I agree with much of the concern and tbqh I stopped on page one of complaints. But the biggest issue....no Luis? Where is my STORY?!?! And I read a few comments about the humor just not measuring up (beyond I have holes guy who is amazing) but Luis would've been a much needed comic relief. At least make the hole guy be the quantum Luis or something. All like 'Drink my goo homie it'll work!'
I’ve learned to tune down my expectations for MCU releases these days- they’ll never hit the peak of Infinity War and Endgame, and these new projects have been laying the groundwork for the new Multiverse Saga. And yet, I still find myself disappointed in the latest offering from Peyton Reed. This movie strips away the palate cleanser, low stakes goings of the first two movies, in favor of bigger “stakes” and setting up the new big bad of the next two phases.
And it yields a rushed, half-baked, middling blockbuster that just feels same-old same-old in so many ways. This movie really feels like it has one really long first act, and then one really third act. There is no real character development for anyone in this movie, and it’s filled with so many unnecessary ones that the script feels bloated and less centered in one regard than the previous two.
There is a decent amount of the film’s 125 minute runtime dedicated to a group of rebels within the Quantum Realm. This is, in theory, a good concept- of course there would be rebels and people without a home in a place where Kang has conquered almost all. However, all of these characters are played off as a joke, from the mind-reader who’s head glows when his powers are active, the sort of lamp-headed being who goes on about torture, to the weird pink alien who is opposed with holes (boy, do I have a movie recommendation for him). For a bunch of displaced refugees fighting against the insanely powerful oppressor that is Kang, they seem awfully happy. They are there for comic relief or, in case of the lamp head and so many unnamed others, beings for Kang to murder.
And it’s not just the quantum people that take up screen time either- Cassie gets an upgrade from child side character to supporting superhero (complete with recast!), and is in this movie for what feels like more time than the Wasp… who is a titular character. It doesn’t help that her character isn’t exactly the most likable- she’s constantly telling Scott that he could do more and isn’t doing enough… even though he’s saved the entire world and has done far more than his fair share of superhero duties to the larger world. She can come off as annoying, which is also a problem when she appears to be a key member of the MCU going forward, especially in their Young Avengers team.
A happy new addition is of course Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. He is easily the best part of this movie, as he is brilliant in every scene he’s in. You really feel the menace the exudes from his figure- he has definitely conquered timelines and killed Avengers. And he’s got a cool looking costume and power design, with the costume being a good, modern, adaptation of his comic suit and his blue power lasers look really cool to see in action, especially when he’s killing quantum denizens. Even his mindless soldiers look kinda cool! His threats feel real, as if they have actual weight behind them, and you know he’ll carry them out. He commands your attention when he’s on screen, always the dominant presence in the room. He especially shines in the scenes with Michelle Pfeiffer, both of whom, by the way, are also seemingly in this movie more than the Wasp.
Seriously, for having second billing, Evangeline Lilly doesn’t really do much in this movie. She walks around and then does some superhero stuff in the final battle, but she’s relegated to not doing much as she really doesn’t serve the story and Kang as a whole. A lot of people in this movie do a whole lot of nothing, like Michael Douglas just… being there, having his “moment” with his ants showing up to save the day. The rest of the original supporting cast are gone, replaced in favor of some quantum nobodies I doubt we’ll ever see again, and ones that lack the heart and humor the Ex-Cons did.
The real misuse of a character in this movie is far and away MODOK- everything is wasted. The menacing leader of AIM hellbent on killing all from the comics is long gone, all in favor of yet another jokey MCU bad guy. He’s reduced to jokes at his appearance, and looking mildly cool while ultimately doing nothing. This movie honestly didn’t need him, and he serves as nothing but another waste of a villain in the MCU. The entire exchange about him being a **** and that turning him into a good guy is inherently stupid and continues the trend of the MCU being unable to take things seriously. He could’ve been a recurring, menacing villain down the road of the MCU but instead he is a one and done waste of a villain and an actor- another character in this film that ultimately amounts to nothing.
It also lacks character development for about everyone here, as the characters stay stagnant for the movie's entire two hour runtime. The most “development” really is MODOK going from evil to good… simply because Cassie calls him a ****. The characters end the movie the same way they enter it, save for Cassie being a little more warm to her dad than before. The “arcs” they have are more akin to little bumps on a flat line than an actual arc, as no one really goes anywhere. There are even more confusing choices, like building up Kang as this big bad that’s killed Avengers and gods, only to be defeated by some technologically evolved socialist ants.
