely assume that he is directly responsible (or at least in cohorts with) for Ghost's unique abilities. His expression would suggest he's not liking what he's seeing, probably being forced to develop the technology for her. Whether he develops it himself or gains it from working for Hank Pym before (if they use the established comic book connection as it is ... but the Blackploitation elements would never fly now!), his transformation into Goliath could be kept for the third act or later in the MCU.

If you pay attention to the background of this lab, you can see a humanoid form (or this suit?) being blasted or rather enveloped with semi-translucent waves and you can see the time-altering effects of the suit worn by Ghost have the same scheme and colour, which should confirm my simple deduction. Played by Killjoy standout Hannah John-Kamen, Ghost is originally a male antagonist to Iron Man that would be an anti-capitalist anti-hero later in his/her run. If we based the tech on the comic book canon, the material used can change physical form depending on its environment and can become intangible, allowing its wearer or any object it touches to become intangible. How that would translate onto real life still remains to be seen although you could expect some hacking abilities and the ability to interfere with anything producing or relying on electromagnetic signals from her, aside from guns that shoot electricity or concussive blasts, and even some explosives ... that is if they follow the drawn counterpart bit by bit. Regarding the changing of sex, I hope it is done not just for the sake of forced diversity and representation but rather would add to the building of the character instead of when Ghost was a male, giving the protagonist much more complex layers and make her more relatable, rather than the opposite.

If I assumed correctly, this highly imaginative car chase sequence takes place right after they 'collect' the 'facility baggage' (which is confirmed when we see Hope at the wheels with Scott still in his pajamas, looking completely out of his element), failing to shake off the tail (of that white Cadillac ... since it's in the shot, we can safely assume that there is another protagonist in that van ... maybe it is Walton Goggins' Burch!) and now being chased by goons on bikes (and Ghost as well, didn't you see the white gloves?) and on four-wheel drives with automatic guns. No worry though, she took it as a challenge by handily get rid of one by timing perfectly the shrinking of the van and then the following unshrinking which sent it flying away. We do not see the conclusion of the chase but there should be more novel ways to use the technology to get rid of the bad guys!

Let's hope he doesn't pass out again! Ant-Man in Giant Mode is rising out of presumably San Francisco Bay and looking towards a ferry full of shocked civilians and ... oh look, that's Walton Goggins as Burch with what appeared to be the Pym laboratory that's been shrunken before. In the comics, he is involved with Cross Technologies that's directly rivaled with Pym's own company and he should be resuming the works Darren Cross had done before in the corporate espionage. He might not have a superpower himself but he should be a viable threat with a cunning sense of legalese.

This is a quick cut that I stitched together, as we see the public is running away from something and by judging the eyeline of Hope, it appears to be something big and it is definitely not Ant-Man as we saw above, maybe an accidental enlargement by Lang of something that used to be docile (a cat?) or maybe his technology has been stolen and being used to wreak havoc by one of the protagonists. She is not wearing her mask though to cover her identity though, probably thinking it is safe enough since the public do not have their attention on her or maybe she knows her and her father's name have already been publicly spread around already, being a fugitive from the government and all. Michael Peña's Luis got teased going towards danger after leaving his inappropriately eye-catching vehicle behind (that's definitely his, right?), after being a standout of the supporting cast of the first foray.

After the accidental, almost lethal trip into the Quantum Realm, the return trip into the real world hit Hank Pym of the possibility of him to go looking for his long-lost wife, Janet Van Dyne, and this particular craft seemed to be fully equipped to do just that, going on a fantastic voyage on at least a microscopic scale as the cute yet hardy tardigrades or better known as 'water bears' let us know how small they have gone. Having a craft that they can control is a smart decision since going even smaller would render them useless floating around without any thrusting mechanism. Whether Hank would go alone or being accompanied by his daughter or even Scott Lang, he would not go back until he finds her! Looking back at the picture of the parked craft, the fitting product placement of Duracell batteries on the right side subtly hint the already small size of the vehicle, and it could function as a 'homing beacon' for the craft to go back to if they succeed in their long postponed rescue mission. There would be no spoilers from any leaked on-set pictures!

"Maybe you just need someone watching your back.""Like a partner."

I'm so glad that they decided to put a spotlight on Hope's ability as a full-blown superhero even for just a second, signalling their intention to give her (hopefully) an equal amount of screentime in the suit fighting alongside Ant-Man, or in this case doing fine by herself disposing the goons handily.

"Hold on, you give her wings?!""And blasters."

Ant-Thony returns! Or Ant-Thony the Second!

Okay, this might be the same chase sequence as the one above (at least they are past the hilly streets of San Francisco) but she is in the suit and and the mask as well, and since Hope have to use anything at her disposal to get rid of the tail, surprise surprise it is a Hello Kitty dispenser (that possibly come out from Scott's robe), being comically enlarged by that handy blaster (with a different setting of course, the blue coloured is to enlarge while the yellow coloured is to stun ... if given to Scott, I don't think he would be able to use it as efficient as her. Smart choice there, Hank Pym, sir!

Chance of Success = 

85% coming off the buzz of Black Panther and Infinity War ... that is if they both succeed, but based on the track record, that is highly likely. How the third ensemble movie would turn out, a more comedic outing would be welcomed with open arms!

a case for the followup of a surprise hit a troubled production:

+ Highlights +

Finally giving Hope her own suit and deserved spotlight besides Scott, and extending on the Pym particle technology and its uses ... we are finally going into the Quantum Realm for Janet! #JusticeforJanet

? Main contention ?

How the Ghost technology would compare with Pym's would the main throughline of the film ... and the rest of the time would be filled by increasingly creative uses of the latter. They won't be there just for a spectacle, they would serves the storyline directly.

- Lowlights -

The colour of the suits are a bit mooted or rather muted compared to the comic counterpart ... it might suit the on-the-run premise and they don't want to stand out as much. Maybe they would be brightened when they are safe and sound!

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a case for its place in the ongoing Phase Three of MCU:

+ Highlights +

This is the first official team up of superheroes in the Universe (Thor Ragnarok is the closest unofficial one) and after the proof of concept of the first movie, they could go all out in the sequel!

? Main contention ?

Without knowing yet when this particular film is taking place in the overall timeline (it is clear that it is after Civil War but what about Infinity War?), could the third Avengers film leave the Universe in a total limbo? How they would clear up this confusion would depend on the following trailer ... let's hope so!

- Lowlights -

The earth-shattering clash of Thanos and his Black Order with the Avengers would make this film looks pale in comparison ... but I welcome a change of pace anytime. Wouldn't you?

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- Synopsis -
As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.

Cast

Paul Rudd, Evangline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michael Douglas, David Dastmalchian, Tip Harris, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne ...

(Peyton Redd [Ant-Man, Yes Man], Genre - Action, Adventure, Comedy, MCU, Science Fiction, Superhero)

- IMDb - wiki -

Oh, love the perfectly used soundtrack! The title is Ants Invasion!

source: Collider breakdown

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