When the first Ant-Man dropped in 2015, audiences had just come from seeing the Avengers barely beat Ultron in a movie that left much to be desired. A nice change of pace, the movie proved to be a low level film and highlight the comedic stylings of Paul Rudd. Since then, much has happened in the MCU what with Scott Lang officially becoming an Avenger and the Blip, and now not only are expectations raised but the series is pushing towards uncharted territory. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania asks its audience to spend time exploring the quantum realm, but I’m not sure it was worth the journey.
When we meet Scott Lang again, it seems as though all is going well as can be hoped for. His family is safe, Hope has taken over her father’s company, and he has found the time to write a book. If his now teenage daughter lands in jail for protesting the homeless being removed, well that’s just a small blip compared to the larger issue of her and her grandfather building a signal to the quantum realm. Or at least that’s what Janet thinks prior to the family being sucked into a portal from an invention they had created. Separated from each other, they struggle to get back together and find a way home, a task made more difficult by Kang and his plans for them.
Speaking of Kang, Jonathan Majors portrayal of the villain is one of the highlights of the film. Far different than the version we met in Loki, this Kang is much more menacing and intriguing and he plays all facets of him. A perfect blend of superiority and rage, his scenes with everyone prove among the highlights of the movie.
The movie is also blissfully two hours and five minutes. However that also makes this the longest of the Ant-Man films and the movie’s editing doesn’t make this feel like a jaunty adventure but rather a puzzle that doesn’t quite fit together. Ant-Man films are at their best when they find the right blend of hijinks and heart and while this movie does have a vein of fun in it, it largely can’t quite nail what type of movie it should be. Integral pieces of information and backstory are doled out at points long after they should and many interesting topics (nature of what it means to be a hero, rebellion, etc.) are moved on from just as quickly as they are brought up. It’s frustrating as a viewer that the movie brings up interesting topics but doesn’t seem interested in exploring them.
Perhaps most bafflingly, there are so many interesting shots in this film that are cut before you can appreciate them because they want to ramp up the pace or make things seem more interesting than they are. Peyton Reed proved adept at comedic timing in his career and is more than capable of making these Ant-Man films kinetic, but he and the VFX team dropped the ball here. The movie takes what makes these characters dynamic visually and renders them in a much more generic fashion.
By virtue of placing a character that is nearly street level with a universe threatening opponent, you have to make the movie rise to meet it. However Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is largely stuck in needing to be bigger and not quite executing the plan to make it feel grander.