Xtreme Vogue Islamabad Desk: Sidra Yusuf
Star Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Bill Murray
Director: Peyton Reed
What’s Good: Moments where the film takes itself lightly & is not in its ‘I Have To Launch Kang So Let’s Spread Chaos’ mode
What’s Bad: Everything about the ‘I Have To Launch Kang So Let’s Spread Chaos’ mode
Loo Break: A whole lot of them!
Watch or Not?: Love you 3000 >>>> Love you peanut
Available On: Theatrical Release
Runtime: 125 Minutes
User Rating:
‘Ant-Man’ Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is living a life that ‘doesn’t make sense’ according to him, and so does this movie according to many viewers including me. ‘AntMan’, daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) now living with ‘Wasp’ Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her genius parents ‘OG AntMan’ Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) & ‘OG Wasp’ Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Following the routine template of ‘failed experiments are followed by plotlines’, Lang & family enter into Quantum Realm, the subatomic place where the rules of time and space don’t apply. It’s a world loaded with VFX which can hurt your brain & eyes at the same time. Janet has lived 30 years of her life here, so naturally, she turns the guide who is guarding a mystery involving her and Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). And, of course, the rest of the family is trying to get back home.
Script Analysis
Jeff Loveness’ story serves more to Marvel’s cinematic universe than its superhero realm and storyline. Ant-Man as a superhero doesn’t hold as much of an identity as Marvel superheroes in the past, it’s about Kang, it’s about Janet, hell it’s even about Cassie. The quantum realm designed is nowhere near the dystopia created by Black Panther’s Wakanda or Thor’s Asgard.
It’s just a confusing amalgamation of some trippy elements with a Star Wars meet Dune kinda world having beings who look like Broccoli. William Pope’s cinematography is overshadowed by the extremely heavy VFX panning as there are hardly any sequences boasting even decent camera skills to talk about. The stretched-out transition to the Quantum realm scene in this one can’t hold a candle to Multiverse Of Madness’ jumping through the universe’s sequence.
Star Performance
Paul Rudd continues to play the confused superhero whose individual identity has blurred by mixing elements from Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man & Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. Yes, he has the charisma but when was the last time only that has worked for a superhero? Evangeline Lilly, too, is cruising toward making hope a hopeless character. The physical approach towards ‘Wasp’ holds her back from moulding herself as a superhero.
Jonathan Majors’ Kang deserved a better launchpad than this. He definitely will do a lot better than this but if the first impression is considered to be the last, then let us remember ‘He Who Remains’ from Loki & not Kang from this one. Kathryn Newton does beautifully well as Cassie but her character sketch restricts her. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet becomes the central character and remains to be the best thing about the mess. Michael Douglas’ Hank gets a couple of ‘I Am The OG Ant-Man’ moments but they don’t land owing to the mediocre writing. Bill Murray’s cameo is a colourful delight.
Direction, Music
With the first couple of installments, Peyton Reed was on his way to directing one of the worst Marvel movies and he has reached there with this one. Moving from the ‘timepass’ category, Peyton moves to the bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Keeping MODOCK’s design similar to the ones in the cartoon would remain to be one of the most laughable decisions.
The whole aura of the film doesn’t do any justice to Christophe Beck’s background score which as a separate entity would have been a banger.
The Last Word
All said and done, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania starts Marvel’s Phase 5 on such a low note that anything from here would look good. Unfortunately, this one just doesn’t ‘fly’.
Two stars!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Trailer
