Here is a little review on Ant-man and the Wasp where I explore some of the themes and meanings, and what effect it is going to have on me and my work. Please enjoy!
Ant- Man and the Wasp is the 20th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. And essentially is the sequel to Ant-Man. In this film we find Scott battling with house arrest and trying to be a good father after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Meanwhile he experiences flashes and visions relating to Janet van Dyne - which prompts him to get back in touch with Hank and Hope - the people responsible for allowing him to become Ant-Man. From there they continue to work towards getting Janet back from the quantum realm. At the same time, two parties - Sonny and Ghost - are trying to steal away the quantum technology for their own specific purposes.
I decided to talk about this film because personally, the films mean a lot to me and are entertaining. I'm a big fan of the Marvel films, so obviously I went to the cinema and watched this one too. I also like that the costumes are intriguing with how they are functional, and they are also aesthetically pleasing.
We get to see costumes that are functional to the specific character - they need to allow for full range of movement for combat, aerodynamics for flight, and they need to encompass the whole body to allow them to shrink and grow. They need to be made of materials that look durable since it needs to do all of these various activities. Costumes were designed by Louise Frogley.
The combat outfits had the faces of the respective insects hidden on the chest of their costumes. They subtly show that they appreciate the insects they take after - they don't see themselves as above them.
One of the key messages in this film is that it shows the value of love and family - a feel good film with the purpose to entertain and convey the message of love and family.
I think this film is interesting and useful in the way that it is paving the way for this kind of special effects and CGI. Marvel (and Disney as a collective), definitely has the money to be using the latest cutting edge technology, and shows the world how to use this technology to the greatest effect. Another way that this is interesting is because it's part of a series of films. If people are entertained and invested by the previous 19 films from the franchise, it's very likely that they will be interested in watching this film, to get the next instalment of the story. It's obviously similar to other super hero films as that is the category it falls under - but this one shows off a lot of film techniques that haven't really been used in the same way before in the CGI department. It's also a nice change of pace that the main focus of this super hero film is not saving the whole world/universe from impending doom.
From watching this film, I have learnt that people/fans other than myself really appreciate the finer details, such as the insects faces on the chests of the costumes. When the first set photos were released for this film last year, there was quite the buzz and hype surrounding the fact that the insects they were named after were featured on their costumes. So I think that in the future, this will influence and encourage me in my work to really breakdown the character and the costume so that I can subtly place some hidden meanings and hints. I also think that in regards to the multi purposes of what the costumes are used for and the activities they endure, will encourage me to really evaluate how I work around the functionality of a costume.
