New Delhi, Delhi, India

The last few years have been busy for Marvel as they have been belting out one superhero film after the other. Almost all the superheroes of the Marvel comics have got a standalone filmmaking the Marvel Cinematic Universe a `gigantic movie space. Over the years, with each film, Marvel expanded its scale making each of the films greater than the other. In a space like this, Marvel's latest offering 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' seems like a modest film. 

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Don't get me wrong. Its scale has become bigger since its first film 'Ant-Man' came in 2015. But if you compare it films like 'Thor Ragnarok,' 'Avenger series', 'Captain America', 'Spiderman Homecoming' and the likes, 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is not that much of a big budget, exhilarating ride. 

Directed by Peyton Reed (who also directed the first film), the film begins where 'Captain America: Civil War' ended. Scott Lang aka the Ant-Man is on house arrest for two years for helping Captain America and violating the Sokovia Accord. The film opens at a time when Scott has just three days of his arrest time left which he feels will pass off in a breeze. But he is wrong. Because Scott is whisked away by his old associate Pym and Hope to get back Janet Van  Dyne - Pym's wife and Hope's mother- from the Quantum realm where she has been stuck for the last 20 years. 

Scott has been having visions of the much young Janet, the original wasp and decides to help Hope to find her mother. 

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With heavy does science - where they use the word 'Quantum' before every sentence, as Scott points out- the film's first half is spent setting the narrative. The action sequences and the thrilling parts are few initially as Pym, Hope and Scott run against time and a bunch of antagonists to get back Janet with help of shape-shifting. The real action though begins half an hour before the climax as all the key players take to the streets to fight it out and grab Pym's shape-shifting, a portable lab for their own vested interest. 

A superhero film that relies on too much on human emotions and has no real villain but a lot of antagonists, Reed's film falters at many places. There is very little thrill, the narrative is too long, and fascinating, mind-boggling action sequences come in the fag end of the film. What does save the film from being an utter disappointment is Paul Rudd and Michael Pena's perfect comic timing. The two actors salvage the otherwise boring film top quite an extent making it an entertaining watch but definitely not a memorable one.  It's the sort of film that won't stay with you after you are done.  

Needless to say, Rudd and Pena are surely the best things about 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'. Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly are good too in their roles but poor screenplay leaves less scope for them to make their act memorable.

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Marvel, in the past, has made some dark films that have made the viewers think and come up with fan theories. It has made films that have thoroughly entertained you and made you laugh out loud. Marvel, has basically, raised its own bar. Which is why 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is tad underwhelming. It has its light moments, endearing ones as well and you will laugh along but it fails to impress you with its superpowers.