Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | Big issues and small problems

Before the movies in the series Thor only become comedies, those of the series Ant Man occupied the role of “comic respites” from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Granted, the humor in these is more down to earth than the space-traveling adventures of the God of Thunder, but what about when Scott Lang and his family find themselves in the Quantum Realm, a place still more exploded than all the planets visited so far?

The good news is that the Lang-Van-Dyne-Pym charm still operates. Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man for the fifth time, remains Hollywood’s friendliest actor. He adds a few nuances to Scott Lang while remaining the ordinary guy one would like to have as a friend. His disbelief in his superhero status is sincere, his love for his daughter Cassie, his wife Hope and his in-laws is touching and the family dynamics of these are believable. The film opens with a narration by Scott which is actually taken from his book Look Out For the Little Guy!. Amusing, this scene bears the obvious signature of director Peyton Reed, who completes with Quantumania the trilogy.

But suddenly – and by that we mean rushed – the whole family is transported into the quantum realm. Obviously, she hears less to laugh. The jokes are therefore provided by the different inhabitants of this world located in the infinitely small. They work for the most part, but their placement is not always appropriate. Especially when they intersect with scenes of the dreadful Kang the Conqueror.

Majors convincing him

Jonathan Majors is extraordinary as the supervillain who travels through time and universes. His calm tone and assurance intimidate, while his outbursts of anger and violence terrify. Kang is a complex and captivating character. His motivations, which will be explained over the course of a few films and series – don’t miss the post-credits scenes – are, like Thanos’s, valid, if extreme.

The scenes that Jonathan Majors and Michelle Pfeiffer share are some of the best. It’s nice to see the actress explore the character of Janet Van Dyne more, but her script-imposed restraint is somewhat frustrating. We understand that her 30 years spent alone in the quantum realm were difficult and that returning there must be traumatic, but we would have liked her to be less closed in on herself.

Infinitely (too) small

The visual possibilities for creating the Quantum Realm were infinitely large. Yet the result seems small. As seen in previous films, the path to get there is spectacular. But once there, the place is a bit flat. Despite the colors, textures, and creatures, everything ends up looking the same… or looking like the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope. Kang has a gigantic fortress and an armada of ships that are unfortunately barely visible. Budgetary reasons probably explain why very large places are never explored in depth, but it remains disappointing.

Another annoying visual detail: the nanotechnology costumes. Ever since Iron Man developed his own, every hero in the MCU seems to be doing business with the same designer. Taking off your helmet in the middle of a fight with a nod of the head to deliver a line of dialogue then repeating the same movement to put it back on immediately is not particularly natural.

The astonishing MODOK is however a masterpiece of special effects – we exaggerate, but you will understand – in addition to being hilariously believable. He will definitely be one of the favorite characters.

Despite its few flaws, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania remains good entertainment and cleverly kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU. We recognize that Marvel Studios often use the same recipe and it is perhaps even more evident in this film. But, what do you want, we really like this recipe.

In theaters Friday

super hero movie

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
(V.F.: Ant-Man and the Wasp – Quantumania)

Peyton Reed

With Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors

2:05 a.m.

7/10