By: Kimberly Grant
A lot has changed in the Marvel Avengers Cinematic Universe since Endgame. Iron Man (Tony Stark), Black Panther (King T’Challa), and Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) have passed away. Steve Rogers (former Captain America) has hung up his shield. Thor is somewhere off-world. The Hulk (Bruce Banner) and Hawkeye (Clint Barton) are in retirement for the moment. No one knows who Spider-Man is; for now. Doctor Strange is still around and not in a hurry to fight any more Avenger-level wars. Captain Marvel is somewhere in the galaxy. And, then there’s Ant-Man.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania is now in theaters.
What’s the Story?
In Quantumania, we catch up with Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) and his people. Scott, writing as Ant-Man, has a published book titled “Look Out For the Little Guy”. Hope a.k.a. The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) is now CEO of Pym van Dyne. Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) is retired and spending quality time with his wife, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), after being apart for 30 years.
Janet is trying to forget her time in the Quantum Realm. Unfortunately, Hank’s influence on Cassie (Kathryn Newton) inspires her to create a portal between earth and the Quantum Realm. Because of this, the whole family gets thrust into this realm and must race to stop an out-of-control deity before he annihilates another universe.
Responsible Parties
Quantumania was originally written by Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics and the screenplay for it was adapted by Jeff Loveness. The film was directed by Peyton Reed who also directed the first Ant-Man, Bring It On, The Break-Up, and Yes Man. He’s also directed a few episodes of The Mandalorian. That last fact will be significant in a minute.
Story wise, it feels like something is missing from Quantumania. There’s a lot of past events that never quite get explained. Possibly to keep the run-time down, scenes may have been cut in the editing process. The plot feels thin, as if the writers hoped Rudd would fill in the blanks with his humor. It’s a Marvel film, without the Marvel look and feel. It’s a bit disappointing.
In the directing category, it felt lacking, as well. A lot of emphasis is placed on the other-worldly creatures and atmosphere of the Quantum Realm, which closely resembles Star Wars. It doesn’t make up for the thin storyline, though, and the connection-less acting. The actors don’t seem to connect with the audience or each other. It’s as if Marvel and Disney wanted to capitalize on the current fandom of Star Wars by making this film. It doesn’t land well.
Notables
Other characters of note include Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Majors is appearing in a lot of movies due to his acting ability. An ability that includes, at least, one scene where his character sheds a single tear. It’s becoming a part of his signature style. That said, Majors is a great actor. Unfortunately, this film felt like he was doing an impression of a tyrant, instead of becoming a tyrant. I wanted more from his Kang. The good news is (spoiler alert!) that there are others just like Kang, so Majors has another opportunity to really embody Kang and show his acting range.
Then there’s warrior Jentorra (Katy M. O’Brien). Jentorra is a warrior who comes from another planet and is a complete badass. She should be queen. Incidentally, O’Brien was also in a few episodes of The Mandalorian. On the screen, Jentorra represents a missed opportunity in the plot. The character is significant, but not given a significant back story. We, the audience, need more information on Jentorra! There’s also William Jackson Harper who plays Quaz, a mind-reading humanoid. Other appearances include Billy Murray and an almost unrecognizable Corey Stoll.
Marvel-lite
As you can see, I’m not loving Quantumania. This is because I’m not a die-hard Star Wars fan. I just like (not love) the futuristic sci-fi franchise. If you love Star Wars, then you’ll love Quantumania. You’ll get to see all kinds of alien life forms and a few cool gadgets. Lastly, make sure you stay for both end credits at the end of the movie. One gives a glimpse into an upcoming season of a Disney series and the other shows what’s to come in the next Avengers movie. All in all, Quantumania is okay, but it’s pretty light on the Marvel style I’ve come to know and love. This one lands with a “meh”.
Wondering what other Marvel movies were released this year? You can see my review of Wakanda Forever here.
Saw Quantumania and disagreed with my review? Free to leave a comment below and share. Sharing is entertainment. See below.
