The fourth phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe is difficult to call unequivocally good. After the catharsis of “Avengers: The Final”, the management of Disney seems to have decided to slow down, spending time on the preparation of future large-scale events. True, the authors of the MCU were not very successful in maintaining the tonality and conceptual integrity, which is why the works of the fourth phase differ greatly in quality. And it does not have a clear climactic ending. But still, the film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania” began the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How this beginning turned out – read in the review below.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” / Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Genre superheroes

Director Peyton Reed

In roles Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Catherine Newton, Jonathan Majors

Premiere cinemas

Release year 2023

Site IMDb

The story of the film focuses on Scotty Lange (Paul Rudd), who became popular after the events of Avengers: Endgame. He enjoys this and his relationship with Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), not forgetting his daughter Cassie (Katherine Newton). The latter shows an active interest in scientific research related to the quantum world. Cassie even managed to create a beacon that allows contact with the quantum world.

And it turns out that someone in it really wants to see Lang and his loved ones when they are all forcibly transported into the quantum dimension. Now the task of Ant-Man and Wasp is to figure out what is happening in a world that is incomprehensible to them. And how Kang, the future main supervillain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is connected to all this.

The previous two films about Ant-Man cannot be called any special revelations. They stuck with their comedic component, unusual abilities of the main characters and a special emphasis on high family values. But “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania” had a more interesting task. The movie comic was supposed to introduce the future main antagonist of the MCU and at the same time show a completely new dimension that had only been indirectly teased in the Marvel films.

The film decently coped only with the second task. The quantum dimension is very pleasant to look at, they look interesting both from an artistic point of view and at the level of meaning. Sometimes the film even resembles an extremely avant-garde trip of designers who took full control over the production. However, the movie comic did not even try to avoid one of the oldest problems of science fiction: almost all living creatures from the quantum world look like ordinary people in unusual makeup.

The film is really nice to watch, but it has nothing to offer at the level of meaning. Emphasis on the quantum dimension somewhat distracts from ideas about the importance of preserving the family. Although “Quantumania” tries to talk about the importance of trust and overcoming one’s own principles for the sake of protecting loved ones, these thoughts do not have time to fully reveal themselves. And the film cannot even be called overloaded. The script just can’t decide between adequately telling the story of the film and moving the MCU canon forward.

Somewhat strangely, the film also positions Kang. They try to imagine him as a threat of incredible proportions, but the methods by which they try to deal with him do not give up originality. So far, Kang doesn’t seem like an interesting character or a threat that the Avengers will have to deal with in the future.

And considering that the second half of the film is dedicated to the introduction of Kang, there is a good chance that the initial charm of the quantum world will quickly be replaced by boredom and longing. “Quantumania” trades visual ingenuity for the maximum pattern of actions and thoughts of all its characters. And even the unusual appearance of mods does not save the case here.

At the same time, the movie cannot be called frankly stupid or defiantly provocative, as was the case with “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Even with Ant-Man, who is often portrayed as stupid and naive in the MCU, the script is quite successful in building a real hero who is not ashamed to empathize. Paul Rudd, in the context of a silly film, managed to reveal himself as a serious actor.

And yet, when viewing it, it does not always leave the feeling that you are spending your time somewhere in the wrong place. That similar average superhero films have been shown in theaters in dozens of different variations. And that Marvel is still taking a confident and beautiful step somewhere in the wrong direction.

And so far no potential avengers can save the situation. Although the scenes after the credits directly show that there will be a lot of problems for superheroes in the near future.

Pros:
an interesting and visually pleasing depiction of the quantum world; dignified treatment of Ant-Man as a superhero; good and appropriate jokes, which is not always the case in the MCU lately

Cons:
the freshness of the development of the plot, which you seem to have seen several times before; far from the best representation of the next main villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; boring decisions and scripted moves

Conclusion:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania is a great movie to take to the cinema with friends to laugh and have a good time. But I don’t want to advise you to purposefully go and watch Scott Lang’s new adventures on your own. It’s not the worst movie, but it’s not the worst. And definitely not the beginning of the new phase of the MCU on a high note