【War Archives】

We're in the peak era of superhero movies and War Archivessuperhero movie fatigue.

Ant-Man and the Waspis a welcome change of pace, just as Ant-Manwas in 2015. Despite budget and scale, these movies work best with streamlined plots, astute characters, and a story that doesn't rely on superpowers and VFX.

SEE ALSO: Who's who in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'

The reason Ant-Manwas such a tight, successful film is because it wasn't a superhero movie so much as a heist. It belongs in the conversation with the Ocean's films as much as it does the Captain Americaseries.

Ant-Man and the Waspis a family film – about nuclear families, grieving families, broken families, found families. It's about fighting for the safety of your family, which is as close as most of us will come to saving Earth from Thanos, and feels just as important.

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The good news is that Marvel appears to be embracing this film-within-a-film model. 2017 boasted not only Thor: Ragnarokand Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, as mentioned above, but the teen comedy Spider-Man: Homecomingand in 2018, the politically subversive drama Black Panther.

It's easy to break down the elements of these successes: A protagonist (possibly with an origin story), some friends/allies, a love interest, a mission, a risk, a reward. You don't actually need more if you tie these together skillfully.

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Ant-Manis, on paper, the story of Scott Lang and his peers, who attempt to rob Hank Pym for money and immunity. The love interest is technically Hope, but much of the stakes in the Ant-Manmovies come from Scott's relationship with his daughter.

SEE ALSO: 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' sequel title leaves Peter Parker far from home

The Avengersfilms are at a disadvantage in that they can't cut down on characters, and introducing anywhere between six and two dozen characters can eat up a lot of screen time. The plots of The Avengersand Infinity Warare fairly simple, but additional characters add subplots and conflicts that risk bloating the overall mission.

Additionally, these films lack the extra genre element. They're very squarely superhero movies about defeating a murderous alien villain. There's not enough time in space to belong in the same category of space drama as The Martian, Gravity, or even Star Trek.

There are moments of romance and plenty of jokes, but you wouldn't classify Infinity Waras a comedy or a romance. (It could compete in the Love Actuallyensemble sub-genre, but there's not enough love, actually!) Ultrongot close to sci-fi with the sentient robot villain, but stopped short of leaning into those genre allusions for a full men-versus-machines dystopia.

SEE ALSO: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' review roundup: Low-stakes fun

A neat plot and low stakes give breathing room to the true flesh and blood of the movie. In the Ant-Manfilms, we get to spend time with Scott's family and friends, and get to know his sense of humor.

He and Hope interact constantly on-screen to demonstrate their chemistry, so when they do get together it feels earned rather than shoehorned in (looking at you, Sharon Carter!) (jk I'm never looking at you again). Relationships deepen the audience's emotional investment, so those relationships have to be adequately built up.

In its 10 years, the MCU has shown that it knows how to deliver a fully formed, entertaining superhero blockbuster, with the best of the genre aspiring to something more. We're glad to have Ant-Man and the Waspas a distraction and an example.

We hope for the same from next year's Spider-Man: Far From Homeand Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with extra pressure on Captain Marvelas it brings a female hero into the fold. And maybe, if we concentrate real hard, we can bring this winning structure to those mind-boggling crossover ensembles, to Avengers 4and beyond.

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Topics Marvel