We’ve been riding the Marvel wave for more than the last decade. After a few years of delays, we see the series moving into “Phase 5.” The faces are changing, the technology is developing, and the franchise is constantly evolving. This week, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters and gives us the narrative continuation of the adorably quippy Scott Lang and his joy living life as an Avenger.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania finds Scott (Paul Rudd) and Company transported into the “Quantum Realm,” where they must contend with a new threat in the shape of Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Evangeline Lilly, Kathryn Newton, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer co-star in the movie. Peyton Reed returns to direct from a script by Jeff Loveness.
Since its 2015 debut, the Ant-Man franchise has been the goofy heart of the MCU. They were fun, easygoing, and never afraid to laugh at themselves. It doesn’t hurt that Paul Rudd could not be uncharismatic even if he tried.
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Unfortunately, though, things are a bit hazy in Marvel land as we start 2023. This time around, it seems, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania forgets that a screenplay with an actual story is still needed to make a quality film. In the grand scheme of things, Loveness’ script is far more invested in setting up Kang as the series’ new “Big Bad” that it ignores Ant-Man’s pre-existing world. While this is a standalone film in a larger series, it still must “stand alone,” and this film doesn’t.
This is an expansive problem hanging over many parts of this movie, from the narrative to the stylistic. Visually, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania ends up feeling like the Star Wars movie Peyton Reed isn’t sure he’ll ever direct. The film’s design is closely reminiscent of Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Ragnarok, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, all mixed into a big ball.
While it looks completely fine, the movie’s visual design is uninteresting and has ultimately been done to far more memorable results in other films. Since so much of the story is set inside the “Quantum Realm,” the world blurs together. There are some beautiful moments, but then there’s just a lot of brown. A sense and appreciation of reality are hard to achieve when everything requires a certain amount of rendering.
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At the same time, the final script ends up a basic mishmash of quips which could fit into any Marvel series. The heart, charisma, and delightful supporting cast we associate with this franchise are completely missing this time around. I, for one, really missed the series’ regular supporting players. These characters ground not only the story but also Scott in reality. They played an important part in his character development. Michael Peña and David Dastmalchian, in particular, were MVPs of the previous two entries, and their absence is definitely felt. The same can be said for Judy Greer and Bobby Cannavale. The film really loses something in the casting changes.
The remaining cast struggles under the weight of the sagging script. Majors is most certainly the MVP, while Rudd is his usual charismatic, likable self. Though, he even seems a little off this time around.
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Truthfully, Scott Lang feels like a supporting player in his own movie. The character moments he’s allowed in the previous films are largely absent. There is an attempt at crafting earnest, emotional beats with Cassie (Newton). However, due to the script’s simplistic theming and Newton’s struggles with the material, nothing manages to gel. Meanwhile, outside of these father-daughter moments, Scott has two speeds: Marvel quippy and Paul Rudd charisma. There are many moments where if Lang were removed and Peter Quill were dropped in, this would be the exact same movie.
Ultimately, the movie fails to find its footing with the task at hand. It isn’t a spoiler that Kang will be a large part of this coming phase, and this is only the first of many battles. If you follow Marvel news, you know how this film ends before the opening credits roll.
This results in a screenplay that has no idea how to juggle its tones. As mentioned, Loveness’ script tries to set up a number of emotional beats while at the same time keeping the quippy Ant-Man voice. There are a number of winking “meta” moments that the film should lean into. That is the voice of this movie. However, the script wants to do too much and ends up doing nothing at all.
All in all, nothing about Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania feels genuine. This is just another step on the ladder leading to Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Planning has gone out the window at Marvel, it seems. Creative storytelling is on hold in the interest of hollow exposition. This third installment to a much-loved series apparently exists to merely shoehorn in the next story, which must be told to get to Phase Six.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters around the country on February 17, 2023.
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