Movies for Breakfast ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Review

Ant-man and the Wasp Quantumania is letdown for the series so far, and bites off more than it can swallow.

Synopsis

Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.

Review
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is the third movie in the Ant-Man series that is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Once again directed by Peyton Reed and the main cast consisting of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas returning to reprise their roles from the previous films They are now joined by Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang. The film starts off following the events of Avengers: Endgame where Cassie Lang is working on a device meant to help map out the quantum realm. When the device malfunctions though, the group is sucked into this strange world and must find a way to escape.

Right from the start the biggest thing to mention in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is how gorgeous and creative the sets are in the quantum realm. This is by far the most visually creative movie that Marvel has put out. Their creativity on full display with the different creatures and areas the groups visit while trapped in the quantum realm. Each creatures feel unique and the concepts go in every possible direction, leading to a want to learn more about this world and the people who live in it. Even characters we are introduced to in this world feel unique with the way they move, talk, and interact with each other. The entire environment is one of the highlights of this movie and feels like a mix between Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy in its approach to introducing us this place of mystery and wonder. Sadly, this is only present in the first quarter of the movie and the last quarter of the movie. The rest of the film takes place is pretty bland hallways, and rooms that feel dull in comparison to everything else that was shown before it.

For a majority of the middle act of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania there is a giant lull, where the film seems to step on the breaks from the fun that was the introduction to the world. It falls flat on its own face when attempting to get some emotion out of the characters with their interactions feeling forced and unrealistic to their circumstances. Scott’s caring for his daughter is nice, but it plays out a little too much that he is willing to sacrifice everything for the safety of his daughter. On the other side though Janet’s character motives of being mysterious and waving off the other characters in an attempt to ignore any questions gets tired very quickly. Most of the problems this movie brings up could have easily been solved if the characters had communicated with each other previously, and they don’t seem to touch on that fact either as a moment for growth. Instead, they act like all is forgiven by default, and that the lies and secrets that put them in this predicament are quickly forgotten as if they don’t matter. This aspect of the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania doesn’t even add to the plot, there is no reason these secrets are held for as long as they are. Once the secret of the quantum realm is realized fairly early in the film Janet could explain things that happened and still have the same mysterious impact as we learn more about the world with the rest of the cast. What we get though is a long sequence of Janet telling everyone to stop asking questions and holding information for no logical reason.

There are some fun jokes and references to the previous entries to the Ant-Man franchise. References to Scott’s fighting alongside the Avengers, having wrote a book about it, to his times in jail, and previous heists. They are fun little nods to the previous films that don’t come as overbearing and allow some fun jokes to be had on the character to show his growth in the franchise. Even the surprise return of some characters from the previous Ant-Man films brings some good jokes along the way. The cast is still perfectly setup from the previous movies with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas bringing their best abilities with the script they are given. While Kathryn Newton does come off as very whiny as Cassie Lang this falls more on a problem with the script than with the actress. Even with the script at hand Kathryn has some really good emotional scenes scattered in with her constantly yelling for her dad. It would have been nice to get more to her character than just the troubled teen who claims she doesn’t need her dad, but is constantly calling out to him for help. Hopefully Kathryn Newton will get more opportunities to shine in future movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When it comes to newcomers though the star of the show is easily Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. Previously seen as a variant of Kang in the Loki show as He Who Remains, Jonathan plays the character in a more menacing role this time. Kang feels like a threat that looms over the movie as he is alluded to by different characters. His calm demeanor while effortlessly tossing the main cast around adds to how much of a threat he is, as he has built an entire army ready to escape from the prison he is in. He does talk about of his accomplishments and past deeds more than we see anything, but the calmness in his voice and nonchalance of the situations makes it terrifying to hear as he mentions destroying universes like it was just an average day for him. Overall, this is the first time we got to see Jonathan Majors in this role as one of the bigger threats to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It goes well beyond the entrance he made in Loki to show just how much of a threat he will be.

Closing Thoughts
Overall Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is a bit of a letdown when considering the campy and fun lower stakes nature the previous Ant-Man films had. While it does have a really good villain in Kang the Conqueror played by Jonathan Majors it still feels dull in the middle of the movie. With a strong start and a strong finish, it’s a letdown that the middle of the movie is fairly boring and mostly forgettable. Being one pf the most visually creatively movies the Marvel Cinematic Universe has so far it also flies past its most interesting parts to give a pretty standard overall film when its over. The film feels more like a setup for the Kang Dynasty movies to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and less like a complete story made for a single movie. Hopefully this movie isn’t a sign of things to come from Marvel.

Trailer