#Ant-Man and the Wasp film review

[agentnico]

Top 10 WORST Movies of 2023

For every good movie there’s always a dozen stinkers, and 2023 brought out a lot of turkeys, and I’m not referring to all the poor birds that ended up in our bellies this Christmas season. It’s become a tradition for me every year to do a top 10 best and worst movies of the year list, and I tend to leave the top 10 best list till later as I catch up will the awards potentials, however with the bad list I get right on into it. There are of course many bad movies this year I didn’t see, as I don’t actively seek out to watch the bad ones, but I have heard that these following haven’t been the best: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Marvels, Indiana Jones 5, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Expend4bles, Children of the Corn, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey…… damn, a lot of films got a bad rep this year. Yet I have 10 other ones that I’ve seen that I thought were crap. Don’t worry if a film you loved ends up on this list, it will simply mean your opinion is wrong and your have to live with that. With that in mind, here’s my humble list of the shit-fest Hollywood had to offer in 2023…

10) ANT-MAN & THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA - Everything that is wrong with the current state of Marvel is exhibited on full display here. Lacking a sense of direction and exploiting the idea of the multiverse just for the sake of it, the movie is a dud. It feels like whilst trying to focus on going bigger and bolder, the movie lost the sense of fun that elevated the earlier instalments in the tiny hero’s franchise. Paul Rudd is still as charming and likeable as ever, however the introduction of Kang as the next MCU Big Bad is pointless seeing as this big baddie can be defeated by a bunch of ants. Don’t make no difference now anyway with Jonathan Majors losing the court case, but who in the first place thought “oh yeah, Kang is a badass who killed many Avengers, but a giant head of Corey Stoll should weaken him no problem”. Look, there’s no sugarcoating it - this movie is bad. Also, Bill Murray appears in this because…?

9) THE BEANIE BUBBLE - Zack Galifianakis without any facial hair is truly a sight to behold, but that’s not enough to make this fluffy yet bland behind-the-scenes look at the famous Beanie Babies toys even remotely interesting. It’s as if this film can’t bear (thank you) to show the creepier side of these toys, as this should have been a more darker and messed up tale, especially with the lightly implied institutional sexism. Oh well, that’s that then.

8) WE HAVE A GHOST - If ever there was a movie that fit more to the phrase “Netflix & Chill” then this is it, as you will be too busy banging your partner or your sock than caring about a silent speechless David Harbour creeping about Casper-like and being all quiet and mysterious. To be fair he’s the only redeemable quality as the rest of the movie is a mishmash hodgepodge of genres that is neither funny, nor effective in its family drama dynamic. At least seeing Jennifer Coolidge jump out a window was mildly amusing. Mildly. Anyway, where’s that sock?

7) THE OLD WAY - It is truly fascinating that after starring in over 100 films, this is Nicolas Cage’s first ever western. Aside from that mind boggling revelation, this movie comes out with less than a bang. I don’t know, I was hoping for something a bit more mad, especially with Cage’s involvement. Heck, in the movie’s opening sequence Nicolas Cage is introduced with a sprawling Poirot-like moustache, and immediately I assumed that I am in for something ridiculous. However following that scene the movie cuts to 20 years later, and with that both the moustache and the hope for something exciting or weird is diminished to singular unseen atoms.

6) FOOL’S PARADISE - The directorial debut from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day (who also writes and stars), misfiring Hollywood satire Fool’s Paradise wastes a strong ensemble cast that also includes Adrien Brody, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Kate Beckinsale, Ken Jeong, Common, John Malkovich and the late Ray Liotta. Look, in a way I feel bad about including this film on this list, as you can tell this is a true passion project for Day and one that has good intentions by attempting to go back to the old-school slapstick Charlie Chaplin-era of comedy, with a lighthearted satire on the way the film industry works. In this case the result is neither sweet nor funny enough, and as such it’s an unfortunate misfire, but easily the most disappointing inclusion on this list.

