Year of Release: 2023
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Corey Stoll, Bill Murray, Katy M. O'Bien, William Jackson Harper, Jamie Andrew Cutler, David Dastmalchian, Randall Park,
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
Peyton Reed has been focused on the adventures of Ant-Man since the character was firstly introduced on the big screen back in 2015. The previous feature, dated from 2018 gave more prominence to the Wasp, and this is the first film to focus yet again on these characters since their appearance in the "Avengers" films (of 2018 and 2019). Since that episodic cycle of narratives has finished, Marvel has had some trouble repositioning its characters, finding another cycle for them to go through, with their focus also going into a barrage of TV shows on Disney + which I've personally not watched. In this new chapter of the adventures of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott Lang has settled into his life in San Francisco, where his relationship with Hope keeps solidifying itself. His grown up daughter Cassie in the meantime has gotten herself into trouble with some activism which lends her in jail. As Scott learns about the ongoings of Cassie, he soon also learns she's been working on some advanced research with Hank Pym, who in the meantime has been enjoying his time with Janet Van Dyne, whom everyone thought was lost in the Quantum world and has been successfully saved since. Cassie's device however functions as a beacon to the Quantum realm, which panics Janet, however it's too late to do anything about it, since they're all sucked into that reality. The group initially gets divided, with Hope, Janet and Hank falling into a city, where they investigate what is happening, whereas Scott and Cassie are found by natives, who are in the midst of rebelling against their ruler. As Hope and Hank learn more about Janet's life in the Quantum Realm, Scott and Cassie have to contend with the ruler of that space, who is looking for the particles that Scott and Cassie have in their suits.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" bears a somewhat similar DNA to the previous installments, in the sense there's a sense of humor and levity taking place with Scott Lang/Paul Rudd's life, as he settles in San Francisco and suddenly has to deal with a newfound fame stemming from his heroic acts. However much of the underdog story that was part of the previous narratives is now largely absent, and the narrative quickly bypasses Scott's new reality in favor of what has taken place and is also about to take place in the Quantum Realm. And this is where things start getting shakier by the second, since this Realm is at times reminiscent of a rather generic episode of Star Trek, with alien creatures included, not to mention the whole concept of this realm never truly makes much sense (but at this point, sure why not). While most of the characters just want to get back to where they came from, the new main antagonist known as Kang, is apparently a monstrous creature who wants to destroy everything in his path. His prior history and relationship with Janet are explained, but his motivation to seek out the destruction of everything is never really completely understandable (the same going for who the character actually is, and what makes him so apparently invincible). The narrative and the juggling of all these characters lacks both depth and at times momentum. The film also oscillates between being reminiscent of a Star Trek episode, mixed with elements of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, with the director also failing to do much with the colorful supporting characters, including Bill Murray's Krylar (who quickly gets discarded) and even Corey Stoll's "M.O.D.O.K." (who gets grotesquely rendered). Visually the film is also a mix bag, with certain sequences failing to blend the overly CGI aspect of the feature with the actual set design. The cast certainly tries their best, with Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas creating the most memorable performances, while Evangeline Lilly fails to register at all, the same going for Kathryn Newton. Jonathan Majors tries his best at creating a very underwritten villainous character, but ultimately it's just not particularly convincing. The production team is filled with talented professionals, including Bill Pope's pristine cinematography, Christophe Beck's score and costume design from Sammy Sheldon. In the end this film is once again formulaic, but also fails to register solidly from a character perspective and even a narrative building perspective.
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