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Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Story
There were elements that worked and it was interesting to see Ant-Man as a lead in something epic, but it wasn’t the right story for him.
That being said, it felt like the main story was ripped straight from early science fiction and specifically from the old Flash Gordon serials.
Score: 0
Characters
There were two sets of characters and it felt like they were in very different movies. Janet and Hope were in an epic fantasy, while the rest were in a YA portal fantasy comedy. The character development was all over the place and felt disjointed.
I did like the story arc with Darren/M.O.D.O.K., and the secondary characters were fascinating.
Points for avoiding useless romantic drama, but they lose points for having no idea what to do with Hope, again.
Bill Murray’s character was an unsympathetic clone of Lando.
Kang was BORING. The infodumping speeches and mediocre threats were the worst part of the movie.
Score: 0.5
Dialogue
Like the rest of the movie, it felt disconnected. The epic fantasy prose of Janet, Kang, and most of the rest of the cast were uncomfortable juxtaposed with Scott, Cassie, Darren, and Hank’s quippy superhero dialogue.
There are times it worked, like with the goo man who wanted holes, but overall it wasn’t great.
Score: 0.5
Visuals and Music
The movie’s visuals were absolutely engrossing. I loved all the details, races, and weird shit everywhere. It was a wonder to watch and so much fun.
The music was well done and didn’t take itself too seriously, but fell into the same problem of feeling like Ant-Man music in an Epic Fantasy movie.
Score: 1
Fun
This movie was surprisingly chill for all its over the top drama. It was a lot of fun to watch and I can see myself rewatching just for the visuals. The kids were glued to their seats and most of the adults liked it.
Score: 1
Overall
The weakest of the three Ant-Man movies, mostly because it wasn’t an Ant-Man movie but a vapid copy of Flash Gordon with Ant-Man and company. The story is messy and disjointed with elements that shouldn’t go together being forced to interact. The villain is one of the blandest most boring villains in MCU history.
The visuals however, were ABSOLUTELY fabulous and Paul Rudd is hilarious, both of those make the movie way better than it has any right to be.
Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5