Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Rating

Director

Peyton Reed

Screenplay

Jeff Loveness

Length

2h 04m

Starring

Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Corey Stoll, Bill Murray, Katy O’Brian, William Jackson Harper, James Cutler, David Dastmalchian, Randall Park

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Original Preview

Click Here

Review

If it weren’t for the popularity of two other hero teams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a trip to the quantum realm probably wouldn’t be in the cards. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania tries to justify its narrative setting without acknowledging its similarities.

First referenced in the Marvel TV series Loki season 1, Kang (Jonathan Majors) is an important universe-threatening villain whose intellect and time travel manipulation positions him well to become a key force in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Banished to the quantum realm, Kang first meets Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) upon crash landing and they form an unlikely bond. He manipulates her into helping him repair his damaged time ship but when she gets a flash of the world-destroying conqueror he is, she uses her Pym particle technology to enlarge the power device so that he can’t escape the realm.

Setting the current scene, Janet is now living a simple life with husband Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) after having been rescued in a prior film. Meanwhile, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) who is the Ant-Man of the title wanders through a now-charmed life of success, popularity, and book deals. Without Janet’s or Scott’s knowledge, Hank, Hope, and Scott’s daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) have created a device to survey the quantum realm from Earth without having to step foot there. Janet’s worry becomes amplified when the five of them are sucked into the quantum realm where Scott and Cassie get separated and they must fight their way through a seemingly hostile world where opposing forces are moving against each other in a war of survival.

With so many main characters, it’s not surprising that one of the prior films’ favorite characters gets left behind. Michael Peña’s Luis, the quick-talking pal, can’t even find a cameo in this overstuffed sequel while the first film’s antagonist, Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll), getting a subservient role as the mighty M.O.D.O.K., one of Kang’s miscreant minions. Among those that have been carried forward, Douglas seems to be working below his typical skill level. Whether that’s because Hank is severely underwritten or that screenwriter Jeff Loveness doesn’t quite know how to write for an octogenarian, Douglas’ role in the film isn’t insignificant but his performance doesn’t quite work, delivering one-liners that rarely fully land.

By setting the film inside the quantum realm, director Peyton Reed brings audiences into a visually dazzling world they are unfamiliar with. Like the universes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Love and Thunder, Quantumania is alive with unique species, colorful costumes, and a mixture of vibrant and muted sets. It’s a captivating film to watch in terms of its unique elements but with its similarity to those other MCU properties, audiences may feel a sense of déjà vu. Following similar story beats also hinders the enjoyment of a film that wants desperately to feel original without doing new things with the material.

This is why the MCU has struggled to retain its domination of the box office as viewers have become disenchanted with more of the same. Although it’s all in service of setting up one of the major villain arcs of the current phase of the franchise, many will feel like they can’t find the spark of creative investment that made the series so popular to begin with.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suffers like many bloated MCU productions where the number of player makes for inefficient character arcs. While these are established figures, when even the lead seems to be spinning his wheels with nothing new or interesting to do, the series is clearly running on fumes. That the original Ant-Man was a departure for the mostly serious MCU that existed at that juncture, this character’s journey has turned into the very thing it was deviating from in the first place. It may still be entertaining, but thematically inventive, it is not.