South & Canal Winchester Messenger - February 26th, 2023

PAGE 12 - SOUTH & CANAL WINCHESTER MESSENGER - February 26, 2023
This movie kind of bugs me
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I have to admit that I have not been
staying up-to-date with the latest happenings
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe —
after releasing more than 40 films and television
shows within a span of 15 years, I
am a bit tired of this world — but I always
keep my eyes open for anything related to
the “Ant-Man” franchise.
Dedra
Cordle
The Reel Deal
Ever since the
shrinking superhero
series made its debut
in 2015, there was
something that felt different
about this property
and set it apart
from all of the other
offerings that had
come before it — and
especially those that
came after.
Much of that different
feeling stemmed from it being centered
around an average guy — or in this
case, an ex-con — named Scott Lang who
temporarily gains superpowers after he
accidentally dons a special suit that
shrinks the wearer down to ant size with
the push of a button. Played by the affable
and charming actor Paul Rudd, Scott’s
adventures in and out of the suit made
films that were full of low stakes, fun
hijinks, and shifts-in-scale camera shots
something special and something to look
forward to whenever this character had the
opportunity to shine in his own solo films.
I was looking forward to watching this
third installment of “Ant-Man” even
though the Marvel fatigue had already set
in. But when I heard that this film was
going to be the film that would kick-start
phase five of its ambitious plan to bring
every single Marvel comic book character
to life on the big screen (that might be a
slight exaggeration), my excitement started
to wane because I knew what this probably
meant: That Marvel Studios had
taken over this franchise in service of the
greater Marvel machine. And that is exactly
what happened with “Ant-Man and the
Wasp: Quantumania.”
Gone are the fun hijinks, the quirky personalities,
and the laid-back feel of the first
two films and instead is a proper MCU
blockbuster complete with high stakes,
intense drama, copious battle scenes, and
shoe-horned lore and villainy to sustain the
next decade of Marvel film and television
properties. The only thing that saves this
film or makes it worthwhile to watch are
the performances of the main cast and the
warrior ants who make an appearance
later on.
When the awkwardly titled film begins,
we learn that Scott has been on a tear in
the years since helping save the world from
Thanos, the purple villain from the first
three phases of the MCU who “snapped”
billions from existence. His tear nowadays
is not helping people, technically, but
rather touring the country to sell his memoir
that recounts his transition from an excon
to an Avenger whose idea sparked the
time heist that restored billions of lives
during the Infinity Battle. Although he is
certainly proud of his accomplishments
(who ever thought he would be able to write
a best-selling book one day?), his 18-yearold
daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) is
less than impressed by this latest version
of her father, believing he should be living
up to the title of his memoir and “looking
out for the little guy.”
Because she has taken up the mantle to
look out for the little guy, it has gotten her
into a bit of trouble with the law. After her
latest arrest at a protest for homeless
rights, Cassie and her dad get into an argument
that leads the pair, along with Scott’s
superhero romantic partner Hope van
Dyne/the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and her
parents Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym
(Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas,
respectively), to accidentally get sucked
into the Quantum Realm, a subatomic
world under the Earth that is filled with
beauty, mystery, and dangerous creatures.
One of the most dangerous creatures
within this strange new world is a timetraveling
being named Kang the Conqueror
(a fantastic Jonathan Majors) who had laid
waste to much of the Quantum Realm.
Having been trapped there for decades,
Kang is eager to get out and travel into a
different timeline because there is so much
to see, so much to conquer, so much to
destroy. It falls upon Scott and his not-somerry
band of troublemakers to ensure
that Kang does not get out and wreak
havoc onto the world.
I am puzzled by some of the decisions
the executives at Marvel Studios make, but
introducing Kang the Conqueror in the
“Ant-Man” series was a real head-scratcher.
I think they wanted to bring this new
and menacing, yet complicated, villain into
a property that most of the general audience
knew well, but it created an unusual
tonal imbalance throughout the entire film.
Especially when Scott and Kang meet and
eventually battle. That is just what happens
when you try to shoe-horn a bunch of
lore and heavy action into a movie franchise
that is light on both.
“Quantumania” is a movie that is too
reliant on CGI and action to get points and
plots across, but I maintain it did not have
to go this way. Had Marvel Studio trusted
director Peyton Reed and writers Jeff
Loveness and Jack Kirby to come up with
something inventive that worked within
the framework of the previous two “Ant-
Man” installations, this movie could have
been completely salvageable. Instead,
Marvel executives passed along too many
notes on how to prepare for its future vehicles
and ended up making a sad “Ant-Man”
experience for this fan. Good thing we had
the charming presence of Rudd and the
material and scenery chewing talent of
Pfeiffer and Majors to make up for all that
it lacked.
Grade: C-
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer
and columnist.
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