Speaking of action, the minimal action in this is really underwhelming, as it feels very generic and cookie cutter. This is a real shame, as the Ant-Fam have some of the most visually interesting powers, and the shrinking scenes have been used to great effect in the first two installments. The bad guys are also super understanding- characters have ample time to remove their helmets mid battle for conversations ranging from quippy MCU-standard one liners to dramatic conversations. It’s a continuation of yet another stupid trend in these movies that I hope goes away as the MCU continues.
The post credits scenes are cool, even if the first one is a little goofy. It’s a shame that the final one was one of the bigger highlights of my 2 hour Ant-Man experience- being more excited about upcoming projects than the movie I just walked out of was a bit disappointing, though I suppose the plus side to that is that I’ll end up tuning in for future installments (even though I was already going too).
I wasn’t expecting anything special from Quantumania, just a solid movie that had good action and characters while furthering both their stories and the MCU. And yet… I didn’t even really get that. It hurts, as I’m still a fan of the MCU, and I want to see it do well. I’m invested in this universe, these characters and their stories, and I just wish that these movies (and shows) would deliver on them in satisfying ways, doing actual justice to the characters I’ve been following for a couple dozen movies. I did enjoy some of the performances, and Paul Rudd is still excellent at making even the stupidest jokes land. I had a few laughs in the theater and did enjoy some of the quantum visuals on the screen, so it wasn’t a total waste. Do I think this movie is heralding the death of the MCU? No, but I think it continues a few bothersome trends that have plagued the MCU for a little while now. It isn’t the worst MCU entry (that’s still the Dark World!), but it doesn’t come anywhere near the heights these films have shown they can achieve. It goes down as another average MCU entry, starting off Phase 5 with neither a whimper nor a bang, but just a meh.
I don’t get why it’s so hated and poorly reviews. Personally I loved it. Modok was hard to look at just like he is in game and was kinda funny. The new Cassie can’t act but I feel part of the problem is it’s a big change from the 8 year old we know. This doesn’t feel like the Cassie we saw and feels like an entirely new character with a new personality (which she is) and it didn’t fit well. Her dad is a superhero who saved the world and while he is kinda enjoying the piece she gives him **** for not helping with every small thing that goes wrong? Cmon now. The Kang was interesting and I for sure thought we were about to lose antman for a second or he’d be trapped in the quantum realm. But other than that, it felt like an antman move and I very much enjoyed it.
I know its a Phase 5 movie, but considering it as a Phase 4, id rank:
1 - Multiverse of Madness (i loved this movie, seriouslly, dont understand the hate) 2 - No way Home (not the best script, but gotta rank high for the fan service) 3 - Shang Chi (legit the best original movie lately) 4 - Quantumania 5 - Eternals (thought it was mid, but after rewatching, it grew on me) 6 - Black Panther 2 (i hated that they killed Chad, but with that decision, i think it was the best they could do. Namor was dope) 7 - Love and Thunder (they ruined Thor and completely wasted Gorr) 8 - Black Widow (awful, i hope one day Taskmaster get the Mandarim treatment)
Comments
Which is not.
And it yields a rushed, half-baked, middling blockbuster that just feels same-old same-old in so many ways. This movie really feels like it has one really long first act, and then one really third act. There is no real character development for anyone in this movie, and it’s filled with so many unnecessary ones that the script feels bloated and less centered in one regard than the previous two.
There is a decent amount of the film’s 125 minute runtime dedicated to a group of rebels within the Quantum Realm. This is, in theory, a good concept- of course there would be rebels and people without a home in a place where Kang has conquered almost all. However, all of these characters are played off as a joke, from the mind-reader who’s head glows when his powers are active, the sort of lamp-headed being who goes on about torture, to the weird pink alien who is opposed with holes (boy, do I have a movie recommendation for him). For a bunch of displaced refugees fighting against the insanely powerful oppressor that is Kang, they seem awfully happy. They are there for comic relief or, in case of the lamp head and so many unnamed others, beings for Kang to murder.
And it’s not just the quantum people that take up screen time either- Cassie gets an upgrade from child side character to supporting superhero (complete with recast!), and is in this movie for what feels like more time than the Wasp… who is a titular character. It doesn’t help that her character isn’t exactly the most likable- she’s constantly telling Scott that he could do more and isn’t doing enough… even though he’s saved the entire world and has done far more than his fair share of superhero duties to the larger world. She can come off as annoying, which is also a problem when she appears to be a key member of the MCU going forward, especially in their Young Avengers team.
