Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review
Director: peyton cane | Script: Jeff Loveness | Cast: Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michelle Pfeiffer (Janet van Dyne), Jonathan Majors (Kang the Conqueror), ea | Time to play: 125 minutes | Year: 2023
The fourth phase of the MCU served to introduce new characters and worlds, laying the first foundations of the current Multiverse Saga. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever he finished the stage strongly, but overall the stage lacked direction and was somewhat disappointing. Now it’s up to Ant-Man to kick off phase five and set the tone for what’s to come. An immense task for the smallest Avenger, who also faces the newest Marvel villain of the day: Kang the Conqueror.
Quantum opens with a brief introduction that describes us a few years later End of the game they are, and what the Lang/Van Dyne family has been up to ever since. Scott rests on her laurels and basks in his fame while he tries to be a good father to his rebellious daughter Cassie, now eighteen. Hope has become a philanthropist, Janet is acclimated after thirty years of the Quantum Realm, and Hank teaches Cassie the ropes of molecular science. Everything is going well until Cassie’s invention lures the whole family into the Quantum Realm.
In the sci-fi adventure that follows, the family separated by ‘journey’ tries to find their way to each other and out of the subatomic realm. It soon turns out that Janet hasn’t exactly been inactive during her time in the Quantum Realm. Her return catalyzes a series of events that pits the family against Kang the Conqueror; the self-proclaimed ruler of the microworld and an old acquaintance of Janet’s, who we were already briefly introduced to as “The One Who Remains” in the series Loki.
The film is huge in scope, but Kevin Feige exceeds his ambition for the project. All the elements that before Ant Manthe movies that gave it its somewhat cheesy charm give way to CGI powerhouse of an unprecedented caliber. Instead of the entertaining gimmick in which Scott pits himself against all sorts of hilarious miniature settings against, by Marvel standards, villains from homes, gardens, and kitchens, he now faces an opponent in a large fantasy world that is very far out of reach. which doesn’t really make sense.
Much of the original humor gives way to family issues that fail to strike a chord. Whereas Paul Rudd previously stood out with his comedic take on the role of the goofy do-it-yourself superhero, he now primarily plays the overprotective father. The relationship with his daughter has always been an important topic in the Ant Manmovies, but the “coming of age” moments with Cassie are now very prevalent. However, the family reunions, including those of Hope and her parents, lack the necessary depth and that makes it very difficult to care for the characters.
The focus seems to be mainly on kicking off phase five in the most spectacular way possible. Therefore, the plot feels secondary to the introduction of Kang and the new world. Director Peyton Reed clearly takes a lot of inspiration from the Star Warsfranchise for the creation of its world, but forgets to emphasize the all-important quantum element. He also does not sufficiently present the civilization that lives in the Quantum Realm. As a result, the visually beautiful world unfortunately remains as two-dimensional as the flat characters.
Thankfully, Kang is really cool and Jonathan Majors’ terrific performance as the timeline-crossing supervillain bodes well for the upcoming Avenger movies. However, the multiversal character’s motivations remain highly abstract, as does the threat he poses. As good as Majors does as Kang, Kathryn Newton is so irritating, she jumps into every scene of her with a thick punch pass and forced urgency. The way Cassie plunges headlong into the adventure is reminiscent of Kate Bishop’s character from the series. Hawk Eyeand this is indicative of the film’s high Disney content.
And this is exactly where it hurts. Quantum at times it feels more like a Disney superhero-themed family movie than a Marvel family-themed superhero movie. The film certainly contains some good moments, like the Schrödinger paradox scene in which each decision splits a new reality, or the legendary Bill Murray’s cameo as Lord Krylar, but the film’s sheer massiveness deprives it of the levity it made. from the previous Parts so nice. Quantum It’s not a bad movie, but it’s certainly not the spectacular start to Phase Five that Marvel fans have been hoping for.