Another Take: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

While Jonathan Majors is intriguing enough as Kang, the MCU finally shows they have no idea what they're doing and this all probably isn't building to much of anything

What has set the Marvel Cinematic Universe apart from other movie franchises is the interconnected storytelling. From that first post-credit tease of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, audiences have loved seeing the movies build upon each other, leading to a two-part finale in “Avengers: Infinity Wars” and “Avengers: End Game” that was well worth the time invested. Producer Kevin Feige and his team pulled off the impossible and wrapped up everything in a narratively satisfying way. Along the way, he earned a lot of trust from movie-goers (and now TV show watchers as they’ve branched into streaming series).

Don’t worry. Kevin Feige has a plan. This is all building toward something.

The MCU’s latest entry, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (terrible title), doesn’t really feel like a movie at all. It’s more like a building block, setting up something else that we’d rather watch instead. And yet, I have increasing doubts if this is all going anywhere at all.

Don’t worry. Kevin Feige has a plan. Or does he?

After the Thanos Epic, the next big storyline in Marvel movies is all centered around the multiverse. Different dimensions. Different versions of the same character. Different timelines.

Yet, we have been given no clear explanation for what this multiverse threat is and why is it happening?

In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the different dimensions started to bleed together after Peter Parker asked Doctor Strange to cast a spell altering reality. And yet everything seemed fine at the end. In the Disney+ series “Loki,” there was a concern about different timelines/realities because Loki grabbed the Tesseract in “Avengers: End Game” during the time-travel heist. In the theatrical release, “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” the multiverse was at risk because Wanda Maximoff cast a spell to be with her children from an alternate universe (continuing the story from her own Disney+ show). We're given three different reasons why holes to other universes are opening up.

In “Quantumania,” it’s now explained that Kang the Conquerer, an interdimensional warlord, has been exiled to the Quantum Realm, which is where you go when you shrink so tiny that no microscope can see you. When you shrink that small, time/space no longer really exist and a whole beautiful universe, largely ripped off from “Star Wars” films, exists there.

Scott Lang (played decently by Paul Rudd) is adjusting to life as a famous Avenger. His life doesn’t really have too many problems. He’s no longer looked down upon as an irresponsible ex-con. His biggest concern is his daughter, Cassie, (played by Kathryn Newton, who steps in a recasting decision). Scott missed five years of his daughter’s life when he was stuck in the Quantum Realm during Thanos Snap. She’s now a rebellious activist who wants to fight for the little guy (pun intended). She also is (somehow) a scientific genius who invents a way to communicate with the Quantum Realm.

(Quick aside: How many teenaged scientific geniuses do we need in the MCU? We have Shuri, Riri Williams, Peter Parker, that kid from “Iron Man 3.” It’s a bit much.)

Scott and Cassie get accidentally sucked into the Quantum Realm, along with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfieffer). Now they’ve got to find a way home and, unfortunately, it seems the only way is to strike a deal with the villainous Kang.

What we end up with is a bunch of pretty-looking CGI and unmemorable characters that don’t really add up to much. There are no real stakes. The audience isn’t as emotionally invested in the characters of the now-grown-up Cassie and Janet Van Dyne, because, frankly, we haven’t gotten to really know them all. Hank and Hope are given way too little to do (calling this movie “and The Wasp” is almost false advertising). I will say that Paul Rudd does a good job playing a father who will do anything for his daughter and that might be the real (and only) emotional weight of this film. If it wasn’t for Rudd, I might have felt nothing.

Bill Murray shows up briefly without much to do. I’m a Bill Murray fan but his cameo didn’t do much for me.

The movie also introduces the MCU version of M.O.D.O.K. a bizarre comic book character that doesn’t translate well to the big screen. The CGI looked awful on this one.

Now let’s get to the part that everyone is really looking forward to: Kang. Hyped as the new overarching big bad of the MCU (It’s no spoiler since the next Avengers film is tagged as “The Kang Dynasty”), Jonathan Majors plays the character quite differently than he did as Kang’s variant He Who Remains in “Loki.” While both chew the scenery, Kang is more serious and thoughtful. You can look on his face and see a man who has lived lifetimes and has seen it all. He’s destroyed entire universes/timelines. He’s tired but also eager for vengeance.

First off, Majors is a fantastic actor. I first saw him inn “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and he’s impressed in everything I’ve seen him in since. I’m even excited for “Creed III” solely because of his presence. He’s an accomplished thespian with a chiseled physique, perfect for a Marvel bad guy. And he’s young enough to not be cynical. He still pours his all into every performance. Excellent choice to cast him.

Unfortunately, the script does Majors no favors. At some times the character’s backstory is shrouded in mystery and we don’t understand his motivations and other times things are explained far too much. Unlike Thanos or Killmonger, we don’t really sympathize with Kang or slightly see his point of view. While “Thanos Was Right” was a popular graffiti tag in MCU TV shows, I don’t see that hashtag spreading for Kang just yet. By the end of the movie, he just devolves into an angry, violent villain who screams a bunch. I don’t blame Majors, but the mystery and nuance is gone.

Majors does his best, but at times he’s overcompensating for a weak script, trying to inject pathos into dialogue that has none. He’s slightly overacting, but in the best way, and it’s a comic book movie after all.

Most disappointing is that the film initially sets up a moral dilemma for Scott Lang to strike a deal with Kang in order to get him, his daughter and friends home. That moral question is completely ruined when the movie makes it way too clear that Kang is evil and not to be trusted. What would have been a tough decision for Scott is no longer difficult at all.

There are two post-credit scenes involving Kang, so I’d advise you stick around and watch them. Hopefully later movies can salvage his character and flesh it out better.

It sounds like I’m completely crapping on “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” but it’s not terrible. Merely OK. It’s a fun way to distract yourself for two hours. Is it $200 million well spent to make it? I’m not sure. It’ll make money, but it’s another so-so film that will eventually erode Marvel’s brand loyalty. The short-term cash grab by Marvel/Disney might not be worth it if people are no longer excited for the next movie.

Am I still interested to see where this Kang storyline takes the MCU? I’d say mildly. I’m curious, but no longer excited. With so many misses recently in the MCU, my expectations have lowered and now I would not be surprised if this entire storyline leads to a dud.

It’s become apparent that Kevin Feige and his team might just be throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. There is no greater plan… except to get people to spend their money on movie tickets.

These aren’t movies. They’re products. Well made products, but products nonetheless.