'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is the chaser we needed after 'Infinity War'

Ant-Man and the Wasp isn't the funniest Marvel movie ever made, or the deepest or the coolest or the most creative. But it just might be the nicest, and that counts for something.

Coming hot on the heels of Avengers: Infinity War, it feels like the balm we needed after all that death and destruction.

But even if you're not a Marvel diehard who's spent the past two months bursting into tears at the sight of a dust bunny, it's just plain fun to spend some time with mostly likable people doing mostly good things for other people that they care about.

Ant-Man and the Wasp tips its priorities right away. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is reintroduced reliving his glory days as a superhero – not out of vanity or regret, but in order to entertain his daughter (Abby Ryder Fortson). He's the world's best dad first, and a superhero second. (Take that, Mr. Incredible.)

Meanwhile, Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank (Michael Douglas) are closer than they've ever been, bonding over a shared project concerning a third person they love – Hope's mother, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer).

The lovefest doesn't stop there. Hope and Scott share a much warmer rapport than they did in the last film, when they first started dating. Scott, Maggie (Judy Greer), and Paxton (Bobby Cannavale) have such an amiable co-parenting relationship that three-way hugs are a staple. Luis (Michael Peña) is back, and still the best sidekick and storyteller that a guy could ask for.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

There are some fresh tensions, enough to keep things interesting. Without going into spoilers, Ant-Man and the Wasp picks up a few years after Captain America: Civil War, and not everyone's thrilled about the fallout from that. And as our heroes get to where they're going, they're faced with old grudges and new nemeses, and spurred into lots of zippy, zany action scenes as a result.

But unlike most films of the genre, Ant-Man and the Wasp seems less concerned with the grand struggle between good and evil, or the inner demons of costumed vigilantes, or the desperate state of a world that needs these idols to begin with, than it is with simply... bringing people together.

Both the people onscreen, and the people you'll bring with you to the theater, since this is the kind of film you can see with the whole family.

The stakes are small, in that the fate of the world never hangs in the balance. The drama is low-key, since most of the personalities are. The jokes are hilarious, because this is a cast who knows how to make a gag land.

It's comfy. It's easy. It's as warm as an old blanket knit by your grandma, and as chill as a Sunday afternoon spent catching up with your longest friends. And I don't know about you, but in these apocalyptic times – both onscreen and off – a bit of that sweetness and light is just what I need.