Home Video Picks & Passes 02.03.18
Ant-Man and the Wasp gets a thumbs-up.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) — PICK
The Apparition (2017) — PICK
Does the Virgin Mary really appear to a young girl in rural France? Xavier Giannoli’s French-language film The Apparition, new on DVD, takes a respectful but less than satisfying behind-the-scenes look at the Church’s canonical process of evaluating purported visionaries.
The Vatican asks an investigative journalist (Vincent Lindon) to take part in the investigation of a devout young novice and her alleged visions — an inquiry muddled by the girl’s unnecessarily complex back story.
In the end it settles for a clever resolution, offering both secular and religious viewers something to hold onto, but giving short shrift to the final piece of its complicated puzzle. It’s not a hard pass, but The Apparition could have been much more.
New on Amazon Prime, Ant-Man and the Wasp, starring Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, is a refreshing antidote to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with comparatively small stakes and a more family-friendly tone.
Doubling down on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids vibe, Ant-Man’s defining relationship is not with the Wasp, but with his adorable young daughter.
Caveat Spectator: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Action violence and menace; a bad word or two. Older kids and up. The Apparition: Some disturbing images and themes; fleeting medical nudity. Mature teens and up.
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