As a diehard Edgar Wright fan, I put off seeing Ant-Man for as long as possible out of a misguided sense of loyalty. After all, why would I want to support the stupidly, short-sighted company that kicked one of my favorite directors off a passion project he’d been working on with them for years?
Well, eventually, I finally saw the film and – dammit – I loved it. I still suspect most of the imaginative action sequences I enjoyed bore Wright’s fingerprints, but it was difficult not to love Paul Rudd’s superhero, as much an every-man as an Ant-Man. So, with that in mind, I’m very much looking forward to Ant-Man and the Wasp, and this international trailer (up above) only stokes my hype-fires even more.
Granted, there’s not much (if any) new footage here, but an excited Japanese dude talking over a preview we’ve essentially already seen is a sure-fire way to make things seem fresh and interesting. Also, both this and the official trailer showcased Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp, who despite being a relative newcomer to Pym particle fueled size antics, has, to Scott Lang’s incredulity, been granted technology more advanced than his own.
In fact, Lilly commented on her character in a recent interview, promising an unconventional origin story:
“You’ve never seen a superhero origin story with less blunders. She knows what she’s doing and she’s been grooming herself for this moment her whole life. The satisfaction in watching her finally get to live it out is really fun.”
Right now, this film is somewhat in the monolithic shadow of Avengers: Infinity War, which promises to completely shake up the MCU as we know it. As such, the hype surrounding it perhaps isn’t quite as high as it should be. Also, Ant-Man was one of the lowest grossing entries in the franchise, making ‘just’ $519 million back in 2015.
Still, despite Scott Lang apparently being absent from the multi-character Infinity War posters and standees, I’d wager he’s going to be given one big moment in the film, presumably to get audiences hyped for his upcoming appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Chalk that up as speculation for now, but either way, I’ll definitely be there opening night for Peyton Reed’s sequel.
