Quantumania bugs out with Ant-Mayhem: Movie Review

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As the titular Ant-Man, his friends and family get smaller, their problems seem to be getting much bigger. But with fewer bugs and much less reality grounding their new movie Quantumania, it’s also become far less interesting to watch.

This newest entry in the Marvel mega-canon, Ant-Man 3, is the official beginning to what’s being called “Phase Five” of their interconnected universe of superhero movies. If that concept confuses you, let me stop you here: stay far away from Quantumania in theatres.

For those following, Paul Rudd (as Ant-Man) leads a star-studden sci-fi mess-terpiece in this new movie that’s expansive, funny, and full of talented actors doing great work. While mostly enjoyable to watch, it’s also needlessly chaotic and confusing.

Years after the events of Avengers: Endgame, thief turned hero Scott Lang (Rudd) is now happily living in San Fransisco with his now newly adult daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton). When she accidentally sucks them into the little-explored Quantum Realm - that’s when things get messy.

The rest of the adventure looks at Ant-Man and his friends trying both to escape the weird-would-be-an-understatement Quantum Realm while also stopping its overtaking by a ruthless time-travelling warlord named Kang (Jonathan Majors).

The cast of Quantumania is outstanding, with legendary actors like Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas all doing great work with some obscure material that pushes how warped science fiction can be.

Newcomer Jonathan Majors is a true show-stopper, and Kang is poised to be a significant Marvel character for several future movies. He’s deeply disturbing and sincere, making for a great villain in a sub-par story.

The unneeded complications from the scientific mumbo jumbo is boring to have explained, and delaying Kang’s presence for half of the entire movie doesn’t help.

But the worst part is the horrendous, satiric production design of the Quantum Realm. The new settings and characters look like knock offs from Star Wars. Other scenes look like a cheap parody of Dune meets A Bug’s Life. The movie’s look is both grotesque and silly at the same time.

Most of what made the first two Ant-Man movies (in 2015 and 2018) so successful was the circumstance focused on Scott’s conflict controlling his futuristic, sci-fi power in the normal world without terrifying the general public.

Now that the setting has shifted dramatically to the outlandish and garish Quantum Realm, everything is overwhelming and weird. This removes the unique conflict and comedy from the characters, dramatically changing the tone and ruining the spirit that made the Ant-Man films unique.

This far-out chapter of Scott Lang’s post-snap adventures are a necessary evil to introduce Marvel’s next necessary evil. It’s a forgettably fun two hours that delivers all the mania its title promises.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

6 out of 10

PG, 2hrs 1min. Superhero Sci-Fi Comedy Action.

Directed by Peyton Reed.

Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Jonathan Majors, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton and Michael Douglas.

Now playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill & VIP and Cineplex Oakville & VIP. Also in IMAX.