By George Haerle

For The Daily World

As much of a follow-up to Ant-Man’s appearance in “Captain America: Civil War” as it is to his first movie, this sequel continues the fun of big things in small packages that the first film did so well. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is not the best Marvel Cinematic Universe installment by any means, but it’s still pretty cool.

The zaniness of it all perhaps puts this one as more of a comedy than the original “Ant-Man.” Paul Rudd proves he has been perfectly cast for this much lighter superhero in the MCU, and he’s as funny here as in any of his raunchier work on movies like “Knocked Up” and “Role Models,” even if kept at PG-13 levels of goofiness.

Evangeline Lilly is pretty good as Hope Van Dyne/the Wasp, though it seems like aside from her action scenes she sort of missed a chance to really let her inner goofball shine in this comedy-centric movie. This isn’t really a problem, just that she seems stuck playing it straight while Rudd gets most of the laughs.

Michael Douglas returns as the crotchety and determined Hank Pym, and is just as good here as he was before. But the appearance of Michelle Pfeiffer as Hope’s long-lost mother, Janet Van Dyne, is a pleasant and fun addition, which ends up adding a layer of warmth in the third act when her character’s arc unfolds to its conclusion. Also, the de-aging CGI effects Marvel is using is getting scary-good. In a flashback scene, Pfeiffer looked like she might as well have played Catwoman in “Batman Returns” yesterday.

Laurence Fishburne and Walton Goggins are also worth mentioning for their solid performances, but their involvement in the wacko plot requires too much explanation, so it’s probably better for viewers to find out for themselves.

Michael Pena returns, too; but while he was the source of a lot of laughs in the first film, he doesn’t get quite as many this time. That’s not a huge complaint, as he still will leave you in stitches with his on-point comedic timing and dopily happy demeanor.

Hannah John-Kamen plays the haunted villain Ghost (pun intended), who can phase through objects and whose existence seems to be fractured across multiple realities, or something like that. She’s actually one of the better villains we’ve gotten from these movies, with a sympathetic angle but a vengeful and dangerously desperate goal.

And that brings us to the weird plot. Essentially, Hank thinks he’s found a way to track down and find Janet, who disappeared into the beyond-microscopic quantum realm years prior. This leads to a weird back-and-forth of chase sequences and tracking down various bad guys and/or MacGuffins throughout the film. Various items are stolen, cars are chased and escapes are made multiple times, to the point it’s almost like a Looney Tunes back-and-forth.

The priority clearly wasn’t the plot for the writers, who focused more on the laughs and theme-park set pieces. Even in terms of its contribution to the MCU, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is more character-driven than anything, though it seems like even that was sacrificed just a bit for the gags and action scenes. The world isn’t about to blow up, no one is in the process of dying here, and there’s no wannabe tyrant trying to outright destroy our heroes. It’s kind of a relief for once.

The constant switching between big and small, the setups and stunts and gags, are all pretty great all around. It’s good to know the people at Marvel get that a character like Ant-Man just isn’t going to be able to deliver any kind of hefty experience like the “Captain America” films or “Black Panther.” It’s a very silly concept, and director Peyton Reed and company have done a great job making sure it is as fun as possible.

This continues 2018’s apparent trend of lighthearted, quality blockbuster roller-coasters with the likes of “Solo,” “Ready Player One,” “Deadpool 2” and “The Incredibles 2.” They’ve all been such a blast to watch on the big screen, putting a spring in your step as you walk out the theater smiling. It’s been a truly great year for light, fun popcorn movies, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is certainly no exception.

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“Ant-Man and the Wasp” is currently playing at the Riverside Cinemas, 1017 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen.

George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.