Movie Review: "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" - The Reverse Ragnarok

 

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is the first film of Phase Five for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is where the Multiverse Saga gets kicked into high gear. According to a majority of critics though, it's kind of a messy start, so much so that it's the MCU's second lowest rated film after "Eternals." After seeing it myself, I'm really scratching my head how those two films are in the same boat and that "Quantumania" is getting treated a little harshly.

The common criticism I've seen towards the film is that it lacks the same comedic spark of the previous two Ant-Man films. This is admittedly the most serious of the films and the lack of comedic actors like Judy Greer and Michael Pena are noticeable. But there's still plenty of laughs to be had with a lot of thanks for that going to Paul Rudd. I feel the tone shift is warranted though and considering the film took some inspiration from "Thor: Ragnarok", I can definitely see that and the approach they took is the opposite of what happened with the Thor series. Both films involve the protagonist being transported to a new world and flung into a revolution against a tyrant. The difference though is while Thor was a serious character from the previous films and became surrounded by comedic characters like Korg and the Grandmaster, it's the opposite for Scott as he goes up against the biggest threat he's had to solo.

As the film dives deeper into the Quantum Realm, it creates a very Star Wars like environment in a positive way through a mix of practical and digital effects, with more so on the latter. As you'd expect, it's a very CGI heavy film and I know some people find it hard to get invested in that kind of thing. Nonetheless, it still had some creatively wild moments you'd come to expect from an Ant-Man film.

Something I noticed that I feel is kind of a subversion for the third film in a trilogy is that when we meet up with our returning characters (with each actor turning in a fine performance) at the beginning, they've all seemed to reach their happy endings. After two Ant-Man films and "Endgame", everyone's living their best lives, reveling in their celebrity status, openly using Pym tech to help the world and just being with their loved ones after being separated for so long. It's nice to see Hank and Hope lighten up compared to the last two films, like all their struggles were worth it. Scott and Janet are the ones with the most arc and help carry the film, as Scott is working to connect more with his daughter Cassie while Janet has to face and come clean about her time in the Quantum Realm.

Kathryn Newton takes over as the now teenage Cassie Lang and has a Pym suit of her own. I was already a fan of Newton's from her work as Claire Novak on "Supernatural", who's a much more closed off character compared to the lighthearted Cassie here; Newton certainly has range is what I'm saying. Without spoiling anything, her best moment in the film gives her some catharsis from a moment in the first film. She's a great addition to the MCU's next generation of heroes; I know I keep saying that every time Marvel introduces a new young hero, but they're just that good at it.

The one thing everyone seems to love about the film is Jonathan Majors' performance as Kang the Conqueror, and it is truly excellent. Majors' portrayal showcases how stern, manipulative, maniacal, and just overall dangerous the villain can be. As the big bad of the Multiverse Saga, Majors as Kang cements himself as a worthy successor to Thanos.
Going back to the Star Wars comparison, there's actually a Vader to Kang's Palpatine in MODOK, with Corey Stoll's Darren Cross/Yellowjacket returning from the first film in his new cybernetic form. As you might expect, the CGI with the character is pretty uncomfortable, which I feel may have been the intent. Considering MODOK is a giant floating head with regular sized arms and legs, there was probably no winning when it came to bringing the character to live action.

While "Quantumania" is nothing really groundbreaking, it's not as bad as it's being made out to be. The film is serviceable and fulfills what it set out to do: deliver a fun new adventure with characters we love and solidify the next big Marvel villain we'll continue to build up for the next few years.

Why The Spectacular Spider-Man Holiday Episodes Work

One of the unique elements that sets The Spectacular Spider-Man aside from other Spidey shows was that it established a clear timeframe. A lot of cartoons have episodes that can happen anytime of the year unless a specific holiday is being mentioned. With Spectacular Spider-Man, the two seasons of the series take place from Fall to early Spring of Peter Parker's junior year in high school; the intent was to reach five seasons culminating in Peter's graduation had the show not been cancelled. I believe this aspect can be attributed to series developer Greg Weisman as the use of a clear timeframe would later be seen in Young Justice, another series he worked on.
As such, The Spectacular Spider-Man incorporated some holidays into certain episodes, five in total. During a recent rewatch, I started to think a little deeper and that the themes of the holidays presented worked as part of the story and not just a simple backdrop. So let's analyze what makes these holiday episodes of the Spectacular Spider-Man work so well.

