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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family as they are inadvertently sucked into the Quantum Realm. While down there, they discover a subatomic world controlled by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), an exile that shares a past with Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). It is up to Scott and Co. to face off against him and defeat him before he finds a way to get out; or should he get out?
The third entry into the Ant-Man series kickstarts the MCU Phase V with what was supposed to set up Kang as the over-arching villain for the Avengers. However, Majors was dismissed following his appearance in this, and the second season of Loki, after accusations of physical abuse against his then-girlfriend, effectively stopping "what's coming".
Putting aside the validity of those accusations, from the perspective of this story and the franchise, it is a shame that they had to cut this because Majors is probably the peak of this film. His performance is fantastic as he crafts a villain that is undoubtedly threatening but that, much like Thanos, seems to have weight behind his "villainy". It is a truly magnetic performance that steals every single scene he's in.
Unfortunately, the film he has to live in is not necessarily up to the same level. Even though I don't think this is even close to the worst MCU film, it still has a bunch of flaws. First, even though I like the idea of exploring a subatomic world, I don't necessarily like how Peyton Reed brought it to life. For some reason, I got the feeling that he was just throwing wacky stuff up, perhaps trying to be Taika Waititi (last I remember, being Taika Waititi didn't even work for Taika Waititi in Thor: Love and Thunder).
Also, as much as I liked Kang, I think the premise of needing Scott to achieve his goals felt a little manufactured and flimsy. I did like the many ways that the film made use of the ant/insect gimmick, though. Finally, the CGI was pretty bad which has become more the standard recently; which is a shame cause so many of these superhero films rely on it to sell themselves.
For all its faults, Quantumania still manages to be a fairly entertaining and engaging film. This is thanks mostly to the chemistry between the characters, which includes Kathryn Newton stepping up as Scott's daughter, Cassie. But most importantly, it is thanks to Majors menacing performance as Kang. As the MCU moves on past him, only fate and time will tell if he was the only shot they had.
Grade:
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA
(2023, Reed)
(2023, Reed)
"I don't live in a straight line. And with time... it's hard not to skip to the end. So, if you want to stop what's coming, and trust me, you do, I am the only shot you have."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family as they are inadvertently sucked into the Quantum Realm. While down there, they discover a subatomic world controlled by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), an exile that shares a past with Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). It is up to Scott and Co. to face off against him and defeat him before he finds a way to get out; or should he get out?
The third entry into the Ant-Man series kickstarts the MCU Phase V with what was supposed to set up Kang as the over-arching villain for the Avengers. However, Majors was dismissed following his appearance in this, and the second season of Loki, after accusations of physical abuse against his then-girlfriend, effectively stopping "what's coming".
Putting aside the validity of those accusations, from the perspective of this story and the franchise, it is a shame that they had to cut this because Majors is probably the peak of this film. His performance is fantastic as he crafts a villain that is undoubtedly threatening but that, much like Thanos, seems to have weight behind his "villainy". It is a truly magnetic performance that steals every single scene he's in.
Unfortunately, the film he has to live in is not necessarily up to the same level. Even though I don't think this is even close to the worst MCU film, it still has a bunch of flaws. First, even though I like the idea of exploring a subatomic world, I don't necessarily like how Peyton Reed brought it to life. For some reason, I got the feeling that he was just throwing wacky stuff up, perhaps trying to be Taika Waititi (last I remember, being Taika Waititi didn't even work for Taika Waititi in Thor: Love and Thunder).
Also, as much as I liked Kang, I think the premise of needing Scott to achieve his goals felt a little manufactured and flimsy. I did like the many ways that the film made use of the ant/insect gimmick, though. Finally, the CGI was pretty bad which has become more the standard recently; which is a shame cause so many of these superhero films rely on it to sell themselves.
For all its faults, Quantumania still manages to be a fairly entertaining and engaging film. This is thanks mostly to the chemistry between the characters, which includes Kathryn Newton stepping up as Scott's daughter, Cassie. But most importantly, it is thanks to Majors menacing performance as Kang. As the MCU moves on past him, only fate and time will tell if he was the only shot they had.
Grade: