"Ant-Man And The Wasp"

I have to admit that the first "Ant-Man" film did not exactly wow me. I thought that it was merely average. But this is sequel is far superior, and highly enjoyable,

We meet the team after events of the last two years. Lang is under house arrest for his involvement helping Captain America in Germany. Dr. Hank Pym and his Daughter Hope are working on trying to retrieve Pym's wife Janet who has been trappeed in the Sub Atomic quatnum realm ever since stopping a Russian missile from reeking havoc.
Also interested in the quantum experiment is a mysterious ghost figure. What are their intentions?

The opening scenes with a young Michael Douglas are excellent. It is really outstanding how this is achieved, and if I'm honest I do not want to know how it is done. But someone, somewhere is really working some creative magic.
As one would expect with Marvel there are some excellent action scenes, but with a Marvel spin, and given the sizes that the two title characters can shrink and expand to there is a lot of humour to be had, especially from seeing a rather large Pez or Salt jar being used to great effect.
The action is well photographed, and not in your face, and likewise the editing is equally well done.
And keeping with the humour, there is a fair bit of it from Luis and his Security Consultant team, the X-Cons.

The chemistry between Rudd and Lilly is excellent, and they make a great duo. Michael Douglas is excellent again as Pym, and nice to see Pfeiffer as his wife Janet.

Much improved on the original, and very entertaining.... 7 out of 10

PS - Yes there is a mid way end credit sequence (DO NOT MISS), but the very end one is not worth staying for

"Mission: Impossible - Fallout"

The Mission: Impossible films have been going for over 20 years now, and this is the sixth film in the series. Do either the franchise or its lead actor Tom Cruise show any signs of slowing down?
Most definitely not.

There has been a lot of hype with regard to the major stunt work and action sequences that Cruise has been involved in. It does make one wonder how nervous the Insurance Company executives must have been?

After the Capture of Soloman Lane, the IMF team are trying to retrieve 3 cores of plutonium, which are meant for the hands of 'The Apostles', the remaining remnants of Lane's group. Alas things do not go to plan. The plutonium is still out there, and The Apostles are hoping to deal with the mysterious terrorist John Lark, who aims to cause anarchy, as most terrorists do. His identity remains a secret, though he has inside information on the goings on at both IMF and the CIA, could it be one of the IMF team?

Rather than slowing down, the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown as to how far action sequences can be taken, especially with the involvement of the leading man. A lot has been about this in the press, especially after the injury sustained by Cruise during a rooftop jump in London. The action sequences are some of the best that have ever been put on celluloid. But I felt they also detracted from the plot. It is almost as though the plot has been written around the action, rather than the other way round. The story starts off well, especially with Hunt being investigated as a possible John Lark. The mistrust from the CIA makes for compelling viewing. But the second half the plot gives way to Hunt either on the road, in the air, or on a mountain edge. All great sequences, but what of the Apostles? Are they being saved for the inevitable MI7?

The cast are all as reliable as ever Some are hailing this the best Mission: Impossible film. I would not go that far. There has been better. And for anyone planning to watch it on the IMAX...save your money, I cannot for the life of me fathom out why the film was shot in 3D. It is a truly wasted format, and it adds nothing to the film. It would have been far better on the IMAX in the traditional 2D format.

Although for me it is not the be all and end all of action movies, it is still worth watching.....7 out of 10