Film Review: “Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania”

Has Marvel jumped the shark?

For 15 years, The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone on to become one of the most successful film franchises to date. While the MCU may have had their highs with films such as “Endgame”, “Winter Soldier”, & “Iron Man”, they’ve recently had a few misfires as well. Aside from “Hawkeye” and “Ms. Marvel”, most of their Disney+ shows have been pretty awful and with letdowns like “Eternals”, the only feeling I’ve seem to have lately is fatigue. Similar to a TV show that has gone on for far too long, I feel like I might be finally tired of Marvel. So, how does the latest “Ant Man” movie fare?

The overall plot of the movie follows Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, as he navigates challenges presented by being a superhero and a family man. This plotline seems overused and predictable, and the humor falls flat at times. Not only is the film devoid of effective humor, it also fails to establish stakes. “Quantumania” is the second most boring MCU movie to date, being edged out by 2021’s “Eternals”. One of the few bright spots is Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. Majors and Rudd carry this film with their performances that are far better than this movie. It’s a shame that their characters have literally no arc in the movie. In a matter of fact, very little changes for Scott at the end, making the entire movie feel pointless.

The supporting cast also suffers from poor characterization, with Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Janet Pym (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) taking a back seat in the story. The addition of Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) does little to move the plot forward, and her inclusion feels unnecessary. Both Newton and Lily deliver their lines so badly, they make Melissa Barerra from last year’s “Scream” sound like Cate Blanchett in comparison. Both Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas spend 90% of the movie looking for their paychecks while trying incredibly hard to hide how embarrassed they are to be on set.

The visual effects do not save the movie either. The giant and miniaturized action scenes are dizzying and too frequent, leaving little time for the audience to appreciate the character development or the plot advancement. For a $200 million feature film released in 2023, it looks like…