After early screenings for the press and critics, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania received a 51% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And indeed, they have legitimate reasons to “get tough” straight on with the 31st superhero film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After 15 years of building, expanding, and consistently making money, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is seen as a formidable force with a great influence on the global film industry. At this point, no one dares to say that one day the MCU will die. However, the MCU is clearly becoming… boring as it enters Phase 5 with its 31st film – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Using an old formula wrapped in flashy special effects, Ant-Man 3 is disappointing and raises the question: “Is Marvel becoming lazy and stale?”
“The lackluster adventure of Ant-Man”
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the kickoff project for the fifth phase of the MCU and the second sequel to the Ant-Man character’s standalone film franchise. In the new film, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) aka Ant-Man is enjoying a relaxing phase in life. He is highly respected by the public for being a member of the Avengers, although he is occasionally mistaken for Spider-Man. Scott also has a peaceful love life with his girlfriend, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). His daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), is now a 19-year-old smart, beautiful girl with many aspirations.
In a test of a newly completed machine, Cassie Lang inadvertently caused the entire family to be sucked into the Quantum Realm – a super small world that few know of its existence. Previously, Hope’s mother, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), was trapped here for 30 years. This time in the Quantum Realm, the entire Scott Lang family is in danger and must face a dangerous enemy, Kang – The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a massive film in terms of graphic design and special effects, as 90% of the film was shot with green screen backgrounds. The film takes viewers on a journey through the most mystical and bizarre realms of the Quantum Realm, with ecosystems, creatures, and never-before-seen civilizations. The civilizations and empires within the Quantum Realm are both grand and whimsical, which makes it a fascinating experience for viewers. The weapons, warships, and infrastructure in this world are also eye-catching.
The spectacular visual effects, however, cannot save a loose storyline that is filled with abundant details and events but lacks emotional depth. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania feels like a family-friendly adventure movie, with a cast of naive characters exploring an unfamiliar land. When they confront a “monster” that rules the place, the family has to work together to fight a decisive battle.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is also a film that introduces to the audience the new central villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Kang – The Conqueror. This character is introduced as having terrifying power, both ambitious and ruthless, and even more frightening than Thanos. Jonathan Majors plays Kang, and his appearance and charisma are quite impressive. However, Kang in Ant-Man 3 is also poorly developed.
In the past, what made Thanos one of the greatest villains on the big screen was his ideal – an extreme, radical but deeply humanistic ideal. The threat from Thanos was gradually “built up” over several films, and it finally culminated in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Thanos’ strategic ability and his use and manipulation of his minions were also demonstrated. On the other hand, Kang in Ant-Man shows off a lot of fighting skills but often leaves audiences skeptical about his capabilities and his dream of becoming a conqueror. And although he is supposed to have built an empire that always wins in the Quantum Realm, Kang’s underlings are weak and ineffective.
In addition, Ant-Man 3 does not show the severity of the multiversal extinction brought by Kang to the audience. The involvement of the Ant-Man family, including Scott Lang, loses its appeal and the film loses the epic color that a superhero film should have. The film tries to emphasize the family’s emotional connection, but it all feels too clichéd.
Long and drawn out, is it bad?
In fact, if viewed independently, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is not necessarily a terrible work. It is still a suitable film for entertainment and to expand the audience’s horizons on the “magic” of special effects technology. But the problem lies in the outdated storyline. The audience has seen dozens of similar films in the past decade. Moreover, this is already phase 5 of the MCU, not the establishment phase anymore.
Rolling Stone’s analysis shows that there are currently 31 Marvel movies and 20 TV series. As time goes on, the character and story system expands, with careful attention paid to the established timeline. It’s difficult for audiences to watch and remember every movie, plot, and character history. They haven’t had the chance to fully absorb and bond with one character before they have to follow the storyline of another.
To earn huge profits, Disney and Marvel need to reach as wide an audience as possible. In addition, as a brand, they need to use movies as a “hook” for merchandise sales, toys, and overall ecosystem health, so it seems that the MCU movies are becoming more and more “family-friendly”.
It will be difficult to generate excitement for the audience, especially those who are not Marvel fans and are looking for new and exciting entertainment, if Marvel Studios continues to play it safe in the next phase. Anything that goes on for too long can become boring.
