Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Is Goofy Delicious Fun: Review
The post Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Is Goofy Delicious Fun: Review appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: Did you hear Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) saved the world? Because he kinda did, as chronicled in the sacred text known as Avengers: Endgame, and life post-Blip is going well for Scott as a result. The people of San Francisco love him, his girlfriend Hope (Evangeline Lilly) is thriving, and he’s getting to reconnect with his now-teenage daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton). He doesn’t have a lot else going on at the moment… but lest you think this is starting to sound like a pretty boring movie, the Quantum Realm is here to change that.
See, Cassie, with some assistance from Hope and original Ant-Man Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), has been playing with ways to explore the sub-atomic realm where Hope’s long-missing mother Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) was trapped for decades. Unfortunately, before Janet can say “no, don’t mess around with the Quantum Realm, that’s a really terrible idea,” they all get sucked down into that surreal universe, which turns out to be much more populated than previously known.
It’s there that the whole family meets Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), the all-powerful multidimensional being loyal MCU viewers have already met once before. Kang’s been trapped down in the Quantum Realm for years, but made the best of it by doing his best to, well, conquer it with his advanced technology. Now, he sees his chance to escape and conquer the rest of the multiverse. If only there were some heroes around to stop him… (Spoiler alert: There are!)
We Have a MODOK: When considered as a trilogy, the Ant-Man movies are pretty unique within the MCU — all three were directed by Peyton Reed (since this is sadly not the alternate universe where Edgar Wright did get to make his version), and all three are remarkably consistent in tone and approach. Which is to say, unlike more serious or grounded mini-franchises within the mega-franchise (such as the Black Panther films or Captain America-related adventures), these movies know that they are about a guy who gets real tiny and flies around on ants, and thus they don’t waste a lot of energy on overt gravitas.
For Quantumania might be key to kicking off the big arcs to come in the MCU Phase 5, but it doesn’t forget to have a good time. In comparison to past installments, the film is a bit lacking when it comes to creative applications of Hank Pym’s signature shrinking/embiggening technology (Ant-Man and the Wasp has it beat on that score). Instead, it channels all of its imagination into establishing the Quantum Realm as a place beyond imagination, populated by stunning and/or bizarre creatures and creations; comparisons to Star Wars are well-earned in the film’s matter-of-fact approach to the denziens of this strange sub-atomic world.
To be clear, the messiest aspect of the film is the world of the Quantum Realm itself, as director Peyton Reed and writer Jeff Loveness don’t establish a great sense of internal logic or rules — there’s an entire civilization living in the space between particles? Sure, okay. (For a film that explores similar ground but in a much tighter and clearer way, you might check out Strange World on Disney+.)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney)
However, if you can buy into the anarchy of the film’s choices, it makes for a delightful roller coaster packed with surprises, from how newcomers to the Quantum Realm come to understand the local dialect to this world’s food and beverage choices. Loveness is the sole credited writer on the film (which is a feat in itself, given that the first Ant-Man had four credited writers and Ant-Man and the Wasp had five), making him the latest alumnus of the Rick and Morty writers’ room to bring that show’s very specific sort of chaos to the MCU.
And boy, does Quantumania bring out the MCU’s weirdest elements. If you were previously familiar with a certain mechanized organism designed only for killing, there’s reason to take issue with how the film adapts the character for the story’s needs, but honestly it’s MODOK, one of the goofiest characters of Marvel Comics lore. He’s got li’l baby arms and legs! (And we even get a glimpse of his li’l baby butt!) These are the kinds of choices that makes these movies fun.
A Motley Team: This is Majors’ second appearance in the MCU (though with the announcement of the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, we know he’ll be making appearances up until 2025) but he’s already doing exactly the kind of work you’d hope for from the franchise’s new big bad. The most important element is that despite being an immensely powerful entity who has transcended the ordinary trappings of humanity, Majors still knows how to ground him in the moment, and bring some level of relatability to the role.
The scope of this film is relatively small, with only a few supporting characters beyond Kang and our core quintet of heroes, but there are still some great new additions to the canon here, like Katy O’Brien as a badass warrior leading a revolution, and the always delightful William Jackson Harper. (In my screening, the gentleman sitting next to me happily gasped “That’s Chidi!” when Harper made his first appearance, and I doubt he’ll be the only one doing that this weekend.)
Also, not only does Bill Murray show up, but he delivers a performance that goes beyond the kind of goofy cameo you might expect — in fact, he brings a dangerous edge to his time on screen that’s the best sort of surprise. Along similar lines, Douglas is having a blast, getting some of the best lines and moments, and drawing out the droll humor of each bizarre scenario, while Pfeiffer proves reliably formidable even as she takes Janet’s trauma seriously, ensuring that when she’s scared, we’re scared.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney)
For better or for worse, Evangeline Lilly doesn’t really do much in this film, but oddly the weakest link cast-wise is Rudd. That’s entirely because Scott’s journey as a character is pretty much non-existent — but while Rudd’s an amazingly gifted comic performer, he’s never done much to differentiate Scott from his past roles — which isn’t a huge deal in an ensemble piece like Endgame, but stands out here.
The Verdict: At this point, it’s time to embrace the concept of the MCU as serialized storytelling. Every movie is a new installment. Every streaming series? Also a new (slightly longer) installment. The concept of a “stand-alone” adventure in this universe is now pretty much non-existent, with Quantumania serving not just as a sequel to the previous Ant-Man films, but also the streaming series Loki. (Pro-tip: Maybe revisit Loki before watching Quantumania, if you have the time.)
As just one chapter in this novel, therefore, Quantumania has a list of tasks to complete, and it’s hard not to imagine the checklist in the corner of the screen. That said, the weirdest and wildest swings executed here, the tightness of its storytelling, and its big happy-go-lucky heart ensure that when we come back to revisit it, as Phase 5 continues to roll out its mysteries, it’ll remain a treat.
Where to Watch: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania embiggens Disney’s theatrical box office beginning Friday, February 17th.
Trailer:
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Is Goofy Delicious Fun: Review
Liz Shannon Miller
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