5) GHOSTED - Adrien Brody’s crappy French accent in this movie I could have forgiven, if only I have not seen John Wick: Chapter 4 a couple of weeks prior where I experienced the most delightful Parisian mouthing of Bill Skarsgard’s villain, so now Brody’s French-ish slur sticks out like a sore thumb. What else sticks out is that Ghosted feels like a film from the early 2000s, featuring every cliche of the genre and with a romantic pairing of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas whom share zero chemistry. Their kissing scenes reminded me of that Andrew Garfield/Emma Stone SNL sketch where they don’t know how to kiss on camera, only in this case it’s unintentional. Also featuring a slew of pointless cameos, and I do mean pointless, this is a throwaway campy spy-action flick that is destined to be forgotten.

4) THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER - Billed as the true sequel to William Friedkin’s original horror masterpiece, it really shouldn’t have strived for that. Ellen Burstyn’s return is a waste. For those excited to see her, she’s only in 3 or 4 scenes total, and the creative choices made with her character are such a disservice to the original movie. Without spoiling, it’s a choice that seems to be inspired by the modern woke culture, with Burstyn’s Chris having being studying the art of exorcism ever since the events that transpired with her daughter, and then when questioned about why she herself did not partake in her daughter’s exorcism she blames the patriarchy. The choice of bringing her into this narrative and then what happens to her…it’s basically taking a classic character and making them dumb. I must say though that the only actual shocking moment in the movie comes in a scene involving her character, and though that moment itself is memorable, the build up towards it is so stupid. Also, with the return of Burstyn it comes as no surprise within the movie when a certain other character pops in for a cameo. Does it add anything to the movie’s story? No, it’s just there for cheap fan service. As for the movie itself, the horror hardly works. It’s not scary at all and you really shouldn’t believe in this one.

3) THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE - Yeah, I know, my inclusion of this film on the list will rattle some feathers, but I don’t care, as for any of you pricks out there thinking that stupid “Peaches” song deserves an Academy Award nomination, you guys are stupid and must be high on some very powerful shrooms. If so, I hope you’re having a great trip, but the fact stands that this movie is bad. Simply doing fan service for the sake of fan service don’t make for a good narrative. Me and my friend were bored throughout, as this movie is 100% for kids. There are nostalgic elements to it all, but I do believe that Illumination and Nintendo should have followed more in The Lego Movie’s footsteps and targeted the film for audiences of all ages, due to the fact that many who grew up with Mario are now adults themselves.

2) LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND - So much wasted potential. A long drawn-out slow shuffle to Nowheresville. A movie that offers so many ideas, plot points, and thread lines that are never answered or go anywhere. In Leave the World Behind things are truly happening under the motto “just because” and “why the hell not” and it makes the viewing experience immensely frustrating. Especially when the movie is nearly 2 and a half hours long and the anticlimactic abrupt ending is a slap to your face for wasting your time. Oh, and if I weren’t a fan of the Friends show before, now more so than ever.

1) 65 - Right ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to ask you all so kindly to rise up from your seats and give a humongous round of applause to 65 - the 2023 film to exhibit qualities of a top contender of the worst movie of this year. Look, I’m disappointed as you are. Adam Driver fighting dino-dinos’?! You’d be a madman to not want to see that! However here’s 65′s first mistake: there actually aren’t that many dinosaurs, let alone fights with them. I know right, I can sense the resounding aura of you, my kind audience, in unison thinking “what the f***?”. Exactly, what the fudge indeed. No, instead what we get is a couple of somewhat thrilling dinosaurs interactions, but overall the movie is just Adam Driver and this little girl walking. Just walking. Walking and whistling. Bunch of jackasses.

That’s it - we did it! Now I can happily forget I ever watched any of these and mentally prepare for what wonders of stupidity 2024 will bring to the big screen. As for my Best Movies of 2023 list, don’t worry, it’s a-coming. Still need to watch The Boy and the Heron and Poor Things and then all will be revealed…

[key158]

heres my thoughts on Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania.

tbh i think its getting way to much hate. people saying the visuals are bad, the storys bad or that its boring. but honestly, it wasnt bad. some of the visuals were super cool, the story really wasnt that bad, and it was funny without being annoying.

I think people need to just lower their expectations for marvel movies because, not every marvel movie is going to be amazing and people need to just accept that. and also, its and antman movie. its going to be cheesy.

dont get me wrong some marvel films suck ass, but i dont think this was one.

feel free to share your own opinions, i love seeing different points of view about this kinda stuff❤️❤️

[secondaryartifacts]

Hot take: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may be the perfect CBM. Near perfection.

