The Mosley Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Finally! After a seemingly diminish of quality that was Phase 4 of the MCU, we finally get back to something serious and a feeling of something at stake. I'm not saying Phase 4 didn't have its moments of greatness. Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, Loki, Shang-Chi and Eternals represent the best that Phase 4 had to offer. It felt as if it wasn't going anywhere or building to something that would payoff down the line. Well this film starts us off in an insanely creative and more direct path that I'm excited to see. What the MCU has done successfully all this time is have all of their films delve into all the different film genres. This entry in the Ant-Man franchise moves away from the comedic heist film genre and dives head first into the science fiction genre and doesn't let up. As a sci-fi fan, I was in heaven with all the different designs of creatures, environments and technology. It may not be for everyone as it does get trippy along the way and a little chaotic. There were moments of well placed bits of comedy, but this film had a mission and it delivered.
Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and he is as loveable and charming as always. He does start out with the same charm you expect, but there is a tonal shift with the character and I loved that we got more indepth with him. Paul brings out the more the self serving flaw of the character and quickly turns him around as he learns what being an Avenger really means. Evangeline Lilly returns as his love interest Hope van Dyne / Wasp and she is as awesome and powerful as expected. Her chemistry with Scott continues to be a bright spot in the franchise and I enjoyed their moments of bliss. Kathryn Newton was great as Scott's daughter Cassie as she begins to join the seemingly superhero family business. Once she was introduced, I was hoping that they weren't gonna take her through the same trope of rebellious teen. They did, but it was reactive to the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame and I thought that was brilliant. The father and daughter story between Scott and Cassie was a highlight and brings out the heart of the film. Michael Douglas returns as Hank Pym and he was clearly just having a good time on this weird adventure. His chemistry with everyone was fun to watch and especially with Cassie. Michelle Pfeiffer returns as well and was outstanding as Janet Pym. She takes the lead in the story and it was fun to see the many layers of secrets about her time in the quantum realm get slowly peeled away. She carries such a weight on her shoulders and I loved seeing that playout amongst her family. Bill Murray was good and interesting as Lord Krylar. He didn't take the comedic route as most would assume and it was actually refreshing. His connection to Janet was also fascinating added a great amount of tension. Katy O'Brian was cool as the freedom fighter Jentorra. She handled her own in all of her action scenes, but at times she came off 1 note and there really wasn't much there to explore. I did love that every character had a part to play in the grand scale of the story, but the real definition of grand came from the film's antagonist. Johnathan Majors truly delivers a regal and yet threatening presence as Kang the Conquerer. There are no quips, no punchy one liners and no gimmicks. He is very cold, ferocious and his dedication to freedom is demonstrated constantly. Majors shows so much conviction to the character's belief system and he carries such a gravitas to his amazing performance. This variant of the character was 100% the Julius Caesar of the MCU and I can't wait to see more of him as Phase 5 continues.
The score by Christophe Beck was fun and on brand with the Marvel sound. I did love the influences of the 1950's sci fi style orchestration and sound. It reminded me of the original Lost in Space series that I watched as a kid on VHS. Visually the film was gorgeous and everywhere you looked there was something to revel in. The creativity of the VFX teams and creature design teams was on the screen and they did an amazing job. I loved that this film got weird in many aspects whether it be the creatures or the story itself. This was a good start to Phase 5 in my opinion, even though I sense that this film will be more hit or miss for folks. There are 2 end credit scenes that lay out a strong piece of thread that'll weave its way through the MCU in many ways. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
