The new Marvel film is enjoyable, but not extraordinary
Marvel returns to cinema with one of its funniest and maybe underrated superheroes: Ant-Man, aka Scott Lang, the man who can dramatically shrink and grow himself, thanks to the technology developed by his father, the scientist Hank Pym, while the studying ants.
Playing the main character in the new Peyton Reed’s film is again Paul Rudd, joined by Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bill Murray and Kathryn Newton.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the first film in “Phase Five” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is the sequel to Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
After the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Scott Lang leads an almost normal life: he became a best-selling writer, with fans recognizing him on the street and he happily lives with his partner Hope/The Wasp. Cassie Lang, his daughter, is the only exception to this dream: she is a teenager and an activist, who often ends up in trouble with justice in the name of her idealism.
It is precisely Cassie who triggers the events of Quantumania: Scott learns that, during his absence, his daughter has created a portal to the Quantum Realm with the help of her grandfather, Hank.
Unfortunately, none of them knows that a dangerous new enemy, Kang, has been confined there. When the portal accidentally opens the group, including Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, ends up into the Quantum Realm.
Found by natives, who are rebelling against their ruler, the Langs will meet bizarre creatures while Hope, Janet and Hank look for answers through a sprawling city. Hope’s mother, Janet, will have to reveal her secret past in order to face Kang with the rest of the family.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania respects the light-hearted spirit of the Marvel character, but unlike the previous films it is more alienating: almost the entire film is set in the Quantum Realm and little remains of the real-world Ant-Man.
The new chapter looks like a tribute to some 80s fantasy films (the Quantum Realm is reminiscent of Star Wars) but novels such as Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and Frank Herbert’s Dune also come to mind.
The film has a good pace especially in the first part, while in the second gives way to an obvious humor and predictable dialogues on the fight against tyranny.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an enjoyable but not extraordinary film: Paul Rudd and the rest of the cast are superb, but the screenplay doesn’t live up to the expectations. Ant-Man remains one of the most interesting characters in the MCU and it would be nice to see him in central role in the next chapters of the franchise.
