'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Movie Review
- Details
- Category: New Series and Movie Reviews
- Published: Tuesday, 14 February 2023 09:00
- Written by Lupe R Haas
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA is the busiest movie of this Marvel trilogy with tons of distracting CGI environments. The sequel is one part STAR WARS and the other part GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY due to the heavy CGI work. Thankfully Paul Rudd carries the movie as the heart of the story but Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonathan Majors steal the show.
The Lang and Pym/Van Dyne family are sucked into the Quantum Realm in ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA where a population of strange creatures inhabits the subatomic level in space and time. Trapped, the gang encounters Kang the Conquerer who wants something from Scott.
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer return with a teenaged Cassie now played by newcomer Kathryn Newton. The entire family share in the heroic moments Avenger-style.
The two prior ANT-MAN movies are the most grounded movies out of all the MCU films with practical sets based in the real world and the core of the story belonging to Scott Lang’s quest to be the best father to Cassie. That storyline pays off in QUANTUMANIA, but the viewer is literally in an all-new world which at first is jarring. The amount of CGI work is impressive, but the backgrounds are really busy with activity and creatures, some of which look like they stepped off a STAR WARS or STAR TREK set.
Another issue is that the new setting of the Quantum Realm is too similar to outer space rather than a subatomic set. No one knows what a subatomic space looks like except for the electrical activity in the backgrounds, but it takes time to adjust your expectations and the actors do their part to keep you focused on the character’s plight.
Rudd’s Scott Lang is just as endearing as ever with his range of emotions and wit. The everyman is just so easy to root for.
Scott faces his most formidable foe with Jonathan Major’s Kang bringing the dread as the villain. Majors avoids the usual cliches and presents his character with a calm demeanor which makes him all the more intimidating because of his nonchalant ways.
Pfeiffer’s Janet Van Dyne is the original Wasp to Hank’s Ant-Man but we have not seen the character in superhero mode until now. The actress has some cat-like moves in a few action scenes that may remind viewers of her Catwoman turn in BATMAN RETURNS with Michael Keaton. It was a highlight seeing Pfeiffer own those scenes.
Cassie Lang is 18 years of age in the film, and 26-year-old Kathyn Newton (Amber Heard’s doppelgänger) is obviously much older than her character. Unfortunately, it was difficult to suspend that belief and her dialogue didn’t help.
The dialogue was a bit foreign at times with the lines veering into corny and often too sentimental. It’s interesting to note that Rudd is not credited as a writer this time around, although he’s listed in the two previous movies. The difference is definitely noticeable.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA is an enjoyable watch once you acquire a taste for the CGI setting.