Quantumania At West!

   On Feb. 17, the third installment in the Ant-Man trilogy was released: “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Over recent years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been under massive stress to put out something astonishing, similar to their largest hit, “Avengers: Endgame.” “Quantumania” promised the viewers a new start into the multiversal world of the Marvel universe and a story to remember. The movie’s true intentions and disappointing reviews have been widely discussed over the internet, sparking concern for the future of blockbuster films at the MCU as a whole. 

   After 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” many Marvel fans believe that the company is producing media at a steady decline. Marvel has been pushing the move to Disney +, as many of their exclusive television shows have been put on the streaming service. 15 MCU projects were released to the public in the span of the last two years, with no sign of Marvel slowing down their production. The term “quantity over quality” became more commonly used to describe the franchise, as most of the recent projects have, in my opinion, been bad or mediocre. “Quantumania” promised a fresh start for the Marvel franchise by creating a new direction for the rest of the MCU’s upcoming projects.

   However, the movie received a low 48 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.5 on IMDB. This scared many people away from watching the movie. The story follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) entering the mysterious Quantum Realm. Taking obvious inspiration from the “Star Wars” franchise, the main characters try to find a way out of the new land while exploring the atmosphere and interacting with alien creatures. 

   After watching “Quantumania” for myself, I noted that the movie lacked a serious emotional tone that many of the previous MCU movies had attained. I thought it was a fine and fun movie to watch overall, but it was not a memorable experience. The film felt more like input from a machine rather than a director’s vision put to screen. 

   One of the main selling points of the film was the villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by the rising star Jonathan Majors. Kang was my personal favorite art of the film, due to his intriguing story and menacing demeanor. He was advertised as the new big antagonist, comparable to Thanos from earlier Avengers films. Michael Oliveros (11) agreed that Kang was a very interesting character, but that Major’s performance  “didn’t take away from how boring, over-saturated, and repetitive ‘Quantumania’ was.” Oliveros was disappointed at how the film was merely a “setup movie” for further installments in the Marvel universe. He stated that “Quantumania” made him realize that the “quality and excitement that used to come from Marvel movies before Endgame [wasn’t] really there anymore.”  

   Oliveros agreed with the majority of the critics’ reviews for the movie, although many opinions differed. Nikki Marina (11) is an avid Marvel fan who enjoyed the film for its unique story. Marina stated that the movie did an “excellent job at exploring the Quantum Realm and Kang the Conqueror, both of which are crucial aspects of the Multiverse Saga.” Marina claimed that despite the majority opinion about the decline in quality of Marvel’s most recent projects, she had enjoyed a handful of them. She thought that some current storylines could have been polished and paced better, but that most people should see the recent Marvel projects as a “revival area” for our beloved heroes. Marina claimed that Marvel should focus on fixing pacing issues in their newest additions in order to create more thought-out products. 

   The staggering reviews for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” should be a wake up call for Marvel. Instead of cranking out new additions to the MCU every two months, Marvel should take their time in crafting rich and powerful stories. “Quantumania” is a deeply flawed movie that lacks the spark that many previous MCU films have. If you are just looking for a good time at the movies, or a film to shut off your brain, then “Quantumania” is for you.