HALLOWEEN: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE

Halloween is a time of fear, costumes, and trickery. Which Spider-Man villain do these attributes fit better with than the Green Goblin (who has screaming pumpkin bombs in this series to boot). His depiction here is fun and scary with Steven Blum's voice performance as the character comparable to Mark Hamill as the Joker. The Goblin was the main villain of the show's third arc, culminating in episode nine, "The Uncertainty Principle." 

On Halloween, the Goblin plays his own kind Trick or Treat by luring both Spider-Man and Tombstone to a steel refinery enticing them with the promise of hard evidence of the latter's criminal activities that would put him away. The two go in prepared for a trap, which it is as the Goblin shamelessly admits everyone involved knew it would be. The battle that ensues involves lots of red lighting and molten steel pouring out everywhere, which invokes some hell-like imagery and gave me some vibes of Freddy Krueger's boiler room; the green smoke coming from the screaming pumpkin bombs throws in a good contrast and even more chaos to the situation.

The episode reveals the Goblin's identity as Harry Osborn, apparently donning the costume during blackouts resulting from his use of an OsCorp experimental performance enhancer Harry had stolen to do better in school and play football. The keyword in that sentence was "apparently." The series finale of the show "Final Curtain" would reveal even more disguises and deceit were at play in this episode. In actuality, Norman Osborn was the true Goblin and used a blacked-out Harry to his advantage to throw Spider-Man off the trail of his identity, dressing his son in the costume for the hero to discover; it's scary how Norman "father of the year" Osborn could do that to his own son without qualm. Additionally, there was a scene in "Uncertainty Principle" where Norman and the Goblin were seen together, but it would also be revealed in "Final Curtain" that the Norman seen there was the Chameleon in disguise committing corporate espionage.

There's also a subplot involving J. Jonah Jameson's astronaut son, John, who is attempting a risky reentry into Earth's atmosphere after his crew's shuttle had been damaged by an asteroid. There's a chance they won't survive, creating a sense of dread and fear of loss for those close to him. The shuttle makes it through and lands successfully, but the episode's end reveals that the asteroid left behind a guest on the shuttle's hull in the form of a certain alien made of black goo, closing out as a horror movie would with one final scare.

THANKSGIVING: NATURE VS. NURTURE

The fourth arc of the series dealt with the symbiote and alien costume. In the penultimate episode "Intervention", Peter realized the symbiote's sinister intentions but becomes trapped in his mind. The symbiote forces Peter to relive the memory of his worst failure in Uncle Ben's death, bringing Peter to his lowest point in its bid to bond permanently and take the life he deserves. But this awakens Ben's memory, helping Peter realize that he decided against his darker thoughts before when he caught Ben's killer, as well as all the good he's done as Spider-Man and all the people who care about Peter himself. This gives Peter enough positive affirmation to take back control and remove the symbiote. As the story goes though, the symbiote later bonds with Eddie Brock, creating Venom. In this series, Peter and Eddie have been friends since childhood, borrowing from the Ultimate comics where their parents worked together and died in the same plane crash. As the series plays out, Peter makes some questionable choices due to his life as Spider-Man that slowly dissolves their friendship, eventually leading to Eddie hating someone he considered a brother. This might be the best origin story for Venom because it makes Eddie's hate for Peter and Spider-Man feel more legitimate. Whereas other versions show Eddie blaming Spider-Man for his own mistakes, Peter's choices in this series have had a direct impact on Eddie despite his good intentions.

