The Wasp

The script is an airtight lair.

For better and worse, you can tell that The Wasp was initially written for the stage.



Morales wisely relies on his two lead actors to bring taut vitality to the proceedings. However, as he keeps putting in many circular scenes that don’t differ much from each other, the intensity of their performances starts to feel inconsistent.

...a plot development straight out of a Hitchcock movie, and it kicks The Wasp into a completely different gear...

The Wasp is above all a dramatic showcase for its two actresses — that most of the action takes place in one setting, Heather’s living room, adds to this thespian powder keg.

These two actresses are more than capable of intricate parts, but the script they were given was just a letdown.

The Wasp may be better suited to its stage origins, however, thanks to surprise story beats and electric face-offs between Harris and Dormer, you won’t need bug spray to fend off this taut thriller.

As themes of class, race and lingering trauma surface, Harris and Dormer bring conviction and ferocity to this contained exercise in contrasts and cold enmity.

To its credit, The Wasp uses that simplification to its advantage and shows the film has much more to offer.

The sundry plot twists are forced, and eventually we mourn the fact that The Wasp ends up in a bizarre perversion of what it was initially set it up to be.