You may not agree if you don’t read comic books. This film will be very polarizing. Lots of folks don’t know what to make of it. There are lots of critics who are comparing it to other MCU films as they have recent Thor sequels but they are not paying attention to the right things. Maybe this film is not for them. Or you?

Stan Lee in his With Great Power documentary: “I want to do more. More writing. More movies. More lecturing. More everything. The problem is time. I wish there was more time.” This is the crux of Quantumania.

The dilemma of Scott Lang and Hope. Lost childhood of Cassie. Regret of Janet and Hank. Menace and banality of Kang. One supreme axiom that dogs the little guy, parent, teen, lover, super hero, and super villain alike, on all levels. Time.

Few understand this.

Least of which the critics of the 31st film in the MCU. The start of phase 5 is about time. Inevitability. Futility. Perspective. Cycle of life. Cause and effect. This is not your regular CBM. But it’s exactly like a good comic book story arc in the four color pages by Stan Lee and his peers from the early days of Marvel story telling.

Time is the ultimate currency. If you are Gen X like me, you think a lot about time, right now. The debates of boomers vs millennials and those upstart, digital native Gen Z kids are all around the fringe of a self importance debate. Gen X are the ones in charge of this story because it’s our place at the center and we are reflecting on being stuck in the middle as referees and self made protagonists who were never given recognition for our role in the first place. This is Kevin Feige. This is Scott Lang. This is Hope van Dyne.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is bizarre and strange and weird and alien – because humanity is alien here – and skewed perspective is the main foil in all of the character dev, relationships and the action itself. The commonality at play is empathy or lack thereof. Morals and best intentions vs failures and mistakes. Balanced vs imbalanced against time.

I loved this film and I’m excited for what’s next. Paul Rudd is a national treasure. Jonathan Majors is one of the most interesting actors out there. Make mine Marvel.

Excelsior!!

Did you see the latest Marvel film? What did you think?

[adamwatchesmovies]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a disappointing 31st entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Why? I'm having difficulty pinpointing that. The setting is pretty incredible, with loads of geography and characters that look unlike anything we’ve seen before. That's saying something considering some of the places the Guardians of the Galaxy have taken us. Paul Rudd once again proves himself a charismatic everyman, the action scenes are exciting and occasionally go in some pretty wild places thanks to the shrinking/growing abilities of the lead character… but something feels off.

When Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), girlfriend Hope van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), her father Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and mother Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) get sucked into the Quantum Realm, they discover it isn’t empty at all; it’s filled with inhabitants, all of whom live in fear of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).

The film’s issue is the story. This is a wild departure from the previous Ant-Man films. It’s closer to a space adventure than anything else, complete with crazy aliens, spaceships, armies of robots (at least I think they were robots) and talks about other dimensions & multiverses. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it just doesn’t feel Ant-Man-like. Aside from his team-ups with the Avengers, none of Scott's adventures have been world-threatening; he’s always felt like “the little guy”, complete with serious, down-to-earth problems like being an ex-con, having trouble finding a job and being estranged from his daughter. This is closer to Guardians territory. The scale of everything encountered in Quantumania should have a much bigger impact on our heroic family. They take it in such strides that there isn't much opportunity for our characters to grow or learn things - except for Cassie, who struggles with some fighting moves. This means the movie is only about two things: the adventure and the villain.

I’ve heard Kang described as a top-tier villain, the one that’s supposed to fill the hole left by Thanos. I don’t know about that. Kang is certainly powerful… but I mean, if they’re pitting him against Ant-Man (no offense), how strong can he REALLY be? I like Jonathan Majors in the role. He brings extra dimension to his character and we see enough of Kang to want more but against a guy that can grow and shrink, he's an ill-fit. It's almost like Ant-Man is a B- to C-tier character that didn't have a great rogues gallery, so they slotted in someone else for the Phase's sake…

There’s another villain in the film: the “I don’t know how we’re going to make this guy work in live-action” M.O.D.O.K. Some of what they do with the Mechanical Organism Designed Only for Killing is inventive. What ultimately happens to the character, however, just doesn’t work. Generally, the comedy in the film is amusing but it’ll give you severe emotional whiplash more than once and when director Peyton Reed and/or writer Jeff Loveness use M.O.D.O.K. humorously, it lands with a resounding "thud".

