Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was uneven to put it mildly. While the series on Disney+ were generally well-made and enjoyable, their film counterparts wavered between good and bad with abandon. With the first part of the Multiverse Saga at an end, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was set to set take us into the future of the MCU. Of course, that is a lot of heavy lifting, so did we end of with a great Ant-Man movie, worldbuilding … or something else?
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is enjoying life after The Battle of Earth having earned a good deal of notoriety (and free coffee) from his role in helping take down Thanos. Unfortunately, this is not meant to last as his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) has invented a device that will let her make contact with the Quantum realm much to the anger and fear of Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) who had been imprisoned there for decades. As expected, our protagonists get sucked in by the device and now find themselves trapped in this mysterious place with only a small glimmer of hope to escape back to the normal world. Fighting against them however is the mysterious Kang (Jonathan Majors) an integral part of Janet’s past that has come back to haunt her and possibly keep her and her family trapped in the Quantum realm forever.
Quantumania did something that was reminiscent of the first Doctor Strange in that it showed me a world I had never experienced before as the Quantum realm is one of the most bizarre and surreal places ever seen in a movie. It is filled with stunning vistas, creatures beyond imagination, and moments that defy the laws of physics and reality. In short, it more than lives up to what was in the trailers and really does transport us to a place we’ve never been.
Or does it?
The whole time, I kept feeling like I was in a familiar place even though that was impossible. I’d never seen this movie before, so why was there so much déjà vu? And then it dawned on me. This wasn’t really an Ant-Man movie.
It was Star Wars.
While the plot was different in ways, there were so many similar beats that it became impossible to ignore. From retracing a life down a painful road of failure, to helping a plucky rebellion take down an empire ruled by a Sith Lord, to a fight in a cantina filled with aliens, this was all Star Wars. Yes, these are tropes seen countless times, but the way the film linked them together felt like an Ant-Man movie built on the skeleton of a tale that took place a long time ago in a galaxy, far, far away.
Not only that, but this didn’t quite have the traditional Ant-Man feel. It had plenty of laughs, but they paled in comparison to the two films that came before. These movies have always been the lighthearted siblings of the MCU, and this was much dourer and more serious than the others. Again, this isn’t a bad thing but made it feel more like it was setting up future plots instead of being a standalone movie in its own right.
It does all work well, however, and while it may sound like I’m griping, I absolutely loved it. It didn’t quite have the charm of the previous outings, but it showed us an intriguing and stunning world and story that made the characters work for their happy (maybe) ending. Kang is the perfect example of a flawed villain doing what he thinks is right – when it suits his needs, and he is truly the formidable foe needed to replace Thanos. While not perfect, if Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a harbinger of what to expect in phase five, the MCU is back on track, and I couldn’t be more excited.