Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has been sentenced to two years house arrest for his involvement in the skirmish in a German airport for using unauthorized technology. He has passed the time by focusing on his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Forston) and his start-up security business with Luis (Michael Peña), Dave (Tip “T.I.” Harris), and Kurt (David Dastmalchian). With just days left on his sentence, Paul seems to have mastered the situation.

Meanwhile, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) have continued their mission to find Hank’s wife Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) who was lost in the Quantum Realm. When trouble arises from Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), Hope’s parts supplier and a mysterious person dubbed Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) with the ability to phase through objects, Scott finds himself in a difficult situation. He feels compelled to help Hope and Hank, but doing so puts his future, and his life with Cassie, in jeopardy.

After the dark Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel turns things around with Ant-Man and the Wasp, bringing back some humor and levity to the MCU.

Paul Rudd is back as Marvel’s smallest and probably least-known hero, Ant-Man. He brings with him all the charm and wit that made the first Ant-Man so enjoyable. Rudd knows how to be as funny as we need after the devastation that Thanos brought. He is a likable family man who also happens to mostly know how to get the job done. Opposite Rudd is Evangeline Lilly. She is more than capable and has a few tricks up her sleeve. For Marvel’s first headlining female superhero, she takes on the situation in a no-nonsense fashion and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas are fine as Hope’s parents. Pfeiffer isn’t given much to do in the film, as can be expected, while Douglas has a substantially more important role in the film. It is Michael Peña who really steals the show. He brings the comedy to the next level, with one scene in particular.

Ant-Man and Wasp’s “powers” are more akin to Tony Stark’s, in that they aren’t powers so much as they are technology. As evidenced by the first Ant-Man, anyone who has the suit can fill the role. However, as Hope shows, it takes the right person to master the abilities the suit gives them. Where Hope shows expertise in the use of changing sizes, Scott has, let’s say more than a few issues. The effects are well done and the scale of the heroes give the film a unique perspective and feel than most other MCU films. Sometimes it is used for exciting action sequences, other times it is played up for comic effect. In both instances, it works well.

Now that we have the backstory out of the way, Ant-Man and the Wasp let’s us really get into some action and shows off the abilities both heroes have. It is a fun, funny, exciting chapter in the MCU. The fact that it is set during the events of Infinity War lets it have some room to breathe without having to be dragged down by a heavier story. That said, it does tie in to the Avengers story line. Make sure you stay for the mid- and end-credits scenes. It is light enough that your kids will enjoy it, making it an easy choice for a family movie outing.