Marvel’s smallest hero returns for a big sequel; this time with a partner.  Ant-Man and the Wasp is Marvel Studio’s 20th film in their ever growing cinematic universe.  Don’t worry, you can go into this movie having missed several of those films, but there is some required homework before you enter the theater.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is under house arrest at the start of the film, do to his involvement in Germany during the events of Captain America: Civil War (I told you there’d be homework).  Having served most of his 2-year-sentence, our hero is days away from being able to leave the confines of his home again.  Unfortunately for Scott, it won’t be that simple.  Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her father, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) suddenly show up in Scott’s life again, needing his help to access a microscopic dimension known as the ‘Quantum Realm’ to rescue Hope’s mother  We last saw “Mama Wasp” shrink into the quantum realm in the first film (more homework).  Scott as Ant-Man, Hank and Hope, now a costumed hero herself going by the name ‘The Wasp‘ must work together to save Hope’s mother while a mysterious figure known as, “Ghost,” attempts to thwart their plans for their own reasons.

Ant-Man and The Wasp may be the most light-hearted and fun superhero movie released this year.  That includes the animated Pixar film, “The Incredibles 2.”  Between Scott and his relationship with his daughter, Cassie, his bumbling friends from the first movie and the comedic tone the film carries from start to finish, I found myself smiling with joy for this film more than any other Marvel movie.  This isn’t a cerebral outing in the least, but its definitely a welcome shift of tone from previous entries.  Ant-Man and The Wasp is a family movie, which makes sense as Ant-Man is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s only superhero dad (if you don’t count Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man).  Comedy is subjective and while I found myself laughing at about half of the jokes in this movie, I always heard laughter elsewhere in the theater by another member of the audience.  Scott’s friend “Luis” (Michale Peña) shines once again as the funniest character in the film.

If you are a Marvel fan, this film is a must.  If you’re catching all the latest blockbusters, I wouldn’t skip this one.  And, if you’re just looking for a fun movie with great action that the whole family can enjoy.  For everyone else, I wouldn’t call it a “must-see,” but its definitely a fun popcorn flick.