Fast forward five years, Ant-Man and the Wasp go from pallet cleanser, to the starting dish for Marvel's fifth phase, and second chapter in the Multiverse Saga. While Marvel has had some strong showings recently, its fourth phase was a decidedly mixed bag, with Marvel itself course correcting and reconfiguring projects to prevent burnout, and with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the studio is set to introduce the saga's overarching villain Kang... It's just a shame that this set up had to feel so exhausting. No exaggeration, Quantumania might just be the worst film Marvel has ever put forth.
Post-Endgame, former convict Scott Lang, aka. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), enjoys a healthy family life alongside his girlfriend Hope van Dyne, aka. The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), and his teenage daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton). During the blip, Cassie had secretly built a device to commune with the Quantum Realm, but an accident causes the machine to shrink the three, along with Hope's parents Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne (Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer), into the Quantum Realm. Now stranded, the group must band together to escape the realm, all the while the sinister dictator of the realm, Kang the Conquerer (Johnathan Majors), plans his move against the human world.
It's a tough time knowing where to start, just because this movie is such a mess, even Paul Rudd can't save it. Which is a shame, because he's always acquitted himself well to the role, bringing an effervescent roguish charm and likability that livens up every scene he's in. That said, there's not much he can do to liven up his material here. I actually found Scott a bit out of character at times, namely how he's one of the few Avengers whose secret identity has been kept a secret, but between films, he's made his alter ego public, and actually written his own memoir? This is something the film could use to further explore his character, maybe as a means to teach himself humility amidst his rising fame, but oddly enough, the film drastically underplays it after it's established. It's introduced, but plays no factor in the remaining film.
That in itself you could see as a nit pick, but a bigger issue is that the film leaves him out to dry. While he is funny, Rudd is usually at his best interacting with other cast members. His chemistry is his real strength, but so often, he has almost no one to bounce off of, with most of his interplay being with his daughter Cassie. Cassie, now played as a young adult by Kathryn Newton, has some of the heftiest advancement here. The problem is, it feels like such a jump, it might as well be a new character, because it feels like such a stray away from the spirit of the character in the original films. I get the character has aged, but the transition just doesn't feel seamless, despite Newton's best efforts and the fact that she is a charming star.
But really, they're victims of a greater issue. Quantumania is the first Ant-Man film to feature one credited screenwriter, Jeff Loveness of Rick and Morty fame. It's also the first not to give credit to Rudd, and there I think is the issue. As wayward as the other films *could* have been, I think Rudd's signature wit as a script doctor really elevated those entries. I think that gets shown off by how frenzied, and virtually joyless Quantumania feels in comparison. This also highlights director Peyton Reed as a journeyman in terms of directing. He’s been taking the reins since the original film, and he’s capably handled it, but I don’t think he has an *eye* in regards to the film. Hand in hand, Reed’s direction and Loveness’ writing make it feel like an endurance test at times.
The film's first half is especially trying. The movie’s main conflict is that Scott and co. all find themselves trapped in the Quantum Realm. Essentially, this happens because Janet tries to deactivate Cassie’s machine that sends a signal to the Realm. This feels incredibly convenient, as it feels like the film is forcing the characters into this situation with a shrug, because they need to get from point A to B. But once they land in the Quantum Realm, the film keeps cross-cutting between Scott and Cassie, and Hope/Hank/Janet. This annoyed me, as the editing has no rhythm in regards to when they cut back, but also because we may be in the middle of a gag in one scene, but once we cut, we have an extended wait to see the tail-end of that gag. This keeps going on for well over an hour, as it borders on salvage job editing to liven up the film’s mood, but lacks discipline.
As for the van Dyne family, they feel like passengers for most of the movie, sitting on the sidelines until called upon. This is disappointing for Evangeline Lilly in particular, who had a stellar breakout in the first sequel, but basically acts as support and back up for Scott rather than the other half of a duo. Michael Douglas similarly spins his wheels, but Pfeiffer is given the ultimate shaft. I remember when I saw the first sequel, how I felt like Janet had potential that went untapped and could be expanded on in a follow up. If anything, it makes her work in Ant-Man and the Wasp look brighter, as Janet’s personal history fuels a lot of the film, but is deliberately kept hidden away from the audience - and her family - for no good reason, and so much of the events that happen could have been negated by simple communication.