I’ve been pretty harsh on Ant-Man 3 so far, which makes me a little sad. I was never bored watching it. The climactic battle is fun and Kang's slew of powerful abilities means the stakes are high. The cast is great, with the family dynamics between the in-laws and between Scott & Cassie being the highlights. The picture teems with unique sights, which makes it fun to just watch. You’ve always got a crazy alien, some weird animal, bizarre architecture or something else moving somewhere and their designs show a lot of inventiveness.

I wasn’t crazy about Ant-Man and the Wasp. I’m not crazy about this follow-up either. Actually, this is a step up from the last one. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. This third chapter introduces important concepts and characters to the MCU. There are enough moments that work to make it worth seeing as part of a subscription package, for the price of a rental or even if a discounted ticket at the cinema. When you do, stay through the credits to see what's coming next. (August 11, 2023)

[roysexton]

“There are the hands that made us. And then the hands that guide the hands.” Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

There are but a few movies in my life that so deftly balance abject horror and empathetic peril and heart-tugging poignancy that they reduce me to repeated fits of ugly crying: Dancer in the Dark, E.T., Watership Down, and now … Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3?!? I did NOT see that coming. This latest Marvel installment in the lives of Star-Lord Peter Quill’s merry band of space-faring misfits…

[hithertoundreamtof23]

I just watched Ant Man Quantumania!

First of all, I really enjoyed the film. The dialogue was enjoyable, the acting was good, the writing was fairly well done and I was thoroughly enjoying myself the whole movie. I love how the plot allowed Scott to grow as a character, and I appreciate that even the side characters had arcs. It is definitely one of my favorite recent MCU films.

Now... it's theory time!

I am under the impression that Kang the Conquerer is definitely the lesser of two evils. The most evil Kangs are probably being saved for Secret Wars and Kang Dynasty, which makes sense when you think about how the variants we've seen this far are so keen on stopping future Kangs. I think that when Janet saw Kang's mind, she saw what other variants of Kang will do, rather than what Kang the Conqueror did. Kang the Conqueror was trying to stop his variants from ending time, which is why he got exiled to begin with.

Because I am a big fan of Doctor Strange, I can't help but find connections between him and Kang. Both were able to control time (Kang with the TVA and Stephen with Dormammu) and have seen the future at some point (Kang with the Sacred Timeline and Stephen with the 14,000,605 realities he saw with Thanos). They have both been burdened with the literal power of time, and have seen first hand how time can be a cage. Both characters are also notorious for messing up reality and causing incursions, as Multiverse of Madness explained.

I'm not sure if the connection will play a part later on (although, Waldron did write MoM and will write Secret Wars), but if anything, it'll make their dynamic more interesting when they come head to head.

This film definitely sets up the future of the MCU and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)”

Who would've thought that a hero called "Ant-Man" would succeed in a trilogy? I massively enjoyed the first one but found the second one to be quite forgettable. I loved the idea of smaller stake stories for Ant-Man films. It was a little surprising to hear that Ant-Man 3 would have bigger stakes as I didn't find this to suit the character. Is this a good entry for the little guy or quantum garbage?

The greatest highlight of this film is the antagonist, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. Kang is fearsome and menacing with a terrific performance by Jonathan that reminds me of Darth Vader. He steals the show in every scene, to the point that I was actually rooting for him. I am also glad that his performance is vastly different to the variant we saw in the Loki (2021) show. I can't wait to see more of Kang in the future! In terms of performance, I also enjoyed seeing more of Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne. She was barely in the second Ant-Man film but here she is front and centre. She shines in her performance and perfectly illustrates the guilt and fear her character is experiencing. Paul Rudd is still charming and charismatic as Scott Lang. His relationship with his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) is still the main core of his character. We get to see 'some' serious moments with his character which was nice to see.

