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Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania is coming and the Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be the same!
Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend my first Marvel red carpet at the “Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania” premiere. I normally like to see movies twice before I review them, but the fact that this was my first Marvel premiere and the kick-off of to phase five of the MCU, I had to share my initial thoughts on this pivotal film.
Now just for clarification, Scott Lang won over my heart in 2015’s “Ant-Man.” He is a kind, charming, and funny man who really just loves and wants what’s best for his daughter. Not to mention he’s pretty easy on the eyes, I mean he is portrayed by Paul Rudd after all.
He was one of the few really relatable heroes in the MCU at the time; a normal guy, well more of a diamond in the rough who happens to get powers when he’s given the Ant-Man suit. Over the course of his time in the MCU his one constant character goal is to protect and be with his family and most importantly his daughter Cassie.
In the first Ant-Man, he was dedicated to changing his life to be able to have a relationship with her after losing time with her due to his prison sentence. In the 2018 Sequel, “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” he is dedicated to finishing his house arrest sentence to be able to spend time with Cassie as she continues to grow without him. In this third film, he is dedicated to protecting Cassie from the dangers of the Quantum Realm and none other than Nathaniel Richards, who you’ll come to know as Kang the Conqueror. It’s a good film but in my opinion, it’s not a top-five or even top-ten MCU film, and here are my non-spoiler reasons as to why.
“Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania” is by far the most adventurous and visually stunning of the Ant-Man and perhaps all of the MCU films. Compared to the first and second taking place nearly entirely within the borders of San Francisco, this film takes place nearly entirely in the Quantum Realm and introduces one of the most powerful villains in the MCU’s fifteen years. It brings quite a bit of Star Wars-type elements, worlds, and creatures to the screen that are entirely new to the MCU and you’re either going to love or hate that aspect. It’s for sure the weirdest MCU film yet but also the most mesmerizing and unique!
However, the most adventurous and stunning doesn’t mean the best. It’s the first project in phase 5 so compare it to the previous projects of similar caliber like “WandaVision,” which started phase 4, “Captain America Civil War,” which started phase 3, “Iron Man 3” and “Iron Man.” Right off the bat, you can tell that this film has some pretty high expectations to meet. It’s an Ant-Man film but there’s so much packed into it that it may leave the viewer with more questions than answers.
We are introduced to so many new places and people but that introduction is about all we get and we are left to wonder about these things and if we’ll ever see them again in the MCU. It still has the same character goal of Scott Lang to protect his family, however, this film seems to be less of a conclusion to the Ant-Man Trilogy and the beginning of a villain’s reign. With that being said, It does have an incredible villain; Kang the Conqueror played by Jonathan Majors. I am so excited and terrified for the next several years as he makes the MCU his dynasty and you should be too!
As fans know, third films in the MCU usually have huge consequences for the main character and while yes there are consequences in this film for Scott Lang, I was just hoping for higher stakes and just more to be laid out on the table. I brought tissues and when I left the theater they remained unopened. I did almost shed a couple of tears at times but nowhere near what I thought. I think a lot of the disappointment in this comes from the recent “theory” culture on social media. Fans come up with all these theories which of course we all love and have a right to do but sometimes we get so hung up and sure of these theories we make them our expectations and I’m guilty of that too.
It’s a fun and beautiful film, but it’s very messy. While I loved seeing more of Scott and Cassie’s relationship as she matured and sort of aspired to be more like him, I had some questions about her relationship with Hope and Hank which we can discuss when the film comes out. I also really missed Luis, Dave, Kurt (even though David Dastmalchian appears as “the blob” in this film), and even Jim Paxton. Corey Stoll IS the comic relief in this movie as MODOK. I promise every time he’s on the screen you will be chuckling.
This is a film I won’t mind watching again and again, but it’s not my favorite of all the MCU films or even the Ant-Man Films. Something about “Ant-Man” 2015 will always hold a special place in my heart. The credit scenes are probably the best credit scenes we’ve gotten in a very long time and they’re going to blow up Twitter so get excited and stick around for those!
I highly recommend seeing this on the largest screen possible and/or in 3D! Don’t go into expecting perfection but go into it leaving your theories at the door and be ready to come out with a new big baddie in the MCU!
“Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania” hits theaters Friday, February 17th!