This brings us to the finale of the arc and season one with "Nature vs. Nurture." On Thanksgiving, Venom makes his presence known, attacking Peter and revealing his plan to make him suffer by going after those he cares about. After initially planning to go after Aunt May, who is in the hospital following a heart attack two episodes prior, Venom snatches up Gwen Stacy and places her in a precarious position by dangling her to a balloon during the Thanksgiving day parade on a web line that's slowing unraveling. Spidey is able to save her with an assist from their Midtown High friends before turning his attention back to Venom. Realizing he's outmatched, Peter offers himself back to the symbiote, saying he's nothing without it. The symbiote takes the bait, leaving Eddie and attempting to bond again with Peter. However, as the symbiote feeds off negative emotions, Peter's positive thoughts of his friends and family are enough to repel it from taking hold, essentially starving it. As it attempts to return to Eddie, Peter is able to snatch up the weakened symbiote and dump it in a cement mixture at a construction site, trapping it in concrete. Peter's support system being the catalyst for Venom's defeat works very well for Thanksgiving, as it's clear how much Peter cares for those in his life and that they give him as much strength as his spider-powers (though why Sally Avril is included is a mystery to me). Compare that to Eddie where the episode makes it evident that he had a harder life compared to Peter after their parents died and he doesn't have as strong a support system in his life, or he at least doesn't hold them in as high regard. It certainly made him easy prey for the symbiote to bond with and makes me wonder more about his upbringing. Come to think of it, I think it might have heightened some sociopathic tendencies Eddie has considering he knows many of the same people Peter does but is still willing to harm them.

Along with the main conflict, Thanksgiving worked in two other ways in the episode's plot. The first is Peter contemplating giving up being Spider-Man to be there more for his loved ones, feeling guilty about not being there sooner for May after her heart attack due to Spidey stuff. He'd even go so far as to remove his powers by taking a vial of gene cleanser that had cured Curt Connors of being the Lizard in episode three. The end of the episode shows Peter pouring the vial down the sink drain, being grateful for both parts of his life. The other involves Gwen. After Thanksgiving dinner with the Parkers, her dad, and Dr. Bromwell (who brought May home), Gwen kisses Peter before leaving. My thought is after her brush with death, I'm sure she was feeling grateful for many things, though it may have been what helped facilitate her to reveal her true feelings for Peter because she almost didn't have the chance.

CHRISTMAS: REINFORCEMENT

The Master Planner arc started off both the show's second season as well as what would have be its first winter season. This would mean a snowy backdrop for awhile, which was nicely animated and lead to some of the best fight scenes of the series. The first half of the arc were introductory episodes for Mysterio and Kraven while the second gave us a twofer of holiday episodes with Christmas and New Year's.

While "Reinforcement" more prominently takes part seemingly on Christmas Eve, it is still the season with plenty of Christmas decor and music to match the spirit. Two big parts of Christmas are gathering with loved ones and surprising them with something special. For Peter, these elements are seen with him skating with friends at Rockefeller Center and the ending showing him give Aunt May a framed family picture as a present, a touching moment given it's their first Christmas without Ben.

But since "Reinforcement" is more of an action heavy episode, these elements are more prominent with the show's second incarnation of the Sinister Six. This time, the Six change tactics by attacking Spider-Man in waves. Electro and Vulture are at bat first causing a ruckus at Rockefeller Center, but Spidey doesn't initially give them his full attention expecting four more villains to pop out. After incapacitating the two, Spidey gets surprised by the appearance of Rhino and Sandman. Once Spidey dispatches them (with Rhino's defeat being one of the funniest moments of the whole series), he's all ready to take on Shocker and Doctor Octopus. This leads to his last surprise with the final villains to defeat are actually Mysterio and Kraven, finishing the two and the six as a whole at a shopping mall.

NEW YEAR'S: SHEAR STRENGTH

"Shear Strength" reveals the Master Planner to be Doctor Octopus (which isn't a big surprise for the already initiated) and his goals for global domination. And the timing seems well placed as he enacts his master plan on New Year's Eve. At this point in his machinations, Ock is able to control all the technology in New York as he can his mechanical arms but needs codes from Homeland Security to take his reach worldwide. To this end, he blackmails police Captain George Stacy by kidnapping his daughter Gwen, wanting him to enter HomeSec's New York headquarters and transmit the codes Ock needs. While the timing is applied to be coincidental, Ock taking over the world at the start of the year would have been very fitting; it would have been the Year of the Octopus and beginning of a new world order. Of course, Gwen's kidnapping catches the attention of Spider-Man, who thankfully thwarts Ock's plans by destroying the equipment he's been using to control the technology in the city.