Another thing I liked was the overall design of the Quantum Realm. The world and the living beings in the Quantum Realm were interesting. It had a very Star Wars/Mad Max feel to it with the blend of sci-fi, deserts and alien-like creatures. The 3rd act of the movie is also quite entertaining. For the most part, it's a giant CGI battle with lots of things happening on screen but it is fun to watch. I especially loved seeing Kang in action because we get to see how much of a beast he is compared to previous villains.

However, the writing is very weak. There are a lot of silly dialogues that just made me roll my eyes. It doesn't help that for some reason Marvel is still doing forced unnecessary humour. If this story is meant to be higher stakes then make it serious! The quips get overly repetitive. The first half is a little dull too with minimal interesting things happening. It doesn't take until over halfway through the movie to actually see Kang. Additionally, the ending was disappointing. It is very bland and safe which is a shame as this film could've delivered a shocking and memorable ending. This movie is also meant to build up hype for the next Avengers film but that ending fails to do even that.

MODOK is also in this film and it is a pointless addition. Not only do they change the character completely from their comic counterpart, but their role in the story is also absolutely irrelevant. Could take them out of the story and nothing will change. Despite the film being called Ant-Man and the Wasp, both Scott Lang and Hope feel like side characters in their own film. They have no character development and are just kind of there for the ride. Janet is more of a main character than them. I also don't like this trend in these recent Marvel films of Marvel characters looking out for these young characters. Cassie is the next in this trend and is also an annoying character like many of them before. I think Kathryn Newton is fine in her role but her character just isn't written well to be likeable enough for me to care. This is also a very CGI-heavy film and for the most part, it is okay but there are definitely times when it looks rough. The editing, especially during action sequences, can be really bad. They tend to do too many quick cuts during action sequences and for some reason use the shaky cam in 2023!

Overall, Ant-Man 3 is a bit disappointing. There was a lot of potential for this to be something great but the execution is quite poor. This isn't a great start to Phase 5 and I am getting worried about the future of the MCU. They need to do a better job at making people hyped for the next Avengers-level threat as this film isn't making me think this is a threat equal to or better than Thanos. I'm hoping future Marvel films start building up this new threat because they need to show us that this new threat is worthy of our attention.

For more reviews like this visit:

https://moviewarfarereviews.blogspot.com/

[eddiescorner]

Saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania last night

Yeah, don’t waste your time.

The movie’s main problem for me is that is very, very shallow.

Is like they are using the humor of the other Ant-Man films but for a very fast paced plot about the inhabitants of the Quantum Realm fighting against the oppressive dictatorship of Kang.

Scott Lang and his daughter (who is barely a character) jump from one location to the next in a plot that feels mostly thrown together using scenes from all Star Wars films, surrounded by colorful aliens (and most of them are comic relief, as is MODOK).

There was potencial in Michelle Pfeiffer‘s character, as she has history with Kang, but once she is done giving exposition abount him there is not much left for her to do.

Also for someone in the title of the film, the Wasp is barely giving anything to do.

Also also the Quantum Realm’s CGI landscapes and mountains start to blend together after a while.

There is one thing I liked: Jonathan Majors is pretty cool as a Kang who is cold and honestly kind of exasperated with all the jokes and one-liners all the other characters are doing.

There are two credits scenes: one in the middle that is weird and kind of undermines the danger that Kang is supposed to represent for the future of the MCU.

The one at the very end of the credits is better, working as a tease for one of the upcoming Marvel shows.

But yeah, honestly can’t recommend the movie.

[rye-views]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) dir. Peyton Reed. 7.6/10

I would not recommend this movie to my friends. I would rewatch this movie.

Was so random to see Bill Murray. Hello Chidi.

Nice to think about exploring the quantum realm. That's new compared to all the focus we've always had on deep space. Albeit when will we ever discover all the secrets of our ocean?

I liked how cool and new everything looked despite this whole movie reminding me of Star Wars.

I thought Darren was a Humpty Dumpty vibe while my friend had a more accurate thought of George Lopez in Spy Kids.

I just don't get what kind of powers allow you to create such a large society in a place you were exiled.

[rickchung]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (dir. Peyton Reed).

