Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania The Good, The Bad, The Overhated

The newest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe starring our insect sized hero marks the 31st entry for the franchise. The usual comedic yet endearing acting chops of Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang, navigates his experiences post the conclusion with the Avenger’s epic final clash against Infinity War antagonist Thanos. The movie released February 17th to luke warm responses from critics and audiences alike.This continues a recent stretch of critically mixed results from the studio that has been known, at their best, to deliver some of the most epic and visually phenomenal content seen in cinema this century. So is the reception to this new film a sign of the end for a cinematic genre that may have hit its peak or is there something more beyond the hate?

As stated prior, the film has Scott Lang searching for purpose after his world ending duel against the forces of evil. Most of the appeal of Ant-Man films to this point have been how microscopic they feel in connection with the rest of the MCU at large. Scott for the most part is an ordinary man thrusted into a world of mutants, monsters and aliens who essentially plays the straight man to the plethora of oddities that make up his world.

Although elements of his stand alone films do play important plot points in larger ensemble films like the use of Pym particles in CaptainAmerica:CivilWaror his car quantum generator in Avengers:Endgame, the stakes of his conflicts are usually belittled to match the size of the hero. So it is fitting that in this film, Scott moved on from the war-like conflict of the previous movies like any normal man would, profiting off his experiences. He writes books, attempts to make up for lost time with his daughter whom he missed five years of her life and creates a familial foundation with Hope (played by Evangeline Lilly).

The direction taken for this character feels organic and does a better job of tackling this type of predicament than films like Thor:Love&Thunderwere able to achieve. Although Scott is clearly searching for purpose on what to do with himself, his actions feel within character and it's given enough perspective that you understand why he wouldn’t automatically want to jump back into the realm of heroism. He witnessed suffering and the separation from his family which, although still handled in the classic comedic Marvel way, had a major impact on his character.

This movie presented plenty of quality moments that succeeded in sticking to the characters we had grown with over the past few films. The relationship focus between Scott and Hope has matured beautifully to a romantic and combative partnership that we have witnessed the development of. It feels easy for movies like this to create some artificial conflict between the two that will eventually be resolved, but they work like a harmonious team throughout the movie with Hope having her own focus acting as the Wasp. Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglas, is given more to do in this film as opposed to the franchise's sequel even if the intellectual genius who once rivaled Howard Stark in the original is now dubbed down to a comedic relief obsessed with ants. However, these movies still finding a way to keep the ants involved in their climactic conflicts is appreciated and admittedly difficult given the infinitely higher threats when comparing the current villains to those of the past.

Overall the story direction of this entry, well established familial ties of the main cast and the creative world explored make up some of the greater highlights from any of the Ant-Man films. The terrain in the quantum realm is akin to a hybrid of StarWarsand Dunewhich adds a very extraterrestrial vibe to the places explored. Many will complain of the CGI used but it held up to the usual Marvel standards we’ve come to expect when exploring these larger than life concepts. There may have been one or two comedic missteps but ultimately I think the movie did great to kick off a new phase for the universe.

And yes, I laughed at the MODOK scenes.

After the somewhat draining lows of Phase 4, the downsides of this movie still feel mundane in comparison. Some issues worth pointing out were character moments regarding Michelle Pfeiffer’s role as Janet Van Dyne who initiated many of the issues in this film through her inability to communicate. So many conflicts could have been avoided if she abandoned her selfimposed secrecy of the events occurring in the Quantum realm that ended up adding unnecessary inconvenience to the cast. Another miss was the inclusion of Bill Murray’s character, Lord Krylar, who served no real purpose to the film which seemed like a wasted opportunity for a franchise who has a decent track record of using lesser known characters in grand ways. The forced rebelliousness of Scott Lang’s daughter Cassandra, played by Kathryn Newton, also seemed misplaced in this film. The idea of having her echo her father’s criminal past is interesting but her new found freedom fighter mentality seemed forced to me especially in a world where her father saved the entire universe. Good concept but the execution and the acceptance of her misdirected disdain towards her father’s inactivity seemed somewhat unfair. A recent problem developing in these film’s is the off-screen genius activity being performed by the cast. With most of the older generation of Avengers getting phased out, new members who more or less fit the same skill set are being introduced to foreshadow the next generation.

Characters like Ironheart from Wakanda Foreverand now Cassandra Lang's Ant-Girl follow the steps of their predecessors without any of the development or merit we witnessed those before them do. The notion that Cassandra was able to master the intricacies of quantum communication feels unearned, and the movie so easily dismissed this unrealistic genius of a 16 year old which continues a theme that comes across as forced.

Kang, who has been heavily anticipated by fans since the announcement of his introduction. Jonathan Major’s performance was stern and presented immediate intimidation and mystery regarding his background. He was a consistent threat who was never taken lightly or never seemed underwhelming. That being said, the mystery surrounding his being, skillset and ultimate goal made this appearance in the film more of an cameo than a genuine feature. Which is perfectly fine. Audiences have been sitting on their hands patiently awaiting the next Thanos sized threat who presents a perfect blend of maddening villany and charismatic philosophy, so with those expectations it is impossible to make a true judge of his character yet. But they did achieve in building interest in what lies next for the character, and for only the beginning of Phase 5, that should be enough.

So what’s with all the hate and commentary aimed towards this movie? It did well to serve as another developmental entry in a much larger story, and highlighted a character who historically never has any grand throughlines in any of his films. Well combined with the Kang hype, the mediocrity of Phase 4 and the questions surrounding Marvel’s future after Endgame, the masses are becoming more demanding with each new film. The calm build up that possibly went under the radar for the start of the Thanos saga is now non-existent and people are going to these blockbusters with unreal expectations for how this movie will serve the larger Marvel formula. So is it overhated? Yes. But this should bring a call to action to Marvel to either alter their all too familiar formula or give their fans something to sink their teeth into while the phase enters its stride. Something like a CaptainAmerica:TheWinter Soldierthat progresses a story and can stand alone as a good film. Time and ticket sales have proved that you can no longer sail solely on the hype of these films, Marvel needs to offer more product than promises. Until then every little film they have will continue to be held under a microscope.