With a new year comes resolutions, and we see how this aspect of the holiday works with Peter in this episode. Another part of this arc has featured Peter reeling from Gwen's kiss at the end of the previous season, trying to talk about it with her and sort out his own feelings. But his attempts to do so are frequently preempted by, among other things, cheerleader Liz Allan and her seduction tactics, taking Peter's attention away from Gwen. When Gwen is kidnapped in "Shear Strength", we see a certain drive in Peter to save her, first by doing a Batman-style interrogation on the Tinkerer that leads him to Ock's underwater base. After thwarting Ock's plan, the villain proves himself a sore loser and sets the base to self-destruct, with some rubble pinning Spidey down and water beginning to submerge him. At first, Spidey's accepting of his fate knowing that he stopped Ock. Realizing Gwen is still depending on him though, Spidey tests the limit of his strength (and his costume's stitching) by lifting the rubble off himself in an homage the original Master Planner story from the 60's comics and is able to get her to safety.

So after everything he went through to save her, Peter seems to have head on straight and feelings for Gwen clear, trying to contact her at home before midnight hits. But this is when Liz shows up at Peter's doorstep, proclaims her feelings for him, and kisses him when the clock strikes twelve, which begins the two's relationship. And that's a New Year's Resolution in a nutshell: making a promise to yourself and breaking it not so long after. Despite not even making it to the new year, Peter had this resolve for Gwen, only to fall into old habits when Liz throws him for a loop. And as much as we love Peter, let's remember he is a sixteen-year-old nerd who's never been in a relationship before; didn't we all at that age want to be with one of the attractive popular kids? It's like Mary Jane says in an earlier episode: "Pete's a smart guy, but he's still a guy."

VALENTINE'S DAY: GANGLAND

Our final holiday episode of the series sees the gang war story arc wrapped up on Valentine's Day with "Gangland" (and I'm just now realizing holiday episodes and arc finales tend to coincide with one another). In what can be called a Neo-St. Valentine's Massacre, we see Spider-Man battle Silvermane, Tombstone, and Doctor Octopus in a four-way battle after a summit between the three leaders goes awry. It's a knockdown drag-out brawl set to opera music that makes for one of the series' best fights and features the long-awaited rematch between Spidey and Tombstone that's been built up since episode six.
But of course, Valetine's Day is meant for love. While the episode continues the love rectangle between Peter, Liz, Gwen and Harry (the latter two having started dating soon after the New Year's episode), there's plenty of other relationships and types of love present. In addition to the established Midtown High couples of Sally/Rand and Glory/Kenny, we have the blossoming romance of Flash and Sha-Shan and the casual relationship between Mary Jane and Liz's brother Mark. Outside the high school demographic, we have a seasoned relationship with J. Jonah Jameson out with his wife Joan (whose voice and seemingly likeness is provided by Jane Lynch), the fractured history between Hammerhead and Silver Sable on display, and a "is there something more going on here?" moment between Aunt May and Dr. Bromwell during a house call check-up. But I think the sweetest example of love in this episode involves the engagement between a man and woman who met after both being saved by Spidey way back in episode eight. They may have only been together for four months at this point, but good for them; it's another positive impact Spider-Man has unknowingly had with his actions.

As evident, holiday settings were just one of the many aspects that showcase how much care went into the production of The Spectacular Spider-Man and why it still remains the web-slinger's best animated show.

Dragon Ball Z Movie Retrospective Part Two: Movies 6-9

The Dragon Ball Z Movie Retrospective keeps on rolling with the entries released during the Android saga. You should know the drill if you checked out part one, so let's dive right in.

