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Poster Description: Drenched in blue light,
Kang (Jonathan Majors) stares out of the poster, long scars sliced down from
below his eyes and down his cheeks. He wears a leather glove, and with his hand
palm up in front, there are two tiny people balanced on the tip of his middle
finger, caught in a burst of white light. They are entirely at Kang’s mercy. |
Back in January, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania featured in my list of films I anticipated this year. I was genuinely excited and hoped it would up the ante and satisfactorily bring together Phase 4’s disjointed plot threads.
Well, it doesn’t. For the first time, I don’t know what to make of an MCU film.
It starts with a promising prologue, teasing how Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) lived in the Quantum Realm. As soon as Jonathan Majors arrives, though, that’s it. We’re moving on. The film’s main issue is that it’s so eager to get to the end that it loses its heart and soul.
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) cheerily remains the butt of the joke; meanwhile, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) doesn’t have much to do. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the quirky dynamic between him, his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and the Van Dynes. Their banter feels natural compared to the rest of the film’s dialogue. Unfortunately, the writers want to make memes here; an essential character is turned hilariously hideous, but they’re trying too hard with them, which isn’t funny. Worst still, the so-called special effects and CGI look like something from twenty years ago!
Jonathan Majors should be the film’s saving grace. Casual fans of the MCU won’t recognise him unless they’ve seen Loki, but I loved the build-up to Kang as this frightening figure. Despite having such a small role, Bill Murray does most of the work in that case. Majors plays Kang quietly and calmly, though capable of very loud violence, which is shocking. Besides being the bad guy, I just wish his motive was more explicit. With characters like Thanos and Ego in their back catalogue, I thought we were behind that schlock by now.
Where do I sit with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? I like it. It’s okay, but that’s it. We know the formula by now, and it desperately needs a shake-up. Looking back on previous phases, I am struck by my favourites: Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, heck, the first Ant-Man, and that’s not including the various TV series on Disney+. I instantly fell in love with them because they’re experiments. So, that’s what I desire from Phase 5. I want weird and wonderful – not just for the sake of being weird, mind – with more focus on characters. Is that too much to ask?
My Ratings: 2 STARS OUT OF 5
My Sources:
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania poster: https://press.disney.co.uk/press-kit/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania
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