I think Ant-Man is one of the most comedic MCU characters. His movies always show that, and this one is no different. If you're looking for a dramatic, crazy emotional film, this is not it. While the movie definitely has some wholesome moments, what makes it good is how outrageous it is, and how it plays to the strengths of its characters.
Synopsis
Ant-Man, the Wasp, and their family find themselves in the quantum realm; again for some, and for others, the first time. Interacting with new creatures and places they never knew existed, they must find a way out, finding new friends and enemies along the way.
Starring Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lily as Hope van Dyne/the Wasp, Kathyrn Newton as Cassie Lang and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror.
What I loved
The comedy throughout. I’ve said it once, and I'll say it again, Ant-Man is supposed to be a funny character, and this film does that justice and more. We get this very cool intro, which you see in the trailer, that is Scott Lang doing a comedic monologue of his life after saving the world, and it's just a great way to start off the film and make it a very comedic thing. While we get ominous comedy at some points, throughout the film we get moments that just make you straight up burst laughing. I’m a person who doesn't like when Marvel makes all their films comedic, but Ant-Man is meant to be funny, and this film is truly no different.
The cinematography. This movie is unbelievably gorgeous, and you almost can't focus on anything else. From the usual beauty of the costume designs to the set that is otherworldly, you cannot take your eyes off this film. We go from scene to scene in this film of one gorgeous element to another. You get to see all these different quantum biomes, that each have their own unique life to them that stand out. Overall, it's so beautifully done, and everyone that worked on these elements deserves a raise.
What I didn't love
The lack of introduction/clarity throughout. While I like the plot, some characters seem simply added with no explanation. Even someone who watches all Marvel films over and over, and reads the comics casually, the connection throughout this movie feels off. I could not recommend it to some who liked the first two films without having heavy prior MCU knowledge, and even then there are timeline discrepancies. Throughout the movie, with the introduction of Kang, there is just a piece that feels like it is missing. We know sort of who he is from Loki (and if you read the comics), but where is the rest of his story? It feels like you're missing something with new characters and just unanswered questions throughout.
The comedy is too much at times. While the movie is meant to be funny, at some points it feels like the comedy is forced, like we understand it's supposed to be funny without you telling us. I wish there could have been some dramatic moments without feeling like you needed to laugh or some character cracking a joke, just to give the jokes some breathing room. But what can I say, it's very on brand for an Ant-Man film, and I can't complain.
Verdict
While this movie isn't a highly emotional standard Marvel film, I think what makes it good is that it goes against the grain. The classic arcs are there (Bad vs Good), but it’s the overall comedy of the film while getting into these new undiscovered areas that makes the film good.
I give “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” a 8.5 out of 10.
