Despite its reported troubled production, Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man proved to be one of 2015’s unexpected delights, eschewing the darker elements and weightier themes of previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to deliver an exciting, action-packed superhero film.

Three years on the director follows his delightful fifth feature with a superior sequel.

Set two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is days away from the end his lengthy house-arrest sentence for his involvement in conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.

His near freedom is placed in jeopardy when Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her father Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruit him once more, to help them locate a ghost from their past – Hope’s mother, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer).

As with the first instalment, the film’s main concern is to have fun and fun it most certainly has - from Scott and Hope’s energetic restaurant kitchen set brawl to Hope’s nail-biting car chase through the sun-dappled streets of San Francisco, Reed and his spirited cast inject the film with the same inventive visuals and infectious humour that made its predecessor such a joy.

As delightful as it is to see Reed and his cast, particularly Rudd and Lilly, on such good form, the film’s light and frothy tone means that it lacks the emotional impact of other films in the MCU but is nevertheless a thoroughly enjoyable follow-up, buoyed by its vibrant direction and splendid performances.