Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) directed by Peyton Reed

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), aka Ant-Man, is living the good life after the events of Avengers: Endgame. He's written a book, hangs out with his family, and is a celebrity, though people mistake which Avenger he is. He likes the quiet life, though his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) wants him to work more at saving people. She's a bit of a social protestor and has wound up in jail almost as often as Scott. She's also scientifically gifted. After a family dinner, she shows off her latest project, a machine that is mapping the Quantum Realm, the microscopic reality seen in previous films. It's broadcasting down and getting a signal back. Janet van Dyne (the original Wasp played by Michelle Pfeiffer) is very worried. While she was trapped in the Quantum Realm for thirty years, she met some unsavory types and does not want to renew their acquaintance. The family (including Hope van Dyne, the new Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), and Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man (Michael Douglas)) have a short argument and try to shut down the machine. A feedback happens and they are all sucked into the Quantum Realm, though they are separated. Scott and Cassie are by themselves, facing fantastically weird creatures with inexplicable agendas. Hank, Janet, and Hope manage to find one of Janet's old friends who is less helpful than they hoped for. The Realm is slowly being conquered by a mysterious person (Jonathan Majors) who has more than a passing interest in the new human arrivals.

The movie is a special effects extravaganza, with the strange creatures and landscapes from the Quantum Realm. The personal relationships between the Langs and the Pyms provide some grounding, but perhaps not enough to make this a serious film. The Ant-Man series has leaned into the comedy, partly from Paul Rudd's natural talents and partly from the less believable superpowers. The filmmakers put a lot of fun and entertainment into this film, and I did enjoy watching it. But there's not a lot of substance underneath all the razzle-dazzle, just enough to keep the plot moving forward. It's fun in a bat-poop crazy way and ends with lead-ins to more content coming from Marvel. Major did a good job playing the villain and apparently has a lot more to do in future Marvel movies and television shows.

Mildly recommended--there's plenty of laughs and entertainment without anything offensive or deep. This is summer popcorn filmmaking.

Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) directed by Peyton Reed

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has only a few days left on his plea-bargained house arrest after he got in trouble helping out Captain America during the events of Civil War (i.e. the big fight at the German airport). He's kept himself busy starting up a new company with some ex-con friends (including the delightful Michael Pena), playing with his daughter, and taking lots of baths. His latest bath includes a weird dream where he was Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). Janet was partners with the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). She was lost in the Quantum Realm twenty-some years ago. She's also the mother of Hope (Evangeline Lilly) who has been working with her father Hank to save Janet from the Quantum Realm. Turns out his dream wasn't just a dream, because father and daughter opened a portal to the Quantum Realm just when Scott had the dream. The dream had details about Janet that Scott didn't know. Hope and Hank kidnap Scott from his house arrest so that they can finally get their loved one back.

The only problem is the FBI, who want to bust Scott for breaking the agreement. And the black-market tech dealer, who wants to steal Hank's equipment to make a huge profit. And the mysterious quantum-phasing person, who is also after Hank's equipment for unexplained reasons. Make that three problems.

If you think I used the word "quantum" too many times in this plot summary, this movie is not for you. They throw the term around like a magician saying "presto" or "abracadabra." This unexplained science is basically no different from magic, which is fine if you are just going along for the ride. The movie is very fun and imaginative. The fights and chases use the shrinking/growing power of Ant-Man and the Wasp to great effect. The on-going truth serum gag also works surprisingly well. The fake science is well-handled to advance the plot and infuse lots of fun jokes.

This movie also has to be the huggiest superhero movie I've ever seen. A lot of comforting and happy reunions happen (which I guess is a spoiler, but not really). Every character with the exception of the tech dealer is at least two-dimensional. The movie shows sympathetic sides of the bad guys and unattractive sides of the good guys. The movie is not morally complicated but does introduce enough gray shades to give it the right amount of depth. Viewers actually care about the characters, which is important when there's a lot of mumbo-jumbo and CGI going on.

Marvel delivers another fun action/comedy movie--Recommended.

Movie Review: Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man (2015) directed by Peyton Reed

Dr. Hank Pym was a scientist back in the 1980s who discovered the Pym Particles which he used to power a super-suit. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to buy his technology but he refused to sell. After this brief introduction, the movie jumps to the present day where Scott Lang is let out of prison after serving three years for a white-collar crime. He wants to go on the straight and narrow so he can see his daughter, but his ride from prison is not her mother--it's his ex-cell mate. The cell mate lives in a sketchy San Francisco neighborhood and has sketchy friends as well. Scott moves in temporarily till he can get back on his feet. Scott tries to get a decent job but can only get one by lying about his criminal record. That soon comes out and he considers pulling a heist with the guys. A friend of a friend of a friend let the cell mate know that a rich man's safe will be left unguarded while the man is out of town. They plan a heist that gets them into the safe, but the only thing inside is a crazy suit and jars of liquid. No money or valuables! Scott takes the suit anyway, then tries it on. He pushes a button and BAM! he's shrunk to the size of an ant. A voice starts talking in his head, encouraging him and providing guidance. Scott breaks back into the man's house to return the suit only to get busted by the cops. While in holding, a much older Hank Pym visits him and offers him a job--use the suit to rob Pym Technologies because his 1980s research is about to become public in a bad way. Another heist is in the works.

The movie has an amazing blend of drama and comedy that somehow works so well. Marvel has the sense to make movies with human drama and the triumph of good over evil without feeling dark, cliched, or unoriginal. Scott's problems as a dad separated from his daughter could have been painfully obvious and cliched, but they don't go there. The daughter still loves him; the mom isn't rabidly opposed to him as a dad but she recognizes he needs to straighten his life out before he can be a father to his daughter. The mom is dating a cop which makes for some awkwardness all around, especially when he arrests him while returning the suit. The humor works well and fits the story naturally. Some moments border on the overly melodramatic but are scaled back with a little humor. The script writers included Edgar Wright (of Shaun of the Dead fame) and Joe Cornish (of Attack the Block fame), so the overall quality is great.

Marvel has done a great job making genre movies out of their superhero movies. Captain America: The First Avenger was a period film/World War II film. Iron-Man was a classic redemption story. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a 1970s-style political thriller. Ant-Man gives us a comedy heist film with superheroes. I hope they keep up the good tradition.

This is great popcorn fun and well worth seeing on the big screen since the hero gets so tiny. We saw this in 2D and usually I notice a scene or two that look specifically designed to be seen in 3D but I didn't notice any in this film. So don't bother seeing it in 3D.