Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania *spoiler review*
- Brooke D
- Feb 24, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 6, 2023
Hello lovely readers! I went to see the new Ant-Man film in theaters about an hour ago so this is going to be opinions based on my first watch. Thoughts on characters, plot, and some things to think about are all included. If you'd prefer not to be spoiled, please click away (and return when you've got the chance to see it!)
I also want to preface this by saying that these are of course my own opinions and that any criticism I have of the film does not detract from my acknowledgment of the hard work put into the film, nor is it meant to put anyone else down for enjoying parts that maybe I didn't!
The Characters
Scott Lang portrayed by Paul Rudd
Scott Lang has been one of my favorite characters (if not my favorite) and a big reason I've been looking forward to this film is because of him. While there are plenty of families portrayed in the MCU, let's not forget Tony Stark and Morgan or Clint Barton and his family, I think Scott and his relationship with Cassie is the one that has been executed really well. He's a father who wants to be a part of his daughter's life and it's very well-written, acted, and believable. It's central to the franchise and I'm glad the rumors surrounding the plot of the film were proven untrue. Initial word spread that Scott would be so obsessed with his own fame that he'd neglect Cassie and Hope and I'm very glad to say that isn't true.
His love for his family and the conflict between Scott wanting the world to go back to being okay versus Cassie and the rest of the Van Dyne's working to keep fighting injustice felt very relatable. While I really enjoyed Paul Rudd's continuation of the character and where the character starts at the beginning of the film, I feel like perhaps we didn't see substantial growth. His determination to keep his daughter safe (and realizing that she can do that herself and be active in her own story), is resolved fairly early on when she reveals her suit. When he chooses to sacrifice his own loss to stop Kang, I doubt he wouldn't have done that at the start of the film. I believe they set up a good arc with him needing to keep fighting but the payoff wasn't there. While I'm sure the resolution was there and will most likely become evident on a rewatch, I think the fact that the ending lacked the kind of power I wanted to see was a letdown.
I did however really like the way that he kept fighting to stop Kang from reaching the portal. Paul Rudd's acting and the determination and strength to keep fighting in those last few moments before Hope's reappearance was probably the strongest beat in the film.
Cassie Lang portrayed by Kathryn Newton
I'm still debating on whether or not I liked this character if I'm being honest. I will say I miss the younger actresses as Cassie and was not a fan of the age up (even though I understand the purpose of it). That being said, her character felt even less developed than Scott's. She was, even more, the same as she was at the start of the film. Her role as an activist early on made sense, as she was around to witness the effects of the Blip, and her need to be heroic tracked, however, her arc in my opinion felt too undercooked.
When she rescues Jentorra, the female alien in the second quarter of the film, it seems like a moment that's unearned as she is already "perfect". She immediately jumps into action without hesitation, making it clear she is willing to do the right thing. Similarly, in her speech towards the end of the film, it's framed as a big moment for her but instead feels almost patronizing to the audience. I for one never doubted that she wouldn't be capable of rallying the rebellion. Maybe if we had seen her unwillingness or inability to act under duress, seen her afraid of public speaking, or been shown her feeling like she didn't believe she could make a difference (which I think would have worked great for a film series that is known for holding little weight to the rest of the MCU), maybe I would have enjoyed her character more and the plot would have felt more grounded. As it was, I didn't feel the same connection to Cassie that I really wanted to feel.
Janet Van Dyne portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer absolutely earned her screen time in this film! She did a fantastic job with what she was given, I just wish it was more. She had a lot to do but the emotional depth just wasn't there. I feel like they played off her relationship with Krylar more for comedy when it could have been much better utilized to explain her loneliness. Maybe that's what they were going for, but it felt too quick when I think it could have added more to her own trauma, another part I wish had been explored more as well. The film scratched the surface of emotions with Janet and I think she definitely has potential for more.
Kang the Conqueror portrayed by Jonathan Majors
Kang was the biggest surprise in terms of character. I liked his reveal and his relationship with Janet. If you watched Loki, as I did, then you've seen him before. I'm not as familiar with the comics but I do know some of the lore surrounding Kang and I think his *major* introduction to the MCU was a success. Definitely set him up to be an interesting villain in the next Avenger film although I have no idea how any of the Avengers (barring Wanda) stand a chance against an infinite number of Kangs. Majors played the role with interesting nuance, I think his decision to try and keep his promise to Janet after she made it clear she wouldn't help him added an interesting layer to his character. I liked the scenes of him and Janet before his ship was fixed and I think there is a lot of potential for Kang as a villain. It was also interesting that Marvel, aside from the end when Kang loses his energy source, is a rare villain that doesn't necessarily match the tone and power of the hero they are fighting (like Darren Cross's mirrored powers from the first Ant-Man or Wanda and Dr. Strange's powers, or even Nat and the other widows).
