Action Adventure

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ 4K Review: The MCU’s Latest Makes a Big Impression on Ultra HD

October 18, 2018Ben MK



FEATURE: 
Thanos' snap judgment of the galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War had implications that could be felt in every corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although you'd be hard-pressed to tell from Ant-Man and the Wasp, a sequel that harkens back to the smaller scale and generally lighter tone of its 2015 predecessor.

In Marvel Studios' twentieth feature, we rejoin ex-con Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who's been keeping a low profile since the events of Captain America: Civil War. It's been two years since Scott took part in that no-holds-barred superhero melee, and since then he's been placed under house arrest, confined to his San Francisco area home where he has nothing but time to spend with his young daughter, Cassie (Abbie Ryder Fortson), and to work on building a roster of clients for the private security company he founded with fellow ex-cons Luis (Michael Peña), Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (Tip 'T.I.' Harris).

Enter Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), who make a sudden reappearance in Scott's life after an extended absence, during which time the father and daughter duo have been hard at work on a way to bring Hope's mother, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), back from the Quantum Realm, where she's been trapped since Hope was a little girl. Summoning Scott to their lab, which Hank can conveniently shrink to the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, they enlist his help to pinpoint Janet's exact location within that universe within our own universe. But little do they realize that a third party, the mysterious Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), has a keen interest in what they're about to uncover.

Directed by Peyton Reed and scripted by Rudd, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a briskly-paced adventure that's just as much fun as the original. And with the outcome of Infinity War still weighing on the minds of many moviegoers, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Set more or less prior to the events of Infinity War, the film largely gets away with ignoring the serious ramifications of Marvel's climactic epic. However, if you really want to know how the heavy hand of Thanos touches these characters, you need only to stick around for the end credits.

AUDIO & VISUALS: 
From the tiniest detail to the biggest spectacle, Ant-Man and the Wasp thoroughly impresses on 4K, thanks to another truly heroic technical presentation from Marvel and Disney. The duo's upgraded costumes benefit immensely from the 2160p image resolution, and the multicolored palette of the Quantum Realm is even more vibrant in HDR. Meanwhile, on the audio side, the disc's Dolby Atmos sound mix is wonderfully immersive, from the rapid fluttering of the Wasp's wings to composer Christophe Beck's rousing score.

EXTRAS: 
Disney's two-disc Cinematic Universe Edition includes an iTunes digital copy and a Blu-ray copy of the film. There are no special features on the 4K disc, but the following extras can be found on the Blu-ray:

  • Intro by Director Peyton Reed (1:08) - The option to play the film with a director intro.
  • Back in the Ant Suit: Scott Lang (5:56) - The cast and crew talk about what Paul Rudd brings to the role.
  • A Suit of Her Own: The Wasp (5:19) - A look at what Evangeline Lily brings to her role, the qualities of her suit, and the stunts.
  • Subatomic Super Heroes: Hank & Janet (4:09) - Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer talk about their roles.
  • Quantum Perspective: The VFX and Production Design of Ant-Man and the Wasp (7:04) - A look at filming at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, integrating the digital effects with real-world footage, and the aesthetic of the Quantum Realm.
  • Gag Reel (1:31)
  • Stan Lee Outtakes (0:46) - A montage of outtakes featuring Stan Lee.
  • Tim Heidecker Outtakes (1:29) - A montage of outtakes featuring Tim Heidecker.
  • Deleted Scenes (1:38) - Two scenes, playable with commentary by director Peyton Reed ("Worlds Upon Worlds" and "Sonny's on the Trail").
  • Audio Commentary by Director Peyton Reed - Reed talks about the visual effects, the character dynamics, the casting, the Easter eggs and homages, the sets, and more.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is available from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment as of October 16th, 2018. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray features English Dolby Atmos, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Descriptive Audio tracks. The film is presented with English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The total runtime is 1 hr. 58 min.




* Reviewer's note: Portions of this Blu-ray review were adapted from my original review of the theatrical release, published on July 4th, 2018.



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