Kicking off phase 5 of the MCU is no easy feat. There is the underlying disappointment from many of the films of phase 4 hanging in the air, with no real connected events or big saga to follow, the MCU now feels disjointed and after the last few films, you would be forgiven if you thought it is ok to miss a few here and there. Fortunately, Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania brings the fun, laughs and Avengers back to the MCU in an explosive sequel that brings in the new big villain Kang (Jonathan Majors) to the world after his explosive introduction in the Disney + series Loki last year. While the film gets off to a bit of a shaky start, things pick up in the last hour delivering a solid MCU and introduction to what looks to be an explosive phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Scott Lang aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is attempting to live his life post the events of Endgame, he has written a book describing his adventures and is attempting to build a relationship with his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) after their five-year gap due to the snappening. Along with Hope (Evangeline Lily) Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) they forge a family unit. When Scott finds out that Cassie has created a satellite that is trying to map the Quantum realm, he tears is apart and the family are sucked into the Quantum realm where Janet was previously stuck for years. The family are separated upon entry and must try to find each other while Kang has been building up his dynasty since Janet left the realm. Together the family must band together and engage some colourful locals to help overthrow Kang and get back to Earth.
It is no surprise that this film feels really different from the previous two. The beginning of the film feels in keeping with the previous titles, it has a great comedy vibe with Scott taking centre stage. The family dynamics between all of the five family members, particularly now that Cassie is older and seems to be following the same path as Scott, when they are taken into the Quantum realm, it can’t help but feel really disjointed. The tone of the film completely changes, which is understandable, however, it is such a dramatic departure from the first part of the film, it doesn’t really allow for any breathing space to adjust. In the hands of a lesser director, the rest of the film would completely come apart, fortunately, director Peyton Reed has enough experience with this franchise and filmmaking to shift the focus onto villain Kang and his minion Modok to keep things moving along.
A lot of this movie is CGI including the environments which can sometimes make it hard to engage with. The whole film has a pinkish glow that sometimes makes the human characters look odd against the CGI. As for the creatures that populate the Quantumrealm, they are truly incredible. The originality and personalities infused into each character helped connect the audience with this new universe. There are obvious similarities with the Guardians of the Galaxy films and characters that are evident here, there is enough individuality given that it does feel like a completely different thing.
Everyone involved is on their A-game here. Rudd’s completely settled into the role and this allows for further expansion by trying to establish a relationship with his daughter after five long years. Newton is fantastic as Cassie and her enthusiasm for science and the environment is a great addition to the MCU. Johnathon Majors completely steals the show as Kang. His foreboding presence and chemistry with Rudd and Pfeiffer in particular carries the film and provide some of the best moments. Evangeline Lily is in the film however feels like there isn’t much to do. They do try to keep selling this real passionate love story of Scott and Hope but not enough time and attention has been given to have any real impact.
Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania feels more like a phase 5 setup than an Ant-Man film in its own respect. There are elements in here of that, yet the majority of the film is setting up Kang to be the MCU’s big bad for future films and TV shows. We do get some great performances from Rudd, Pfeiffer and Majors who all show why they make this franchise so successful. The over-reliance on CGI and a weird tonal shift may be too much for some to connect with this film. I however found that I had a lot of fun with it and the constant quips and jokes from the creatures that inhabit the realm (one blob in particular who is obsessed with holes steals the show) kept me interested in this story. It may not be the best Ant-Man film, it is however a great way to kick off phase 5 and showcase some of the multiversal madness in store from the MCU.
Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania is in cinemas this Thursday.