A happy new addition is of course Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. He is easily the best part of this movie, as he is brilliant in every scene he’s in. You really feel the menace the exudes from his figure- he has definitely conquered timelines and killed Avengers. And he’s got a cool looking costume and power design, with the costume being a good, modern, adaptation of his comic suit and his blue power lasers look really cool to see in action, especially when he’s killing quantum denizens. Even his mindless soldiers look kinda cool! His threats feel real, as if they have actual weight behind them, and you know he’ll carry them out. He commands your attention when he’s on screen, always the dominant presence in the room. He especially shines in the scenes with Michelle Pfeiffer, both of whom, by the way, are also seemingly in this movie more than the Wasp.
Seriously, for having second billing, Evangeline Lilly doesn’t really do much in this movie. She walks around and then does some superhero stuff in the final battle, but she’s relegated to not doing much as she really doesn’t serve the story and Kang as a whole. A lot of people in this movie do a whole lot of nothing, like Michael Douglas just… being there, having his “moment” with his ants showing up to save the day. The rest of the original supporting cast are gone, replaced in favor of some quantum nobodies I doubt we’ll ever see again, and ones that lack the heart and humor the Ex-Cons did.
The real misuse of a character in this movie is far and away MODOK- everything is wasted. The menacing leader of AIM hellbent on killing all from the comics is long gone, all in favor of yet another jokey MCU bad guy. He’s reduced to jokes at his appearance, and looking mildly cool while ultimately doing nothing. This movie honestly didn’t need him, and he serves as nothing but another waste of a villain in the MCU. The entire exchange about him being a **** and that turning him into a good guy is inherently stupid and continues the trend of the MCU being unable to take things seriously. He could’ve been a recurring, menacing villain down the road of the MCU but instead he is a one and done waste of a villain and an actor- another character in this film that ultimately amounts to nothing.
It also lacks character development for about everyone here, as the characters stay stagnant for the movie's entire two hour runtime. The most “development” really is MODOK going from evil to good… simply because Cassie calls him a ****. The characters end the movie the same way they enter it, save for Cassie being a little more warm to her dad than before. The “arcs” they have are more akin to little bumps on a flat line than an actual arc, as no one really goes anywhere. There are even more confusing choices, like building up Kang as this big bad that’s killed Avengers and gods, only to be defeated by some technologically evolved socialist ants.
Speaking of action, the minimal action in this is really underwhelming, as it feels very generic and cookie cutter. This is a real shame, as the Ant-Fam have some of the most visually interesting powers, and the shrinking scenes have been used to great effect in the first two installments. The bad guys are also super understanding- characters have ample time to remove their helmets mid battle for conversations ranging from quippy MCU-standard one liners to dramatic conversations. It’s a continuation of yet another stupid trend in these movies that I hope goes away as the MCU continues.
The post credits scenes are cool, even if the first one is a little goofy. It’s a shame that the final one was one of the bigger highlights of my 2 hour Ant-Man experience- being more excited about upcoming projects than the movie I just walked out of was a bit disappointing, though I suppose the plus side to that is that I’ll end up tuning in for future installments (even though I was already going too).
I wasn’t expecting anything special from Quantumania, just a solid movie that had good action and characters while furthering both their stories and the MCU. And yet… I didn’t even really get that. It hurts, as I’m still a fan of the MCU, and I want to see it do well. I’m invested in this universe, these characters and their stories, and I just wish that these movies (and shows) would deliver on them in satisfying ways, doing actual justice to the characters I’ve been following for a couple dozen movies. I did enjoy some of the performances, and Paul Rudd is still excellent at making even the stupidest jokes land. I had a few laughs in the theater and did enjoy some of the quantum visuals on the screen, so it wasn’t a total waste. Do I think this movie is heralding the death of the MCU? No, but I think it continues a few bothersome trends that have plagued the MCU for a little while now. It isn’t the worst MCU entry (that’s still the Dark World!), but it doesn’t come anywhere near the heights these films have shown they can achieve. It goes down as another average MCU entry, starting off Phase 5 with neither a whimper nor a bang, but just a meh.
my review copied and pasted from another site
1 - Multiverse of Madness (i loved this movie, seriouslly, dont understand the hate)
2 - No way Home (not the best script, but gotta rank high for the fan service)
3 - Shang Chi (legit the best original movie lately)
4 - Quantumania
5 - Eternals (thought it was mid, but after rewatching, it grew on me)
6 - Black Panther 2 (i hated that they killed Chad, but with that decision, i think it was the best they could do. Namor was dope)
7 - Love and Thunder (they ruined Thor and completely wasted Gorr)
8 - Black Widow (awful, i hope one day Taskmaster get the Mandarim treatment)