It’s a little bit more than dispiriting how much [things] strays from the first two comedy-first films where Reed and [star Paul] Rudd, who also co-wrote those films, got to have so much insubstantial adventure while making fun of his place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ironically, the strange acid trip of a threequel might have been served had it been more familiar and low-level dramatic stakes instead of the rushed sense of weird subatomic rebellion that’s more than a little reminiscent of Star Wars.

[mylifeincinema]

My Week(s) in Reviews: February 25, 2023

I’ve honestly just been forgetting to watch movies lately... I try to both watch and read a bit each night, and the past month or so most of my watching has been catching up on each evening’s television or rewatching Fringe on HBO Max. But, there was a new MCU film released this past week, so of course I headed out to catch that.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Peyton Reed, 2023)

So here’s the thing... In a word, Quantumania is BAD. Very little ever works, there’s painful amounts of filler, god-awful effects, colorful but lifeless character and production design, messy action sequences that struggle to be anything more than boring, forced humor that rarely works, and ALL of the new/minor characters feel wasted and ultimately completely unnecessary. (Seriously, you bring in Bill Murray for THAT?!?)

Our returning/core cast isn’t even utilized well. Wasp is mostly wasted, only ever given a couple late moments that are unearned. Cassie (whose recasting was one of the few very smart moves, here... Kathryn Newton is great) is relegated to plot-fuel and some forced one-liners. Janet’s made an almost completely unnecessary guide, and Hank is thrown in the background to pilot a ship whose visual gag doesn’t work and then swoop in for a big, awkward moment in the final act. Seriously, what a waste, all around.

That being said, Jonathan Majors is fantastic. And while this Kang is ultimately weak (I mean, c’mon, Ant-Man should’ve been squashed like a bug in that ‘climactic’ face-off), he’s still an outrageously interesting character that’s completely different than - yet equally as interesting as - He Who Remains from Loki. (But let’s face it, He Who Remains was so much better, and I’m glad he was our actual introduction to Kang, rather than this guy.) And the initial meeting between Kang and Scott is an incredible exchange. Plus, his costume! It’s awesome!! SPOILER!! The credit scene with the council of Kangs was terrible. The post credit scene with Loki and Mobius investigating a Kang variant was amazing. Please, rest of Phase 5, give us a shit-ton more of the latter, and absolutely none of the former.

Sadly, though, that’s pretty much all there is of any worth in this film. I had some fun with it in the moment, but even then, only some fun in a film that should’ve had me feeling like a kid through the whole damn thing? What a bummer. - 3.5/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[thejewofkansas]

The Weekly Gravy #127

Marlowe (2022) – *** Maybe it was the low expectations, but I’m a bit baffled as to just how weak the reviews for Marlowe have been. No, it doesn’t come near the noir classics it pays homage to – and it probably could’ve chosen a stronger source material than the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville (writing as Benjamin Black), especially since several of Raymond Chandler’s novels…

[theconnoisseurreviews]

My review of "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania," one of the most divisive MCU films in a while. Is it too small to handle the big push into Phase 5 or is the perfect appetizer for what is to come?

Follow me on my various social media sites @awesomearnoldk

Or My Tumblr @theconnoisseurreviews

[moviesandmania]

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (2023) First reviews and reactions

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a 2023 American action comedy film in which the titular characters explore the Quantum Realm. Directed by Peyton Reed (Ant-Man and the Wasp; Ant-Man; Yes Man; The Break-Up; Down with Love; Bring It On) from a screenplay written by Jeff Loveness (Rick and Morty). Produced by Stephen Broussard and Kevin Feige. The Marvel Studios-Walt Disney Pictures…

[thebunsquad]

So I look up the reviews to guide us and throw caution to every warning sign. I'm sure there'll be bad films that'll find us but we will watch them all one at a time. So I make this wish, to watch something good, better than this.

[phantom-le6]

Film Review - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Having started our reviews of 2023 films in the realm of home-release animation, it’s now time to begin checking out cinema releases from that year, as well as to return to the MCU, which began its fifth phase with the somewhat ill-received Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania…

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

Following the Avengers' battle against Thanos, Scott Lang has become a successful memoirist and has been living happily with his girlfriend, Hope van Dyne. Scott's now-teenage daughter Cassie has become an activist, helping people displaced by the Blip, resulting in her having a strained relationship with her father. While visiting Hope's parents, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, Cassie reveals that she has been working on a device that can establish contact with the Quantum Realm. Upon learning of this, Janet panics and forcefully shuts off the device, but the message is received, resulting in a portal that opens and sucks the five of them into the Quantum Realm. Scott and Cassie are found by natives who are rebelling against their ruler, while Hope, Janet, and Hank explore a sprawling city to get answers.

