PORTLAND, Maine — [Editor's note: This article is a critical analysis of a film and does not represent the views of NEWS CENTER Maine, but that of the author.]
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" kicks off Phrase Five for Marvel, a new slate of television shows and movies tied into their cinematic universe.
The Story
The plot for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" requires a bit of backstory. Obviously, fans will need to watch the first two "Ant-Man" films, along with the "Loki" television series on Disney+. Without those things, folks will be pretty lost.
Opening with a taste of what Michelle Pfeiffer's character, Janet, was up to between the first two movies, audiences are reintroduced to the Quantum Realm, which, at this point, is just whatever Marvel wants it to be.
It's a world people visit when they shrink too far. It's a way to time travel as seen in "Avengers: Endgame." Now it's a whole world full of alien creatures, some that appear human, and some blobby environments that Disney already seems to have gotten a jumpstart on with "Strange World."
This is the setting for 90 percent of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
When Scott (Rudd) enters the picture, he's narrating a happy life in San Francisco. The Avenger has written a book, gets free coffee, takes selfies with people's dogs, and is pretty happy living a comfy life post-"Endgame."
In Scott's mind, he already saved the world. So, it's time to kick back and enjoy life. And this makes sense. But in a comic book world where more movies mean more villains, it seems Ant-Man's job isn't over yet.
When Scott's daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), reveals she's been tinkering with the Quantum Realm, trying to map it, he gets a little nervous, as does Janet, who is clearly keeping secrets about her time in the subatomic universe.
Cassie shows them a device she's made that sends a signal into the Quantum Realm to better study it. But when the device is hijacked, Scott, Cassie, Janet, Hope (Evangeline Lilly as Wasp), and Hank (Michael Douglas) are sucked into the Quantum Realm.
The group discovers the realm is inhabited by all kinds of creatures and people, something only Janet knew until now. And before everyone can return home, they'll have to face a villain named Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Analysis
Before the third "Ant-Man" film was in full swing, Director Peyton Reed said he didn't want Rudd's movies to be a "palate cleanser" anymore in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In his mind, it was time to make things "epic."
And that sums up why this latest entry in the "Ant-Man" trilogy ends up being a mixed bag.
Part of Rudd's charm as Ant-Man was being the little guy. He's not an assassin, a super soldier, or a demigod. Scott is just a dad who made mistakes and wants to do right by his daughter. It's why so many people like his character.
In previous movies, the Quantum Realm was a Macbook screensaver that only appeared for a few minutes here and there. But since it's the entire movie here, the CGI becomes an assault on the senses. It's just too much.
Plenty of films have entire worlds made of computer-generated special effects, but if they don't form a cohesive environment, then they feel like a chaotic mess where design choices seem more random than intentional.
James Cameron's "Avatar" movies are not cinematic masterpieces in terms of narrative, but the world they're set in is seamless and beautiful. He clearly had a vision for Pandora that has no remote equal here. Even CGI-heavy Marvel films like "Guardians of the Galaxy" make their worlds seem more cohesive to the characters. The environments where characters fight battles and fly ships seem more grounded. But here the Quantum Realm just feels like a mess.
And it's in this realm that "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is set to introduce an entire set of side characters, none of whom are developed in the least. At least fans of "The Good Place" will be treated to Chidi's actor (William Jackson Harper as Quaz). He and Bill Murray show up, get a few chuckles, and ultimately have little bearing on the overall plot. It seems a waste.
Of course, the highlight of this film is getting to see Majors return as Kang, previously seen (and killed) in "Loki." He's a fantastic villain, terrifyingly focused on his mission of annihilation and revenge. It's just a shame his raw talent wasn't paired with a more intelligent script.
Kang is great to watch, but he falls prey to the numerous MCU cliches audiences will have come to recognize by now, including faceless CGI armies and characters that have an amazing set of powers devolving into yet another fistfight. Disappointingly, the climax of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" seems to borrow a bit from "The Rise of Skywalker."
Pfeifer and Rudd both offer satisfying performances, but the film doesn't seem to have much use for Lilly and Douglas anymore. And Cassie, arguably the key driver to this movie's story, doesn't have any chemistry with her father, Scott. Audiences will come to miss Abby Ryder Fortson, the previous portrayer of Cassie who was cute as a button and actually acted like she loved her dad.
Still, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" does have a couple of interesting ideas, including how it makes use of the ever-present ants in this trilogy. And at least one of the after-credits scenes is pretty cool.
It's just a shame to see this superhero that was grounded in making things bigger and smaller get lost in all the noise of trying to hype up an "epic" adventure. The chaos of this movie robs Rudd's ability to be a charming hero, and in an even bigger sin, fan-favorite Michael Peña didn't return as Luis.
This makes for an awkward start into Marvel's Phase Five, a mixed bag that'll leave fans asking if maybe they don't like superhero films as much as they did before "Endgame."
Also playing this week
"Emily" opens in theaters this weekend. It's a biographical drama about the English writer Emily Brontë, author of "Wuthering Heights." Emma Mackey stars in the lead role.
To see which movies are playing at a theater near you, click here.
For more movie thoughts, follow Courtney Lanning on Twitter here.