Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Marvel/Action-Adventure-Sci-Fi RT: 125 minutes Rated PG-13 (violence/action and language) Director: Peyton Reed Screenplay: Jeff Loveness Music: Christophe Beck Cinematography: William Pope Release date: February 17, 2023 (US) Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, William Jackson Harper, Katy O’Brian, Corey Stoll, Bill Murray.
Rating: ***
Here’s my take on the latest Marvel movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the first entry in Phase Five of the MCU. It’s not a deathly bore like Eternals. It’s not a convoluted mess like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. It’s not a total wokefest like Thor: Love and Thunder. And it’s not a grief therapy session like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There’s no agenda here other than introducing the next big MCU supervillain, Kang the Conqueror. He’s kind of like Thanos in that he aspires to be the destroyer of worlds. More about him later.
Paul Rudd returns for another go-around as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, the size-shifting member of the Avengers who went from criminal to crimefighter thanks to technology designed by physicist Hank Pym (Douglas, Romancing the Stone). Since we last saw him (in Avengers: Endgame), he’s become something of a celebrity, instantly recognizable and adored by many (although some still confuse him with a certain other insect-named hero). His relationship with girlfriend and fellow crimefighter Hope van Dyne/Wasp (Lilly, The Hobbit movies) is stronger than ever. Life is pretty good…. at the moment.
Returning director Peyton Reed wastes no time putting our hero and his family in danger. Scott’s now-teenage daughter Cassie (Newton, The Society) has built a device that will allow her to make contact with the Quantum Realm. Pym’s wife Janet (Pfeiffer, The Witches of Eastwick), who spent 30 years trapped in the QR, panics and tries to shut down the device. Unfortunately, she’s too late. A portal opens and sucks all of them into the QR where they get separated.
It pretty much boils down to this. They get involved in a rebellion against Kang (Majors, The Harder They Fall), the evil ruler of the QR. He was exiled to the QR by his people many years before and Janet is indirectly responsible for his rise to power. Now they all have to stop Kang from escaping the QR and destroying the Multiverse.
It’s no secret that I’ve grown weary of superhero flicks. I expect many of you feel the same. It’s a matter of overkill. They’re not going away any time soon either, not as long as they keep making more billions of $$$ for Disney. I wasn’t exactly psyched to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It didn’t look horrible, but it didn’t look awesome either. I figured it would just be more of the same old nonsense they’ve been serving us for years and it is. The plot is fairly basic and predictable. For instance, we know right from the start that Bill Murray’s character isn’t an ally even though he initially presents himself as one. For me, the only real surprise is that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t totally lame. It’s actually reasonably entertaining.
Obviously, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t a large-scale epic on the level of Guardians of the Galaxy or an all-hands-on-deck Avengers movie. It’s more on the level of Black Widow, a fun B-level Marvel movie intended to keep fans satisfied until the next one. It should do the trick. It’s an enjoyable albeit inconsequential superhero adventure with decent CGI effects. The FX team does a good job with its visualization of the QR, a wild and untamed place occupied by a variety of creatures like the gelatinous being (voiced by David Dastmalchian) obsessed with bodily orifices. There’s a psychedelic-like quality to the QR, a place where buildings literally get up and walk. It’s a cool place to visit, but I’m not so sure I’d want to live there. The city, on the other hand, resembles something out of a Star Wars movie right down to the bar with its many different alien patrons. One guy looks like a stalk of broccoli. Of course, Scott has to point it out within earshot.
What am I supposed to say about the acting in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? The cast keeps things relatively light avoiding any super-heavy family drama save for Cassie pointing out how many of her birthdays her father missed. I wished it would have delved deeper into Kang’s character, but bear in mind that this is an introductory movie. Think of it as a meet and greet for Kang, a major MCU villain from what I understand. Majors does a decent job, but he doesn’t project a strong sense of menace, not like Josh Brolin did with Thanos.
Rudd is still having fun with the title role. He plays Scott as a guy still not sure how to deal with fame. He’s amused by it, but still has self-doubts about whether he deserves it. Newton is quite good as Cassie, your typical rebellious teen with activist tendencies. Oh yeah, she has her own super-suit too. It’s always great to see Douglas who now looks exactly like his father Kirk. The same goes for Pfeiffer, still incredibly beautiful at 64. Lilly’s character gets underserved this time, but she still kicks ass really well.
Overall, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is fine. It has plenty of action and a good sense of humor. One character, a telepath named Quaz (Harper, The Good Place), bemoans his ability to read the dirty thoughts of others. It’s an entertaining movie even if it isn’t epic. Let me put it this way, it’s the best MCU movie since the last Spider-Man movie (in 2021). I say it’s worth the price of a matinee ticket.
P.S. Be sure to stick around for mid-credits and end-credits bonus scenes. They’re both important.
