Saturday, February 18, 2023

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Review!

The third movie in the Ant-Man films and his new family back to the bizarre Quantum Realm, it is just all action! The film is directed by Peyton Reed who previously directed Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Jeff Loveness, a writer for Rick and Morty, wrote the screenplay. It begins with a cosmics skyscape, someone in a blue poncho walks next to slug-like beasts. A comet streaks across the sky and the person removes her hood revealing the CGi young-ifed Michelle Pfeiffer, Janet van Dyne. Pfeiffer begun the Ant-Man series with Ant-Man and the Wasp and then Avengers: Endgame (2019). Janet has some hidden, lost years that are at the heart of the story. She looks out to the city and then is suddenly assaulted by spider-like creatures! She shoots one, but the other creature continues its attack. It is blasted by a man who resembles Kang (Jonathan Majors). The actor will star in Creed III this year and was in the Loki episode, “He Who Remains.” (2021). He asks, “What is this place?”


This shifts to San Francisco, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) happily walks the streets. Rudd originated the Ant-Man role and also starred in the Avengers: Quantum Encounter (2022) short that runs on Disney Cruise lines and voiced Ant-Man in What If… Zombies?! (2021). The scene is like in the trailer with Scott mis-identified as Spider-Man by coffee shop owner, Ruben (Ruben Rabasa), and his old workplace, Baskin-Robbins. Rabasa was in the “Who You Really Are” (2015) episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Scott has lunch with Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) who was introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp before starring in the WandaVision (2021) series. Short cameos to tie into the past movies, but there are missing characters. At the Pym Van Dyne offices, Scott brings beer to Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), the actress starred in the Ant-Man series and voiced The Wasp in the VR game, Avengers: Damage Control (2019). They activate their suits to get to a secluded picnic kinda like Big Hero 6 (2014). 


Later, at City Lights (a well known, historical bookstore), Scott reads from his book, Look Out for the Little Guy, which IRL will be in bookstores on September 5th. He gets a call from the San Francisco County Jail. Scott heads there to post bail for his daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton). The actress takes over from Abby Ryder Forston who starred in the first two Ant-Man movies. Forston is 14 years old now and stars in this year’s adaptation Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Newton, 26, portrayed Lucy Stevens in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019) and also the horror comedy, Freaky (2020). The age change is explained from the five years from the Blip. Cassie becomes a superhero and takes the code name Stature in Young Avengers #6 (2006). She is the young activist who points out that she was tear gassed in a “park of peaceful protestors.” Cassie shows the booking officer his shrunken police car. Hope and Scott drives Cassie back to the Pym house and he is surprised that his daughter has a suit. She notes that encounter with Bee Man, her name for Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), known as Yellowjacket. 



At the house, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) enlarges a shrunken pizza similar to Back to the Future Part II (1989). Douglas played the character throughout the Ant-Man series and voiced Pym in the animated episode, “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” (2021). Also there, is Janet Van Dyne who is secretive about her thirty years in the Quantum Realm. Scott is stunned at Hank’s mention that this was Cassie’s second time in jail. He really doesn’t know his daughter being an absent father trying to save the world. Cassie poses the question to him, “What are you doing now?” She brings up that Grandpa Hank has developed smart ants. His ant farm has turned high tech with ants that have transformed tunnels into what looks like electronic circuits. Cassie explains that she has been studying the Quantum Realm with Hank. She has developed a device called the Quantum Satellite that can send a signal to the Quantum Realm to map it. This shocks Janet who races to shut it down. She tries to warn them, but the satellite re-activates! I’m getting Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) vibes! They are sucked into the Quantum Realm with everyone trying to hold on Total Recall (1990)-style!  



Still, Hank, Janet and then Hope and pulled in, the Pyms, with Cassie and Scott next, the Langs! Behind them are a few of the high-tech ants! In the quantum tunnel, Hope activates her Wasp suit and grabs hold of her parents. Scott tries to reach Cassie. He transforms into his Giant Man form and protects Cassie. He slams hard into the ground and Scott reverts back to his regular size. They look around the Quantum Realm, there are coral tendrils like jellyfish, something out of the animated Strange World (2022). The two films should have been paired together. Hank finds his wife and Hope, there is a blue pulse, and Janet slams them behind a tree-like formation. A ship scans the area, but is blocked by the tree. Ant-Man calls for the others and Cassie sees what looks like a moving sun! Scott goes back to Giant Man size and tosses the bright, tentacled creature. They are met by Quantum Realm natives. Janet explains to her family that there are things beyond the Void and Sub-Atomica, this was a world introduced in Fantastic Four #16 (1963). Scott is taken prisoner by Xolum (voiced by James Cutler), a humanoid with a lamp-like head, while Cassie tells him, “Drink the ooze!” 


Three vehicles fly towards Janet, Hank, and Hope. Janet tells them, “I’ll handle this” and goes out to confront a pinkish humanoid. She stabs him, but the humanoid reforms, and then she hugs him! He has a ride for them on a blue-eyed, giant manta ray creature. Scott is taken before more of the Freedom Fighters and forced to drink the ooze. This translates their language similiar to the drink, The Voice of Barsoom, in John Carter (2012). The ooze comes from a pinkish blob similar to B.O.B. in Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). Veb is voiced by David Dastmalchian who also voiced Kurt in “What If… Zombies?!” (2012) and was in the last two Ant-Man movies. There is also a loss of Scott’s friends, Luis (Michael Pena) and Dave (T.I.). Scott is also questioned by Quaz played by William Jackson Harper who was in the comedy series, The Good Place, and was narrator for the podcast series, Marvel’s Black Panther: Sins of the King (2020). He is a telepath and can read the surface thoughts of Scott and Cassie. The laser guns of the Quantum Realm are very like the sentry pistols in The Black Hole (1979). 



Lastly, they are met by the leader, named Jentorra (Katy M. O’Brian), a deadly warrior. O’Brian was Kimball in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and played Major Sara Grey in the superhero show, Black Lightning. Jentorra says the Conqueror will find them. Her background is just as a Freedom Fighter and should be developed in a prequel comic book. Cassie of course sides with the Freedom Fighters and of course Scott is the reluctant hero who needs to stand up not just for his daughter, but for others in need. Janet drops the manta ray creature down a cliff and dips its wing in the water like the banshees in Avatar (2009). At a base, Janet pulls up her hood to keep anonymous, but her past will catch up to her. Hank wonders at this Quantum world pointing out one person who resembles a vegetable. She leads them to a gambling den that looks like it is trying to outdo the Cantina aliens in Star Wars (1977). 


Janet is there to find Krylar. He is played by a well known actor. Her time in the Quantum Realm may give them an advantage, but she has to reconcile her past. The way home is through the Conqueror who is of course Kang (Majors). This is the time traveling villain who first appeared in Avengers #8 (1964). He has two marks on the side of his face that are edges of his helmet. Ultimately, I think he is the most powerful, but weakest Marvel villain since he is just a bully. His forces include blue-helmeted soldiers who are faceless so they can be cannon fodder. There is also one of Kang’s henchman who is a well known  villain who was introduced in Tales of Suspense #94 (1967). His Jack Kirby design is great, but the stretched out actor's face looks like 90's effects. Patton Oswalt had a 2021 animated series based on the character. A villain tied to Scott’s past. Cassie wants to save a world like her father and Scott’s mission is to find a protect her. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is just entertainment with a touch of the family dynamic! 


Four Pym Particle Discs out of Five! 


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