"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.
No comments:
Post a Comment