Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Corey Stoll, Bill Murray, Katy O’Brian, David Dastmalchian
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Written by: Jeff Loveness
View the trailer here
The first Ant-Man was released nearly 8 years ago in 2015. Who knew that by 2023, we would be on the third Ant-Man film. Watching The Avengers, you would most likely peg Ant-Man and Hawkeye the superheroes who seem more human than superhero. Every time I see Scott Lang fight, I’m fearful he’ll break a bone. He just doesn’t have the physicality or even the aura of a superhero. And yet it doesn’t really matter as Scott has the ability to be very itty bitty like an ant. Or, he can stand taller than buildings as Ant-Man.
A lot has been said about this third and most likely final installment of the Ant-Man trilogy. This wasn’t going to be what they call a palette cleanser or a teaser of a film. But it was going to be an “Avengers level” film. What does that mean exactly? Does it mean the first two Ant-Man films were just warm up’s to a real cinematic experience? But beyond that, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is being known as having one of the worst Rotten Tomatoes scores ever for the MCU. So are the reviews fair? Is it true that the MCU has lost its magic?
The happy family life is interrupted by a trip to the Quantum Realm
The movie opens up with a smiling Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) who’s adjusted to his new life as a free man. He lives in San Francisco with his now teenaged daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) and wife Hope (Evangeline Lilly). Things are so great on the family front that Hope’s parents Hank (Michael Douglas) and Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) even call Cassie their “granddaughter”. Scott has even used his notoriety as Ant-Man to write a book about his experiences. Life seems as good as it can get, but that is, until Janet finds out that some members of the family have been messing around with contacting the Quantum Realm.
The setting of the film quickly goes from sunny San Francisco to the dark and dreary Quantum Realm. And the movie stays here for pretty much the entire length of the film. If there’s a lot of negative reviews, I suspect a big portion of it is the reception towards the Quantum Realm and the things that live here. The hard left turn into a science fiction setting may be too much for some to handle.
I’ll admit that when I kept hearing reviews about how the Quantum Realm looks terrible and that the movie becomes a sci-fi film, I was really not looking forward to spending two hours in a strange universe. I’ve mentioned it before but one of the genres of film, TV, and books that I just can’t for some reason deal with science fiction. I can stomach some like I enjoyed the latest Star Wars films and movies like I, Robot and Minority Report. But in general, I can’t get with the strange clothes, creatures, and everything else that tells you this is a science fiction movie.
This sci-fi hater was sold on Quantumania
But you know what? I really liked being in the Quantum Realm. And that’s because of the story and amazing actors all around. The core conflict of Quantumania is that Janet unknowingly helped the evil Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) escape from his banishment. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Janet is brought home from the Quantum Realm after 30 years of being away. But what we learn now is during Janet’s time there, she stumbled upon another man who seemed trapped like her. Little did she know, the man who she had spent years together with trying to find a way to get out, was a man who had annihilated lives and timelines and was going to continue that once they got out.
As we know from earlier, Janet is willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. She wasn’t willing to get an easy pass out if that meant Kang would continue his destruction. So Janet blows up the energy source that would help Kang to escape. She ends up running from Kang for years afterwards until she’s saved by her family.
Janet’s time with Kang was one of the best parts
The flashback to Janet’s time with Kang is one of the best parts of Quantumania. Kang doesn’t appear again for what seems like a very long time and when he does, he’s already at full force evil villain mode. It was nice to hear the quiet and conversation between the two as they struggled to get the energy source to work.
The Lang/Pym family of course all end up in the Quantum Realm, but they’re split up. Hank, Janet, and Hope are in one place. And Scott and Cassie are in another. Let’s start with the Pym family. As Janet used to live there, she knows exactly where to go and who to talk to in order to find Scott and Cassie. It turns out that she had a bit of a fling with a Quantum Realm-er named Krylar (Bill Murray). Krylar turns on her and they escape via his spaceship that is steered by what can only be described as jellyfish-like arms.
As for the Lang duo, they’re interrogated by a group of rebels who were driven out by Kang. They’re also not fond of anyone who is connected with Janet as they blame her for unleashing Kang. It’s not long until they’re all under attack by Kang’s army, which includes a re-imagined Darren (Corey Stoll). Darren is now a giant head/machine thing called M.O.D.O.K. It’s a very bizarre look, but oddly enough, Stoll’s personality comes through and it works. Both Scott and Cassie are of course taken prisoner by Kang.
Kang is the rare MCU villain who could be a real-life scary guy
The scene where Kang threatens to kill Cassie if Scott doesn’t agree to steal back the energy source is one I don’t quite recall seeing often or at all in the many MCU movies. There is a reason why Jonathan Majors’ Kang is getting all the good buzz and that’s because he’s damn good as a scary, evil bad guy. There’s no humor or levity with Kang. He’s all serious business like a cold blooded killer character you’d see in a drama.
Kang is the most grounded villain I can recall in a long time when it comes to superhero movies. Maybe it’s because they showed the commercial for Creed III before the movie started, and Majors looks frighteningly scary as the bad guy in that film, but that same intensity is brought to Kang and I like it.
One of the weakest elements of MCU films is the lack of a strong villain character who’s actually a full-fledged scary monster bad guy. Most of them seem cartoony or they don’t really mean what they say. They also don’t always follow through on their potential for destruction. Or in other words, the bad guys are never scary to me in the MCU. But Kang is SCARY. Kang means and does what he will say. He will kill Cassie if Scott doesn’t do what he says.
Scott Lang’s fighter alter ego finally comes out
Since we’re dealing with a killer mad man devoid of any empathy, that then forces Scott Lang to step forward as a serious protector and fighter for his daughter. And I loved seeing that side of the usually goofy and unassuming Scott.
When Scott becomes the huge version of Ant-Man, he’s calling out for Kang as he did what he was told and he still doesn’t have his daughter. He charges through the town that Kang built and he’s full of anger and determination. Scott’s reaction to not having his daughter reminded me of the famous scene in Ransom when Mel Gibson’s character screams into the phone about giving back his son. That was when I really saw Ant-Man as a formidable fighter no different than Captain America or Thor.
But no fear, Cassie can take care of herself as she of course also has an Ant-Man suit. She’s able to get away and partner up with Jentorra, one of the leaders of the rebels who are against Kang, and they’re both able to round up the rebels to unite against Kang.
What I liked is that unlike some films, they may have made Cassie a sudden protégé who has the skills and abilities like a pro, but she doesn’t end up saving the day. She does what she can, but the final fight comes down to the super smart ants, Scott, and Hope.
The Ant-Man trilogy winds down while Kang the Conqueror rises
The movie ends as it began with a happy Scott moseying about his San Francisco neighborhood, but there’s a sudden change in Scott’s sunny disposition. He recalls what Kang said about terrible things happening when he dies and although Scott is concerned, it’s only momentary. The two end credits tell us more about Scott’s fleeting concern and how “Kang will return” tells us that we’re just getting started with Kang the Conqueror.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania may feel like it’s a winding down for Scott Lang and the gang and a set up for Kang the Conqueror, but it’s a solid finish (if it is) for the Ant-Man trilogy. Everyone stepped up in this film. No matter if the Quantum Realm may feel a bit under developed or may seem like a mish mash of Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars. The cast is top notch in this and you will laugh and maybe shed a few tears at some of the emotional moments. Go see Quantumania and forget about the Rotten Tomatoes reviews.
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