“The Wasp” Withholds Its Sting

The Wasp (Guillem Morales, 2024) 2½ out of 5 stars

Has a friend ever asked you how much money it would take for you to do something unbelievable? Have they proposed a preposterous scenario, wondering what amount of financial gain would make you embark on a ridiculous task? As kids, this was often a commonplace occurrence, though some adults may currently still partake in the silliness.

However, what if the insane ask of your friend was actually a serious one? What if your friend offered to give you a lump sum of cash to do something horrible for them? In director Guillem Morales’ psychological thriller The Wasp, such a scenario unfolds, to varying degrees of intrigue. 

In the film, Heather (Naomie Harris, Swan Song) asks the impossible of her long-lost friend, Carla (Natalie Dormer, Audrey’s Children). Having not seen the other in years, Heather surprises Carla by asking her to kill her husband, Simon (Dominic Allburn). Citing unfaithfulness and inattentiveness, Heather now despises her once beloved and wants him to die.

Carla is taken aback by this proposal. Not only has she not seen Heather in forever, but things didn’t end particularly well between the two. However, Heather’s offer of an exorbitant amount of cash sways her to consider the proposal.

The scenario described here and in the marketing materials is of course a very thought-provoking one. Sadly, the film doesn’t do as much as it could with the premise. Though there are some compelling turns later on, The Wasp never quite sinks its stinger in.

The Wasp can essentially be broken up into two halves. The first half involves an onslaught of dull dialogue, overly long explanations, and tons of exposition. The outlandish idea of Carla killing Simon highlights this initial part, with mixed results.

It is interesting to see Heather attempt to ask Carla to do this task and to see Carla’s reactions. However, Heather’s basis for this request is not fully explored. Heather tells Carla (and thus, the audience) why she wants Simon dead, but it is not shown very well at all. We have only a few brief moments between Heather and Simon before Heather makes this request of Carla, which isn’t nearly enough to convey why someone would want their significant other murdered.

The motive for which Heather asks Carla—of all people—to be the one to carry out the execution, is also quite idiotic. Without spoiling plot details, one specific action Carla performed in the past convinces Heather that Carla could kill someone easily. The connection makes no sense, whatsoever.

In short, the first half of The Wasp falls flat. However, the second half manages to rise to the occasion and almost saves the film entirely. Sadly, it can’t quite overcome the dreadful first portion, but it certainly makes for an entertaining ending.

About midway through the film, an additional plot point is added that makes the situation much spicier. We begin to see flashbacks of the women’s past, revealing some unknown information that frankly makes even less sense given the first half of the film, but is still a surprise that adds substance. The narrative of the film changes almost completely due to this twist, and the subsequent story is a much better one than the one we were given early on.

The conclusion is a satisfying one. A well-orchestrated approach to the finish does give the rest of the film some more weight. However, even with the engaging ending, Morales can’t quite make up for the mundane first 45 minutes of the film and some glaring plot holes.

The essence of The Wasp can essentially be summed up as a series of caveats. The conflict in the film is compelling but the characters aren’t. The dialogue between the two women is sometimes enthralling but when the film consists of largely two very long conversations, it can quickly get tiring. Also, the film attempts to be creative with a metaphor about a specific type of wasp, but the meaning is never explored deeply enough and the wasp becomes an overused annoyance.

Overall, The Wasp comes close to being its own savior. Through a reinvention of itself midway through, it successfully captures the audience’s attention, but sadly a bit too little, too late. The film, just like the insect it is very loosely based on, hovers, sometimes within striking distance, but seldom providing a sting. 

Matt Patti

Matt Patti has enjoyed voicing his opinions on films from a young age. He has lived in the Baltimore, Maryland, area since 2015 and is a graduate of Stevenson University’s Film & Moving Image program. Matt is currently back at Stevenson University, working as the School of Design, Arts, and Communication's Studio Manager.