Hope, Janet, and Hank meet with Lord Krylar, a former ally of Janet's, who reveals that things have changed since she left, and that he is now working for Kang, the Quantum Realm's new ruler. The three are forced to flee and steal Krylar's ship. The Langs, meanwhile, are told by rebel leader Jentorra that Janet's involvement with Kang is indirectly responsible for his rise to power. The rebels soon come under attack by Kang's forces led by M.O.D.O.K., who is revealed to be Darren Cross, having survived his apparent death at the hands of Scott, and who previously received Cassie's message. Aboard Krylar's ship, Janet confesses to Hope and Hank that she met Kang when she was previously in the Quantum Realm. He claimed that he and Janet could both escape from the Quantum Realm if she helped him rebuild his multiversal power core. After they managed to repair it, Janet touched the machine and saw a vision of Kang conquering and destroying entire timelines. Kang revealed he was exiled by his variants out of fear, which drove Janet to turn against him. Outmatched, Janet used her Pym Particles to enlarge the power core beyond use. Kang, having regained his powers, eventually conquered the Quantum Realm afterward.

The Langs are taken to Kang, who demands that Scott help get his power core back or else he will kill Cassie. Scott is then taken to the core's location and shrinks down. In the core, he encounters a probability storm, which causes him to split into multiple copies of himself nearly overwhelming him, but Hope arrives and helps him acquire the power core. However, Kang reneges on the deal, capturing Janet with M.O.D.O.K. destroying her ship with Hank on it. After being rescued by his ants, who rapidly evolved and became hyper-intelligent after being pulled into the Quantum Realm, Hank helps Scott and Hope as they make their way to Kang. Cassie escapes and rescues Jentorra, and they commence an uprising against Kang and his army. During the fight, Cassie convinces Cross to switch sides and fight Kang, with him eventually sacrificing his life.

Janet fixes the power core, enabling her, Hank, Hope, and Cassie to jump through a portal home. However, Kang attacks Scott at the last minute. Before Kang can beat Scott into submission, Hope returns, and she and Scott throw Kang and the Pym Particles into the power core, destroying both. Cassie reopens the portal for Scott and Hope to return home. As Scott happily resumes his life, he begins to rethink what he was told about Kang's death being the start of something terrible happening, but brushes it off. In a mid-credits scene, numerous variants of Kang, led by Immortus, commiserate Kang's death and plan their multiversal uprising. In a post-credits scene, Loki and Mobius M. Mobius encounter another Kang variant, Victor Timely, at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

Review:

The Ant-Man trilogy is one that started out well on its first instalment, but over time it seems to have deteriorated to some extent with each sequel, making it an example of that age-old concept known as the law of diminishing returns.  Why is this?  Well, to be honest, there are a few reasons.  First is an issue that also affects the likes of Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy, and even non-superhero films of the comedy genre like Police Academy, namely a failure to keep the humour fresh on each instalment.  There are only so many times you can play something for comedy before the jokes gets worn out, and I think a lot of the humour from the original Ant-Man film has been returned to a bit too often.  This might seem strange to say because some of the humour tied into Scott’s fellow ex-cons, but the reality is there was a fair bit of humour around Scott himself and the characters he came to know by becoming Ant-Man, and now it’s over-used.

Humour in this film also seems to be misplaced given the gravity of the adversary being introduced, and I think that Ant-Man and the Wasp alone going up against Kang feels like a major mis-match.  Kang, or rather the Council of Kangs, is meant to be the overall villain of the multiverse saga in the same way Thanos was the ultimate foe in the infinity saga.  This character is a major, Avengers-level threat, and to start him out, you have him directly face Ant-Man?  Really?  In effect, we have a serious villain that so far out-strips the title heroes for power and threat, and that character is then wiped out by people who should have been lucky to get out alive.  Combined with a bit of a mis-lead towards the end that sees the film buck the MCU trend of third film resulting in loss, I honestly think this film was a victim of Marvel’s quantity over quality methods that have resulted in a reduced quality of post-Endgame MCU productions.

