Escapist Fun
Summary
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a bonkers start to Phase V of the MCU with some mind boggling visuals and Jonathan Majors stealing every scene he is in. There are too many supporting characters taking the focus away from our main protagonist but there are some fun and inventive action scenes to keep things moving.
Plot: Super Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang, the family finds 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 possible.
Review: After the mostly disappointing Phase IV Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off the Fifth Phase of the MCU and is a return to form for the franchise giving us one of the strangest entries to date.
If you’ve never been a fan of the Marvel movies, then this likely won’t change your mind but if you’ve been keeping up with all the movies and TV shows (which is difficult) then you’ll see this no matter what reviews say.
I’ve heard mixed things about Quantumania, but I thought it was a lot of fun with some impressive visual effects and no shortage of action set-pieces either. Admittedly you are always aware that the majority of the movie is shot in front of a greenscreen but this being a Marvel film then you should be used to that by this stage.
Paul Rudd is one of the most amiable leads in Hollywood today just coming across as an all round nice guy and that always jumps off the screen. He is perfectly cast as Scott Lang who has had his problems in the past but is trying to make up for it by being a better father to his somewhat annoying daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton).
Jonathan Majors steals every scene he is in, and I look forward to seeing any upcoming Marvel stories with him in it as Kang is one of the best villains of the MCU; usually they are quite bland and forgettable but he really makes an impact.
One thing I’m fed up with in so many modern movies (especially in the MCU) is that we rarely get just a one-on-one fight scene; in this we do get a final showdown between Scott and Kang and it’s a decent fight, but it’s let down by how it ends. I’ll say nothing else as I don’t want to spoil anything but I find there are too many characters that take away the focus from our main protagonist.
Scott and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) make for a genuinely appealing couple but they rarely get any scenes together here so The Wasp really doesn’t need to have her name in the title; this is Scott’s story and his relationship with his daughter is the main focus.
It’s well paced and makes for a quick 2 hours which is rare these days and some reviews have said it reminds them of Star Wars at times which I would say is true in terms of all the strange creatures we get to see and they are some of the weirdest I’ve ever seen.
Overall, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is absolute nonsense but it has an appealing lead in Paul Rudd and a scene stealing turn from Jonathan Majors; I could do without several of the other characters who take too much time off our main hero but it still makes for a fun ride. It also has some impressive action scenes with a final showdown that was nearly great but ruined by how it ended.