Hope Van Dyne portrayed by Evangeline Lily
and Hank Pym portrayed by Michael Douglas
I don't have much to say about either. I liked both of their roles although they were definitely smaller to make room for Scott and Cassie's storyline. I did enjoy the performances and I thought the ending for both was nice. Hope going back for Scott was a very sweet moment. I think of all the characters, hers seemed to take more of a backseat to the story which is unfortunate as I really like the Wasp. Same with Hank who was such a prominent figure in the first two films.
The Plot
The plot was fairly interesting. I enjoyed the framing of Scott's book and his voiceover, it doesn't take itself too seriously in that respect, which is good because the Ant-Man movies have a set tone that works best as is, however, I did miss Luis's recap of events. I think the choice to set it in the Quantum realm could have been better explored.
Much like the physics of time travel, the quantum realm is established as this giant idea that can do/be whatever is needed for the plot of the film. In the first film, I was given a much different sense of the quantum realm and for Janet to have been stuck for such a long time, some of the mechanics of this film don't quite line up. For one, the quantum realm is meant to be nearly (if not) infinitely big. Therefore, according to in-world physics, it feels a bit too easy to have Scott and Cassie end up in a similar part of the realm (unless the transportation or something changed the perception of distance in the realm, but even then, I feel like it should have been more clear if that was the case).
The jokes that landed, landed well. I laughed at most of them, but much of the movie felt distant. There weren't many emotional beats (the only one for me was when he called Cassie "Peanut") and there were a few jokes that went on for too long and were not as funny as the movie clearly wanted it to be, specifically the one referring to Modak.
Modak was an interesting character and perhaps if I had knowledge of him or his purpose prior to the film I might have liked him more, but as it was, I only vaguely recognized him. I understand his point in tying the Pym's to Kang, but I didn't like his character, nor the CGI. It was one of the places I thought could have been designed much better. I'm not sure how, but I believe it just didn't work. Furthermore, when Cassie tells him to stop being a d*ck, that "joke" goes on far too long and feels very out of place. In fact, Darren Cross's redemption arc feels out of left field and I truly didn't need to see him for as much screentime as he was given.
The probability storm was very visually interesting and one of the better scenes of the film, however, it really didn't seem to make sense within the context of what was going on. I don't think it was explained -- at least not well -- why it was happening. Modak said the mind begins to unravel the closer he gets to the core, but that doesn't track with his ability to interact with the other Scotts. Also, the idea that the end goal of saving Cassie is the reason they band together seems out of place too. If anything, if they had a singular goal, I could see it making more sense that they all begin to disappear. The scene felt like it was trying to replicate Multiverse of Madness or even Loki but it just felt inconsistent. Furthermore, it doesn't make sense why the Scotts do end up disappearing when Hope appears despite Scott still being near the core.
The last scene I want to mention is the deus ex machina of the ants being so advanced they find their way to Hank and the gang, Scott, Hank, and Hope are abandoned by Kang but it never feels dire because all of a sudden the ants appear. Also, I don't believe they set up the ants properly to be the super intelligent beings that are able to navigate the Quantum realm.
Final Thoughts + Things to Think About
Final thoughts? The movie, like so many other reviews I've seen (and would have to agree with), was okay. I would rank it 3/5 or 7/10. I enjoyed seeing it on the big screen and I thought the actors did a fantastic job with what they were given, but the lack of central character focus or growth paired with a plot that only made sense if you didn't think about it too much made the movie hard to really sink in to. It feels like it lost the heart of the first two films. I think it does harken back to the first three phases of marvel films with a good action base, however, not much felt new or exciting despite being set in a realm outside of our own. All of it has been seen and done before and I wish it wasn't filled with the same stunts we've seen countless times already, characters without flaws right off the bat, and a thin plot that never scratched beneath the surface of any of the interesting people or ideas brought up.
One thing the film made me think about (most likely unintentionally) was the fact that the main characters all had similar characteristics to humans. I understand logistically why it would be easiest to do that, but in the context of the film, it made no sense. The characters that were clearly not human had barely any speaking parts (aside from the goo thing). I believe this is interesting because it speaks to how we perceive life and intelligence. The film tries to make the argument that ants have become these extremely intelligent beings, however, the film still acts as if the human form is the highest considering the only "aliens" apart of the quantum realm that have any weight to their role are humanoid. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy does a better job of creating beings that are less humanoid, such as Rocket or Mantis, and who are given at least some characterization.
Also, the two end-credit scenes were pretty cool and well worth waiting for! As a fan of Kang, I loved seeing the power of an infinite gathering. I also loved seeing Loki and Mobius together and am excited for Loki season 2!
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