RETURN OF COOLER

Original Japanese Title: Clash! 10 Billion Power Warriors

SYNOPSIS: As an eerily familiar foe threatens the peaceful people of Namek, Goku and the Z-Fighters are summoned to save a world that is not their own.
MY THOUGHTS: As the dub's title suggests, "Return of Cooler" marks the first DBZ movie to act as a direct sequel to a previous entry. While the "copy of Frieza" criticisms aren't helped by Cooler attacking the Namekians and reappearing with mechanical enhancements, it's all about execution. Rather than being targeted for the Dragon Balls, New Namek is just an unlucky victim of the mechanical Big Gete Star, absorbing its resources and people to power itself (which makes it similar to the Tree of Might if you think about it). And despite not seeing Mecha-Frieza's capabilities before Future Trunks easily defeated him, Meta-Cooler realizes the concept and once again outdoes his brother with a chrome metal body capable of regeneration. And not only does Cooler continue to impress with him revealing to also know the Instant Transmission technique and nearly blowing Vegeta's head off with his hand over his mouth, but the start of his battle with Goku to me felt like the closest thing we would get to a Goku vs. Frieza rematch before Super came around.
Once again, the animation is the true highlight of the film. It may be due to a film's higher budget, but there's this crisp look to New Namek (as well as other backgrounds) compared to old Namek in the series. There's also much fluidity in the movement not only for the fight scenes but for moments like the Big Gete Star attaching to New Namek at the beginning and the wires within Cooler as he rebuilds his body. I found it somewhat akin to the film "Akira".
Other pros I have to give the film are how Meta-Cooler's body reflects the sunlight and Vegeta and Goku somewhat working together against an enemy for the first time in the franchise.
The problems I have with the film aren't necessarily with the plot, but there are some odd choices made. * First off, Dende's presence as Earth's new Guardian means the film (as well as movies seven and eight) takes place just before the Cell Games, but Gohan's power is still at the same level from before he entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber when he should be Super Saiyan at this point. 
* Second, considering the urgency of the situation, why didn't they just teleport to New Namek with Goku's Instant Transmission rather than take a ship, especially since the trip took days the last time Goku used a ship to get to Namek.
* Lastly, why are Oolong and Yajirobe even here? It's not like this was a vacation gone wrong, they knew there was danger ahead. Comic relief seems the likely answer, but Krillin and Roshi could have filled it easily. While Roshi does get captured by Cooler's robot army after his one punch failed, his combat experience would have been enough rationale for him to try and help. Despite not doing much in the main Z series, his fights in "World's Strongest" and later contributions in Super show Roshi isn't to be underestimated.
These points are what keep me from considering this film canon like its predecessor, which I feel is still the better film. With "Return of Cooler", it's best just to shut your brain off and enjoy the animation.

SUPER ANDROID 13

Original Japanese Title: Extreme Battle! Three Great Super Saiyans

SYNOPSIS: A mysterious fiend is creating Androids that are faster, stronger, and far deadlier than anything ever devised by the deceased Doctor Gero. Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters must find the identity of the murderous mastermind if they are to halt the onslaught of his lethal inventions.
MY THOUGHTS: Like "Lord Slug", "Super Android 13" has its moments but honestly feels off in the grand scheme of Dragon Ball. However, I have to give "Lord Slug" credit with the twist that Slug was a Namekian and King Kai expositing lore of evil Super Namekians banished from the planet. I should point out that I've been taking the synopsis of each movie from the packaging of the DVD movie packs; that being said, the plot for "Super Android 13" is not that as deep as described above. It's just an action heavy movie with the main draw being three Super Saiyans (including Future Trunks' movie debut) against three more Androids. At this point in the series, Cell had been established as the main villain of the current saga, and I feel both fans and even the characters were getting tired of how many Androids kept revealing themselves. If there's anything people will remember most about the film, it's the part where Super 13 appears to punch Goku below the belt and the dub's decision to give 13 a redneck personality.
I will give props where it's due though:
* The arctic setting helps the film stand out.
* Vegeta's entrance was pretty rad.
* Watching the film this time around, I realized elements of 14 and 15 were mixed into 13 for his Super form. He became more muscle bound like 14 and the purple skin of 15 was transferred to make Super 13's red hair and blue skin. It's something you had to think about, but creative once it hits you.
* Super 13's defeat is one of the coolest from the movies with Goku charging a Spirit Bomb, going Super Saiyan to absorb the energy he collected, and using it to deliver the final blow.
At the very least, the people behind GT seemed to like the movie enough to use the Super Android concept again.

