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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
The thirty-first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the third installment in the Ant-Man film franchise, Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t the best start to the highly anticipated Fifth Phase of the MCU.
While it isn’t the worst start to a phase, it definitely wasn’t the right delivery. It’s a tad odd that Kevin Feige selected a Rick and Morty writer — Jeff Loveness — to write this because, at times, it felt like a PG-13 version of Adult Swim’s animated sci-fi comedy series. But that’s among the least of my complaints.
Minor spoilers will follow.
The Good
To start, Ant-Man/ Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) bring the best to the screen in this film, which is fantastic. At times, Majors (Da 5 Bloods, Lovecraft Country, Loki, Creed III) brings some of the best out of the sometimes-dull script. This is perhaps Rudd’s best depiction of the title character on screen and it really helps the film when it feels like it isn’t working. I really enjoy everything he does in this film. Next to his role in Avengers: Endgame, it really feels like he is a needed presence.
While others may disagree, I found Kathryn Newton’s (Freaky) depiction of Cassie Lang in Quantumania rather enjoyable. I think her performance in the role works, especially compared to what the script offered. Although, she puts on her suit rather later than you think and it doesn’t make the most sense. Yet, her suit is still awesome, and seeing her in an element similar to where her father was in Ant-Man is interesting nonetheless. The Young Avengers roster that the studio seems to be pushing with their recent films is working, slightly.
The usage of M.O.D.O.K. (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing), — the former Darren Cross (Corey Stoll); not to be confused with the lead from Hulu’s canceled stop-motion series — is good. Ultimately, however, the end result of his character is odd and seemed lazy. It didn’t work, and the CGI needed a bit more work. Still, including the character was still cool, and when he was destroying things, it was a fun and enjoyable time.
Christophe Beck’s (Hawkeye) score was super intense at times, especially during the Schrodinger’s Cat sequence. His music helps to set the mood for the task at hand. The film’s use of CGI is perhaps best during this sequence and features one of the more creative set pieces of the MCU. It reminded me of the Mysterio mind sequence from Spider-Man: Far From Home.
I enjoyed the inclusion of the Quantum Realm, and it was interesting to see another world within the MCU. There is a lot the studio can play around with as well as the various directions they could go. Overall, the usage here worked, but ultimately, the film suffers more often than not.
The other new additions to the cast — Jentorra (Katy O’Brian), Quaz (William Jackson Harper), and Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) — are welcoming. However, I would have liked to see more of their characters, given the chance. David Dastmalchian (Prisoners, The Suicide Squad, Dune) voices Veb, a complete comic booky character, and he clearly had a lot of fun with this new role. Several of his character’s moments feel really comic book-like, and it’s a good break from the chaos in the film.
The Bad
Unfortunately, Evangeline Lilly could have been left out of the film and it probably still would have worked. It felt like she wasn’t present at times, and most of Hope’s lines are about Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and questioning why her mother didn’t tell the family about her time in the Quantum Realm. It felt off, almost as if she was just along for the ride. Most of her inclusions were about helping Scott in a fight, or some sort of situation. Compared to her appearances and roles thereof in the previous Ant-Man films, this was a bit wasted.
Speaking of waste, Bill Murray is perhaps the biggest waste in the entire film. He could have done a lot more here. The fact that he really only gets one serious scene is quite annoying and just doesn’t make sense. I wish he had more to do, and ultimately, his character could have been played by someone else.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s ending could have been more powerful too. Scott could have been left in the Quantum Realm again, and while it might have been repetitive, I think it could have helped the stakes they wanted to set up with this new prolific saga of the MCU. Hope could have been left with him, too. Although, if Jeff Loveness wanted a happy ending for Scott, Cassie, Hope & Co., it worked in some form.
Peyton Reed’s direction felt a bit bland, to be honest. The fight sequences are interesting enough. Yet, Reed and cinematographer Bill Pope seemed to just go through the motions with this film. They could have put a bit more humph into this entry, but they seemed to laze about at times. Otherwise, I think a fourth entry may do best with a different director at the helm.
The script doesn’t work most of the time, the emotional beats are the best bits, and ultimately I found myself laughing less than usual for an MCU film, which is actually welcoming. However, Loveness also seemed to laze about a bit and could have hit a few beats better. One, in particular, felt like something from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and it didn’t work. This is an average MCU film, at best.
Food for Thought
While at first I really enjoyed this film, a second viewing helped clear my thoughts. This is one of the MCU’s most tedious outings. It works half of the time while the other half is super lazy. Ant-Man has had better adventures, and while Paul Rudd is at his superhero best here, the film hurts itself more often than not. While most are thoroughly looking forward to what Jonathan Majors will continue to bring to the MCU, Kang’s introduction could have been improved in some areas, but in a way, it still works. This is really a film to watch when you feel like rewatching the MCU in order, otherwise, it just exists.
The mid-credit scene teases the next big MCU team-up movie and the post-credit is quite interesting. They’re worth staying for.
3/5 stars.
Standard work here Feige. Let’s kick it up for the new few releases yeah?
For our continued coverage of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stay with us at The Cinema Spot.
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.