If there’s any one actor elevating this film, it’s Johnathan Majors as Kang, which isn't surprising. This isn’t even his first rodeo, as Majors already made a huge impact in his small, but memorable reveal in Season 1 of Loki, even if he's wildly detached here from He Who Remains. Majors really knows how to sink his teeth into the role, as Kang dominates the screen with a natural manipulative charm to accomplish his desires, and if not then he's vicious and brutal enough to intimidate his victims into submission. So much so that he does add more weight to the film than it's capable of handling, given how intimidating a presence he makes. For all the film's issues, this is the one area they had to excel in, given his claims to succeed Thanos as the next long-term villain, and if nothing else, it excites me to see where Majors can go in future appearances.
But... the character also gives me some concern going forward. Given his existence as a variant, as apparently we're going to be diving deeper into the multiverse, I have this worry that they may have too much of a good thing in future entries. He's not the only villain we have in Quantumania, as we also have an inexplicable Bill Murray as an old ally of Janet, and the black sheep among them - sorry for the spoiler - is MODOK. Everything this character touches is awful, from their backstory that not only feels like a retcon for surprise's sakes, but the visual appearance of the character looks so goofy, and not in a good way. Essentially it's here as comic relief, but most of its jokes are just grating, and mildly tone deaf when they do show up.
Of course, even at their worst, Marvel's films can still be forgiven, because they can still be fun diversions. Quantumania doesn't have any such luck. Not only is the movie a mess, it isn't even fun. Some of these detached, badly structured comedic notes can be placed almost directly on Loveness, who in addition to following the studio notes, just feels out of his element. He comes from a background of thirty minute animation with a deliberately cynical mindset. A serious step away from the optimism that usually fuels Marvel. Even if the material here is faithful to the comics (still doesn’t make it good), it doesn’t feel like it. Scott and co. come across so many outlandish characters here, but none of them are charming. None of them are interesting. They just feel like rejected ideas from other films handed over to Ant-Man, purely for their zaniness.
And that zaniness is so pronounced, it’s buried the series’ heist roots along the way, diminishing the one element that made these movies unique, and reducing it to a mere echo. The most heist we actually see is a fetch quest mildly justified by Ant-Man’s subatomic shrinking, before it just gets brushed off to continue the old Marvel tricks.
But Ant-Man shouldn’t simply be zany, or just another Marvel movie. At one point, even Kang realizes that Scott is out of his league against him. Ant-Man isn’t like the Guardians of the Galaxy, who can exist as an obscure team that still plays to the bigger Avengers crowd. I would argue that Ant-Man should really be more of a niche title. Not to the degree of Howard the Duck, which has a very specific audience, but somewhere in that halfway area as a scaled back heist series. It should opt for more specific gears compared to the larger MCU, which is exactly why the character works so well in his Avengers crossovers.
I used to say after every Marvel movie, “One day, the bottom is going to fall out. But today is not that day.” Even something as limp as Eternals never made me think they were about to crash. But Quantumania is the first time I have ever been afraid that the bubble may burst. This surpasses Iron Man 2 and Eternals as the biggest misstep in the studio’s history, and if there is reconfiguration in the works, I hope it sets in soon, and for the better. Because after how careful Marvel was to lay their building blocks, and how it’s outlived nearly every imitator since (even the current DCEU by year’s end), to see missteps like this one finally unravel the yarn, and crater what was once a genuinely exciting and powerful franchise, would be tragic.
The only way I can recommend this movie is out of completion’s sake, because it still feels vital to the larger MCU, especially for the introduction of its looming antagonist. But as a film itself, Quantumania is a dud, taking a character who works on smaller settings, and trying to make him into a massive megahit that he’s not. It falls flat on its face, and serves as a weary appetizer to Marvel’s fifth phase.
*1/2 / *****
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