New MCU Movie Lost a Stinger
When I saw that there was going to be a third installment in the Ant-Man franchise, my first question was: who asked for this? Regardless, I was still looking forward to it because I enjoy Paul Rudd’s (he/him) character and I typically appreciate any new editions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), however, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania missed the mark.
This movie takes us on a journey as Scott Lang (Ant-Man), Hope Van Dyne (Wasp), Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, and Cassandra (Cassie) Lang are sucked into the quantum realm and must find a way to escape while avoiding capture by Kang the Conqueror.
The film was visually stunning with an amazing film score to go along with it. To date, this is one of the most visually compelling films from the MCU.
In terms of acting, the characters from the previous movies remain strong, while new actors also make a strong impression. Kathryn Newton (she/her), despite being the third actress to play Cassie, worked really well as an introduction to a now grown, bada** character.
Jonathan Majors’ (he/him) performance as Kang the Conqueror is especially noteworthy. His character does not fall into the trap of comedy within this movie, offering a subtle yet impactful portrayal which adds depth and complexity to both his character and the movie as a whole.
Despite the film’s positive attributes, the writers often try too hard to be funny, quirky, and different. For example, a character from the quantum realm, Veb, is obsessed with holes, and the writers exhaust the joke; even bringing it up in the final battle. Additionally, MODOK, an important character from Marvel Comics, appears in the movie only as a laughing stock with no real value.
Further, some of the film felt unaligned with previous films in the franchise. For example, it has been established that time moves very differently in the quantum realm, however, this is entirely forgotten throughout the course of this movie leaving a really embarrassing impression of the MCU on the minds of the viewers.
The movie’s biggest flaw was its unsatisfying and contrived cliffhanger ending, which was worsened by the comedic tone. This ending made the whole movie feel like a pointless joke. Despite this, the two end credits scenes left me excited for what’s next in the MCU.
2.5/5 stars
