“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023)
I just watched “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” and let me start by saying that this movie is “BIG.” It’s probably one of the biggest movies in the MCU up to now. When I say “BIG,” I don’t mean in length. Sadly, the opposite is true.
At 125 minutes, this is one of the shortest MCU movies in some time. The weird part is that it actually required some more runtime because of everything in this movie.
This movie has a lot to love, especially if you’re a comic book fan and a hardcore MCU fan. The problem will be for everyone else.
Many things felt like they were shoved into this movie and probably should have been scattered around in a few more movies.
Because of that, some of the more emotional pieces are lost, like the father-daughter relationship, the Pym family dynamics, and a bunch of new characters from this world that you can never feel just how much Kang had an impact on.
That said, this movie has some of the best visual world-building I have seen in a film for a long time. It is beautifully designed, and I don’t think many people will complain about the CGI this time.
Paul Rudd plays this part to perfection once again, and he is becoming more believable in the action sequences as a heavy-hitter Avenger and less of a comedic relief.
Kathryn Newton did a great job as Cassie, and she earned a place in the new Avengers movie when they assemble.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas are legends as always, but they all get eclipsed by Jonathan Majors as Kang.
Jonathan Majors is the best part of this movie, and it’s even more impressive when we realize he is just getting started.
The way he takes on the role of Kang makes it so impactful: the ease, the quiet and calm persona that can explode at any time, and when it does, it takes everything down effortlessly. I believe the movie could have addressed that better in the end.
Evangeline Lilly still feels out of place in these movies. She seems like she’s not happy to be there, and that is even more visible in this movie. She looks more out of place than Corey Stoll, who plays a giant floating head. Honestly, if you’ve seen any comic with MODOK, this is not a bad representation of him. Still, people will lose it when they see him.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” will have many people shouting at the screen because it is just an arc of something much bigger. However, these shouts will probably come from the same people who complained that phase 4 was not connected enough. Therefore, there is no winning for Marvel to follow their voices.
They should keep doing their own thing and trust the talent they have behind and in front of the camera because most of us are here for the ride and loving it.
This is a movie that will require work and patience from the audience. There is a lot in it, including many parts with exposition that will probably only pay off further down the line. Many bits will leave you scratching your head, like the 2 after-credit scenes. But that is the disadvantage you have when you create something as big as the MCU.”
Have you seen it? What did you think?
Are you happy to have the MCU return to a more connected storyline?
