Marvel
begins its Phase Five with Ant-Man and
The Wasp: Quantumania, an entertaining, at times overly ambitious mashup of
major plotlines that works up to a point.
Ant-Man
aka Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is reconciling with his headstrong daughter, Cassie
(Kathryn Newton), when an experiment accidentally pulls them and the Pym clan
of Hank (Michael Douglas), Hope (Evangeline Lily), and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), into the Quantum Realm, an otherworldly microverse of bizarre
creatures and weird landscapes that encompasses multiverses and different timelines.
As the family fights to survive, they
learn of Janet’s previous experience in the realm involving dark secrets
including the mysterious Kang (Jonathan Majors), a powerful being with machinations that have enormous implications for
the Pyms and the multiverse.
There
are multiple themes, among them the relationship between Scott and Cassie,
Janet’s history in the Quantum Realm, and the calculating plans of Kang, which
leaves subplots hanging or underdeveloped.
It’s a frantically paced adventure with Ant-Man powers on full
display. The film, sprinkled with
surprises and cameos, at times feels like a Star
Wars film with echoes of Guardians of
the Galaxy, and the Quantum Realm is like a variation of Fantastic Voyage with a strong helping of
Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,
heavily embellished with visual effects.
With
a rousing, emotional climax, it’s an above average Marvel film (with Majors
well cast in a looming, pivotal role), and there is a strong sense of world
building and an ominous warning shot for
the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s best to go in with moderate expectations;
plus, you’ve got to love those ants.
(Two end credit scenes point to future arcs.)
*** of **** stars (add ½* for Majors)
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