Ant-Man and the Wasp Parent Movie Review
Ant-Man and the Wasp is Marvel’s 3rd release in 2018 and it hits theaters nationwide on July 6. Can you take the family? Here’s my parent movie review that answers the question: is Ant-Man and the Wasp kid friendly?
L to R: Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly)
Photo: Film Frame
©Marvel Studios 2018
We attended an advance screening of Ant-Man and the Wasp last night, and I was lucky enough to win some additional tickets through a local blog. (Yes, people actually DO win those!). That meant I was able to take the whole family to this one and hoped that it would be as advertised: the most family-friendly Marvel movie to date.
Is Ant-Man and the Wasp safe for kids? Can you take your whole crew? Here’s my parent movie review of the latest Marvel release.
Table of Contents
Ant-Man and the Wasp Kid Friendly Parent Movie Review
My family attending the movie ranged from 7 to 17 and most everyone knows their Marvel. And what they didn’t know, we made sure to prep by screening Ant-Man at home the night before.
I’ve been reading other reviews and most agree that Ant-Man and the Wasp was the most family friendly of the Marvel movies this year. That had me excited because I adored the original movie and Ant-Man’s return in Captain America: Civil War.
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and my favorite, Micheal Pena, were all returning to their original roles. This one had me at the first Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer!
Ant-Man and the Wasp Trailer
Ant-Man and the Wasp Parent Movie Review
Looks fun, right? It totally is! After the power of Black Panther and the omgeeeetheydidn’t DO THAT of Avengers: Infinity War, the Marvel fandom needed a fun and mostly light family movie.
There’s a lot of wonderful family moments in this movie that I just loved. From Scott Lang’s relationship with his daughter to his contact with his ex-wife and her new husband (that was an adorable surprise!), I loved how this new family dynamic was portrayed.
Scott doesn’t have all the answers as a dad, but he definitely knows where his priorities and his heart lies.
Marvel Studios also went into more detail about Hope and Hank Pym’s father-daughter relationship and how they were continuing the search for Hope’s mother, Janet. This added another layer of family to the movie and made me appreciate the original Ant-Man relationships even more.
Marvel is about the layers; just when I think I know everything about the movies, they add another layer to the story and I have to go back and re-examine the whole Marvel movie timeline.
How to Watch the Avengers Marvel Movies in Order
The Wasp Takes the Spotlight
Hope wasn’t my favorite character in the first movie, but she moves into a strong second favorite in this sequel. (Luis and his truthful storytelling will forever be my number one character in the Ant-Man series!).
If you remember the end of the first film, Hank shows Hope a new suit he’s been working on and we all knew that The Wasp was coming. Welp, The Wasp got her suit, and she puts it to good use.
She’s on FIRE in this movie and has a strong motivation: to find her mother and bring her back from the Quantum Relm.
The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly)
Photo: Film Frame
©Marvel Studios 2018
This is the first time a female superhero shares the title in Marvel history, and The Wasp shines in the spotlight. Your whole family will love seeing this lady kicking butt and saving the day time and time again. During the first movie, she was practically begging to show her stuff.
When she is finally given the opportunity, she just nails it. I felt like she was born to be this superhero, which, considering her family history it probably is pretty accurate.
And- she’s flying across the screen, which is awesome because Scott didn’t get wings (or blasters!).
Side note: Michelle Pfeiffer plays Janet Pym and is flawless in this movie. She’s just so stunning and was on screen for such a short period of time, I do hope there’s more of her to come in the future!
(and ps- stick around for those extra end scenes, because, this is Marvel. Duh).
Ant-Man and the Wasp is (mostly) Kid-Friendly
Full confession right here: I was laughing and clapping and having the best time throughout the movie that I completely forgot to pay attention to some things I normally would. Like language.
When I left the movie, I saw my friend Tania and was like- “Wow- I only heard one curse word!”
And she looked at me like I had 4 heads and pulled out her list. Ahem.
Because Ms. Tania, no matter how much fun she’s having, is paying attention to things like language in these movies. Need to know the scoop on profanity? Check out her Ant-Man and the Wasp Parent Guide here.
That being said, if your family isn’t swear word averse, then this movie is pretty good for most ages. That was the biggest concern I’d say in this latest Marvel movie.
I asked the kids after the movie if they picked up on the cursing and it was a pretty even split amongst the 9 of them. Some noticed it, some didn’t even blip. I am choosing to believe they were, like me, just caught up in the fun and didn’t notice the profanity- and not that they hear it all the time so it’s just NBD to them.
(Not a perfect parent here, but man, I try! And keeping the swearing down to a minimum is one thing I do actually try to do in their presence.)
The action & violence focuses mostly on car chases, hand to hand fighting with no blood involved, and a smaller amount of ants on the screen (compared to the first one which might freak some kids out). There was no nudity outside a shirtless Paul Rudd scene if you count that and two kisses.
MARVEL’S ANT-MAN And the Wasp Age Recommendations
My children are 15, 12, 11 and 7. Here are my recommendations for each age based on my children’s maturity levels.
Teen/Tweens Should be good to go. Unless they are highly sensitive, children in this age range will be able to follow the story and enjoy it. There is fighting and violence because it’s an action movie.
8 to 10-years old Depends on the maturity level. If they have seen and understood the previous Marvel movies, these superhero lovers probably going to be fine.
If your child of this age is highly sensitive, you may want to avoid the movie or screen it ahead of time. Think ants- BIG ones. Not as many as there were in the original Ant-Man, but they are still there.
And I’d possibly avoid 3-D movies at this age, however. It can make the whole experience a bit more intense. My screening was an IMAX 3-D experience, so, yes… intense!
7 and Under I say, “proceed with caution” in this age range, especially if language is a concern in your household.
It is rated PG-13 due to violence and adult themes so a child who only watches Thomas the Tank Engine is probably not ready for this one. Though it’s going to be hard resisting the giant Hello Kitty Pez dispenser saving the day!
More Marvel Movie Parent Reviews
Thor: Ragnarok Parent Movie Review
Doctor Strange Parent Movie Review
Avengers Age of Ultron: Parent Movie Review
Don’t Miss These Ant-Man and the Wasp Interviews
Interview with Evangeline Lilly, The Wasp, from JaMonkey
Interview with Paul Rudd, Ant-Man, from Teachable Mommy
Interview with Laurence Fishburne from MamasGeeky (check back on Thursday for this one!)
Behind the scenes Ant-Man set visit with As the Bunny Hops
Ant-Man Red Carpet Premiere from Whisky ‘n Sunshine
About Ant-Man and the Wasp
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas.
Like ANT-MAN AND THE WASP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marvelstudios
Follow ANT-MAN AND THE WASP on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AntMan
Follow Marvel Studios on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvelstudios/
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP arrives in theatres everywhere on July 6th!
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
