A new phase has begun for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Avengers: Endgame brought a triumphant finish to the first three phases of the MCU, the universe has found itself continuing to expand the Avengers timeline with rather uneven results. Besides some notably strong entries including Spider-Man: No Way Home, the underappreciated Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel's phase 4 has largely been viewed as being a step down in terms of quality. With Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, the hope for it is to begin Phase 5 strong while introducing a new kind of world conquering villain that'll raise the stakes in upcoming films. In that regard, the film fulfills its main goal and provides Marvel fans with a palatable (Though not great) entry in the ever- expanding universe.
Continuing from where Ant-Man And The Wasp left off, Quantumania has Scott Lang, Van Dyne and their families being transported to the Quantum Realm to face a powerful new enemy named Kang The Conqueror. For Marvel fans, the newest entry in the Ant-Man franchise (Which also marks the 31st installment in the popular MCU) is not devoid of its share of faults, although there's enough positive elements here that makes it work as being a reasonably enjoyable entry despite easily being the weakest installment of the trilogy thus far.
Much of Quantumania's strength as a fun superhero flick lies within the performances delivered by its cast, particularly Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors whose performances literally make the whole thing worthwhile. Rudd once again proves that he was born to play the role of Avenger Scott Lang/Ant-Man with his character being more of a celebrity figure this time around while maintaining his characters wisecracking persona. Young actress Kathryn Newton shines as Scott's rebellious 18-year old daughter, who desires to do good like her dad. Both Rudd and Newton share strong chemistry with them deepening their father and daughter dynamic. Evangeline Lilly gives another solid performance as Hank and Janet's daughter Hope Van Dyne, as well as Scott's love interest. Both Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer churn out strong work as physicist Hank Pym with Pfeiffer playing his wife Janet, who was previously lost in the Quantum Realm for 30 years. While both do a fine job of playing their characters, it's Pfeiffer who gives the stronger performance with her character being fearful of Kang's potential. The true star of the film however, is Jonathan Majors performance as Kang The Conqueror who literally carries the film on his back. Majors is absolutely chilling here with the audience truly getting the sense that there's a powerful new adversary in the making. Other noteworthy performances include Bill Murray as the traitorous Lord Krylar, who shares a history with Janet in the Quantum Realm, and Corey Stoll as Hank's former protege whose now a mutated cyber enhanced individual with a giant head named M.O.D.O.K.
The directing by Peyton Reed is notably effective in how he's able to present the Quantum Realm universe in a form that's visually stunning and vibrant. The action sequences range as being typical MCU/superhero style violence with surprisingly intense bits including a bloody one-on-one fight involving Scott and Kang, along with large-scale, war-like battles that's familiar to MCU fans. At 125 minutes, Reed exercises fast-paced storytelling while setting up moments of peril involving main characters with audiences left being fearful of their safety. Where Reed succeeds as Quantumania's director is finding the right blend of comedy mixed with action while not forgetting what made the previous Ant-Man films a hit with audiences, which was the heart behind the story rather than the eye-catching visuals. The film however, is not without its glaring faults such as the effects work on M.O.D.O.K's character that feels like the visual effects team rushed through the process. The soundtrack by Christophe Beck, introduces a score that feels more dramatic and darker compared to prior films, but goes hand-in-hand with the stories change of scenery regarding the Quantum Realm.
With Quantumania's writing, the script ends up being a serviceable effort despite a few key ingredients being notably absent (Michael Pena's character Luis's scene-stealing narration is sorely missed here). The story is at its strongest when strengthening the dynamic between Lang and Cassie, which is heartfelt to watch given their arc throughout the series. Ant-Man's character remains spot-on with audiences being reminded of the characters charm with the films opening narration. The return of the series familiar characters including Hank, Janet, and Hope help in keeping continuity with the previous films, despite their characters feeling somewhat shafted this time around in regards to receiving sufficient screentime. Although fans of the series will undoubtedly miss Scott's comedic pals including Luis, the family aspect of the story takes the center stage with Cassie's character receiving a significant upgrade in character development this time around. Her character is now a teen who channels her father's rebellious past with authority, while wanting to help the universe like him. Although her character appears as being self-righteous and naive, her character growth and relationship with Scott works here. While there are some questionable aspects of the script such as the wasted potential regarding Bill Murray's character along with the jumping around regarding Kang's backstory outside of him basically being a Napoleon-styled exiled supervillain with an enormous thirst for revenge, the latter deflects from the scripts shortcomings (M.O.D.O.K's character feels unnecessary and often comes across as being cheap comic relief that doesn't always work) and ultimately makes the film work while simultaneously raising the stakes for future MCU stories.
Although not as good the first two films in the series, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania possess enough of the previous films heart and charm to make it a reasonably fun and respectable sequel, that works best as a teaser for bigger things to come.
Final Verdict: Worth a watch if you're a Marvel or comic book fan.
Images Courtesy Of Marvel/Disney
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