The film also has ties back into the Loki series, but doesn’t rely on audiences knowing that series to understand the film, which is a step in the right direction.  Having non-film and therefore non-cinematic elements in the MCU is, as I’ve noted before, something that either shouldn’t happen or that should be an optional bit of extra viewing instead of required core material.  For me, though, it feels like we should have done something else on this film.  The Quantum Realm should either not have been done, or should have been reduced in scope.  In addition, as I’ve noted before, this film didn’t include some key characters from the past two Ant-Man films; no Luis and crew, no sign of Maggie (Cassie’s mother) and no Paxton, which given the scenes with the police early in the film made little sense.  If Cassie is getting in trouble with the law, why are we not seeing the cop that was dating Cassie’s mum pre-blip?

Also, we get a line from Cassie early in the film that opens up another can of worms.  She makes a retort to her dad about having grown used to looking after herself, doubtless referring to Scott being missing for five years of her life.  However, given that Cassie has a mother and said mother had a boyfriend, looking after herself would seem to imply that when Scott was trapped in the Quantum Realm, Maggie and Paxton both blipped.  It would then be logical to suggest that Cassie not only grew into a teenager during the blip years, but that she was growing up without any parents to look out for her.  Much like Luis and his associates, this question of Cassie’s experience during those years seems to be brushed aside in favour of bringing in Kang and spending a lot of time down in the Quantum Realm.

Now this all being said, the actors of the film all bring their A-game, and the visual effects are spectacular, and the various parts of the film that are Kang-centric are very good indeed.  Unfortunately, as a whole the film is inconsistent in its tone and perhaps misuses its screentime to over-explore the Quantum Realm while under-exploring the worlds of Scott, Cassie and so on.  Personally, I’d have preferred something that spent more time up in our world dealing with Scott, Cassie, etc. and that perhaps brought back Ghost, now acting as an agent for Kang in our world somehow.  The Langs and Hope could have beaten Ghost, learned about Kang and then gone to face up to him, only to suffer a major set-back, such as Scott being trapped in the Quantum Realm as Kang’s prisoner, and this setting up for the upcoming Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Secret War that are coming up.  As it is, we can only hope that as Marvel begins to replan its upcoming films and direction that they at least stick with Kang being a major villain and recast the role following actor Jonathan Majors’ criminal conviction.  After all, they’ve recast the likes of Hulk and War Machine, among others, for less.

This brings me to my final point, which is my disappointment in the recasting of the teenage Cassie following Avengers: Endgame.  If what Wikipedia indicates is true, there was no scheduling issue requiring Cassie to be recast, and Emma Fuhrmann, who played the role in Endgame, was looking forward to coming back to reprise the role.  Apparently, the reasoning seems to be about having a more established actress in the role to help ensure a box office draw, as well as considerations of athletic ability and ability to act well alongside Paul Rudd, who of course plays Scott Lang.  While I can respect the last two decisions, assuming that major actors will always equal a good box office return is a flawed strategy.

First, not every big-name can act well, or can do every role justice, with the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Will Smith all being examples of actors that just act like themselves under different names when appearing in any film.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it requires that the role be created entirely by and for that actor, which only works on original stories going straight into film.  If the film is adaptational, then the actors have to play the role as the source material defines it, so if you can’t shift gears to play someone who isn’t you, you’re not right for that role.

Second, actors who want to become established are more likely to make a serious effort while those who are already established might not make as much effort.  I honestly believe that some of the best films I’ve seen were so good because they were made by great actors that were committed to the film at hand, and who then got major careers from those roles.  Picking the right actors is more important than whether or not people already know them, because the right actors will bring a performance that makes them known for good reason.  In this film, Corey Stoll’s iteration of MODOK was someone making themselves known for no good reason, and I wish they’d left that part out of the film.  Overall, I give this film 6 out of 10, largely due to the performances from the people in the size-changing suits and Majors as Kang.  Bill Murray was also cool to see, but again, big-name star and yet this film failed to technically break even, so in the words of Stan Lee, ‘nuff said.