BROLY - THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN

Original Japanese Title: Burn! Hot Battle - Fierce Battle - Super Fierce Battle

SYNOPSIS: Broly - a powerful Saiyan warrior with an unspeakable evil streak - has the Z-Fighters squarely in his sights. Now, a race to save the universe turns into a test of survival skills for Earth's mightiest warriors.
MY THOUGHTS: In what may come as a surprise, this is my favorite of the original Dragon Ball Z movies. It's really the epitome of what Dragon Ball movies were in the past. You had this ultra powerful villain our heroes face off in an intense battle that pushes them to their limit only to pull out a victory in the end (and its connections to the main series help it as well). You have Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, and Piccolo trying valiantly to put down Broly while the monster seems to be toying with them. It makes for a long and entertaining battle, especially since you have five Super Saiyans in the battle (one of them being the first evil one) shining over a dark backdrop of an alien city's ruins and the planet beginning to crumble as a comet approaches.
Broly is without a doubt the most popular movie villain, being featured in two more movies, many video games, and the character being reimagined into the main canon with the 2018 Super film of his namesake. He's also proven controversial, being viewed as nothing but a meathead who's only motivation to kill Goku being because he cried next to him as a baby in the maternity ward. While the 2018 version has been better received, I do think the original Broly has some merit, at least in his first movie. Seeing Goku may have triggered Broly's memory, but let's not forget that as a baby on the same day, Broly was also stabbed by King Vegeta, left for dead along with his father, and yet still had the power to save them both as Planet Vegeta was being destroyed by Frieza. The point is, he went through much more traumatic events than just a crying baby Goku. He was also shown to have some character with his sadistic side, wanting to destroy to show his dominance and being able to speak full sentences. He wouldn't become a brute repeatedly shouting "KAKAROT!" until his next movie. Honestly, Broly faced a similar problem as some comic book villains in the 90's like Venom, Doomsday, and Bane; their popularity led to them being used in ways they weren't intended to.
Despite where things would go later for this version, Broly's first outing was truly legendary.

BOJACK UNBOUND

Original Japanese Title: The Last Minute of the Galaxy! A Super Incredible Guy

SYNOPSIS: Warriors from every corner of the galaxy are gathering to compete in the most incredible martial arts tournament ever conceived. Many will test their strength and skill, but few will live to see the end. Before a victor can be crowned, Bojack - a powerful evil intergalactic villain - turns the tournament into a fight for survival.
MY THOUGHTS: The final movie for this part of the retrospective is the last of my runner-up favorites. While Bojack and his minions don't really offer much as villains and its questionable whether the alien fighters invited for the tournament were genuine, I found quite a bit to like about film. The tournament aspect gives us a variety of locations for fights and the presence of all current Z-Fighters is a real plus. In both regards, Trunks is a real MVP for his fight with Tien and being the only other Z-Fighter to kill one of the villains (which makes it somewhat better than "Tree of Might" for the latter).
Of course, what I love most about the film is Gohan being featured as the main protagonist. Gohan was my favorite character since I started watching DBZ with his transformation into Super Saiyan 2 and defeat of Cell being some of the best moments of the franchise. Being set after the Cell Games, "Bojack Unbound" serves as an epilogue to the Android saga, with the film's conclusion just as exciting because of Gohan. And considering Gohan had been intended to be the new protagonist of the series after Goku's death, there's something special about seeing Gohan in all his forms wearing his father's gi to solidify the idea. As this would turn out to be Gohan's last big victory until 2022's "Super Hero" movie, "Bojack Unbound" would hold a special place in the hearts of Gohan fans because of that. Even then, it's still great to see after the fact. You can also look at it as a book end with "Dead Zone" when you consider the Android saga was another intended stopping point for the series (and I kind of wish it happened that way), so you would have had movies featuring Gohan at different points in his potential beating the bad guy before and after the main Z series.

When the third and final part comes out, we jump forward seven years in the timeline to the movies released during the Buu saga. How will those films hold up? Find out next time with the conclusion of the Dragon Ball Z Movie Retrospective!