Review by James Lindorf
Disney and Marvel are back, ready to kick off phase five of the MCU with a third film for the most unlikely and perhaps undeserving hero in the MCU roster Ant-Man. With the ageless and loveable Paul Rudd in the lead role and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” introducing the next big bad of the MCU, there is a chance we will be getting a lot more Any-Man in our future. Director Peyton Reed takes us on an “Avatar” level journey to a new world when “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” opens in theaters everywhere on February 17th.
Super-Hero partners and couple Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) always have each other’s backs. But their latest foe is way too strong for the duo alone. Joining them for the most sweeping trip into the quantum realm are Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s rebellious daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton). The family will interact with strange new landscapes and fantastical creatures and embark on a quest to stop a man from Janet’s past that could lead to the downfall of the multiverse.
The world and creature design present in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” rivals any film and is on par with recent films “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Strange World.” Unfortunately, the effects aren’t at the level needed for the movie to be as immersive as those projects. It is a side effect of having actual humans involved in your project instead of various types of animation. Unfortunately, while it may be ripe for exploration, the quantum realm feels so far removed from the rest of the MCU it is unlikely to make a significant appearance in future projects unless it gets a Disney+ series.
It is only February, but Jonathan Majors is already having a great year professionally. This week he takes on Scott, Hope, and the rest of the team, and in two weeks, he is taking on fellow MCU alum Michael B. Jordan in “Creed III.” To date, the best villains in the MCU include Loki, Gorr the god butcher, Kilmonger, and of course, Thanos. Still, there is a chance they will all be looking up at Kang the Conqueror (Majors) when all is said and done. The infinite number of worlds in the multiverse provides limitless possibilities for Majors as an actor. He may end up being full motion capture, under 20 pounds of makeup and prosthetics, or 1,000 variations of a jacked human like he is this time around. It is the most challenging role in the MCU by a mile, and I cannot wait to see how far they push it. Majors has already been excellent in this film and his appearance in “Loki,” even if Kang wasn’t the most consistently written character with occasional clunky bits of dialogue.
Jeff Loveness is making his feature film debut as the screenwriter for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is Jeff Loveness. Loveness has professional writing experience working for both DC and Marvel and writing for television. His television credits are all rooted in comedy, from late-night, and award shows to animated hits like “Rick and Morty.” Loveness throws a lot at the wall, and not all of it sticks. Most failures come down to tone and timing. The comedy tends towards the silly and sophomoric side and is out of place in a battle for all known and unknown portions of the universe. Hopefully, with this experience and the Marvel machine, when it comes time for “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” he will have grown from these issues and deliver a more tonally consistent story.
Scott Lang is an interesting hero. He is constantly being shown up by his daughter’s bravery and commitment to justice and Hope’s extreme proficiency. Whenever Scott hesitates, Cassie reminds him he’s an Avenger. Whenever Scott fails or struggles, there is Hope to show him how it’s done or at least lend a hand. While that is the purpose of a partner, because it is so one-sided, it begins to feel like Scott is only there to crack jokes and act as a punching bag. Even if he isn’t the most successful hero, he is admirable for his devotion to his family and friends and his willingness to do or sacrifice anything to protect them.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is a little inconsistent and only exists to set future events into motion. However, it goes by quickly and features great returning characters, surprise cameos, and the first big screen appearance for the next major MCU villain making it an MCU must-see. Its flaws earn a score of 3.5 out of 5 and land it somewhere in the middle of the 31 films released by Marvel Studios. Luckily they are minor and primarily subjective, which should give fans hope for what is to come as they build to their next major event film.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Director: Peyton Reed
Producer: Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard
Writer: Jeff Loveness
Release Date: February 17th, 2023
Runtime: 2h 5m
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
