Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe commences with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which sees Scott Lang taking on Kang the Conqueror. The story sees Scott, his daughter Cassie, and the Pyms being brought to the Quantum Realm after Cassie managed to make some contact with the subatomic universe. With the Langs and Pyms separated from each other, they must figure out how to return back home and avoid Kang's ruthlessness. The third Ant-Man film skews from the previous entries' more laid back heist comedy and into darker and more serious territory that introduces the MCU's next big recurring villain. While Jeff Loveness makes his film debut with this entry's script, he's no stranger to either comedy or comics thanks to his work on Miracle Workers and Rick and Morty and having worked on Marvel, DC, and other comic book publishers. He still captures most of the magic from the last two films, mainly in the fun, wild energy and the returning characters. With this third chapter, Loveness dives deep into the craziness that there is in the Quantum Realm, the lore of the multiverse, and the dark and foreboding nature of Kang. There are, however, just as many weaknesses to the script then there are strengths, more so than any other MCU installment. In all of the projects that there has been in this franchise, this movie unfortunately suffers the most from its humor. While some of the humor does work, there are too many times where the comedy goes on for way longer than it needs to, almost like it's trying to pad out the runtime. Two glaring issues that are hard to ignore, especially with how long the MCU has been around and how vast it's been, is the explanation by Janet of the multiverse and too many people not referring to Kang by name in an ominous manner. There's also the way the movie ends as it makes it seem it will finish in a way that will lead to Kang's future appearances and how threatening he is, but it felt like such a very obvious last minute change. One of the few directors to helm an entire MCU trilogy, Peyton Reed continues to prove why he's one of the most creative and fun for this superhero universe. His direction is well put together, the action scenes are fun, the visuals are great though some CG effects could have had more time put in, and Christophe Beck's music blends well with the look. Old and new cast members all give great performances, yes even Jonathan Majors (keep in mind I saw this and Creed III before his accusations were revealed). Paul Rudd still has charm and great chemistry with Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer prove that age hasn't slowed them down, Corey Stoll returns from the first film in a surprising and entertaining way as M.O.D.O.K., Kathryn Newton is fun, and Majors proves how formidable and deadly Kang can be. While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may not be the best start to a new phase, it's still entertaining and has one of the most unique looks for a superhero film. Over all: 78%

2023 top list so far:

1. M3GAN

2. Knock at the Cabin

3. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania