Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: Directed by Peyton Reed
SYNOPSIS: Superhero duo Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, together with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures, and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.
This film was in an odd situation. The first two Ant-Man films were used as palette cleansers after heavier entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film needed to be completely the opposite and not only jump start the next phase of the MCU, but introduce us to the second big bad after Thanos. I’ve always really enjoyed the character of Scott Lang and was very interested to see what adventure he would go on next and how they could make this story actually meaningful. I was also incredibly excited to see Jonathan Majors continue his reign in the MCU and see the evil version of Kang.
The performances here are absolutely spectacular. I literally have no notes whatsoever. Paul Rudd is just awesome as you have come to expect and Evangeline Lilly is good as well. There was a lot of speculation around whether or not the recasting of Cassie to Kathryn Newton was going to be worth it and it actually worked for me. It was believable enough and I liked the chemistry with Rudd. The two biggest MVPs of the film however are Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonathan Majors. They work off of each other so well and Majors in particular just commands the screen from start to finish.
The writing generally gets the job done. It’s nowhere near perfect and is sometimes caught in the standard Marvel machine when it comes to comedy, but overall I really liked the choices they made. Modok, wasted, no doubt but the rest of the story worked well with me. The worldbuilding is solid, the backstory is intriguing and the future setup is important. I can understand the criticism around the overused exposition, but it was a really interesting tool to build tension leading up to our first encounter with our villain. I had a fun time and never felt like we hit the point of hairpulling comedic relief.
FINAL: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a very important film that accomplished everything it needed to while also telling an intimate father/daughter story that was believable. The performances are the shining star with Jonathan Majors showcasing that he is the next great actor to join the MCU and absolutely KILL his role. The Quantum Realm is beautiful and the visual effects are a clear step up from the more recent projects. The writing is not perfect and struggles from the Marvel machine at times, but I think it is a highly digestible film that a lot of people will really enjoy. The future of the MCU is here and my excitement for this franchise has started to peak once again.
Point Breakdown:
15 for Writing: 13
15 for Performances: 15
10 for Entertainment: 8
10 for Direction: 7
10 for Emotions: 7
5 for Cinematography: 4
5 for Score: 4
5 for Pacing: 5
15 for Technical: 12
5 for Rewatchability: 4
5 for Automatic: 5
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: 84/100
Jack Lautaret is a Banana Meter approved film critic, Host of the Jack Lautaret YouTube Channel and writer for Music City Drive-In. He is a member of the Online Film and Television Association. Twitter: @JackLautaret
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