Title – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Director – Peyton Reed (Bring It On) 

Cast – Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bill Murray 

Plot – Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp (Lilly) find themselves trapped in the Quantum Realm where they come face to face with new universal threat Kang the Konqueror (Majors). 

“I don’t have to win, we both just have to lose”

Review by Eddie on 17/02/2023

Arriving on TV sets in 1977, beloved American comedy series Happy Days aired its now infamous Hollywood: Part 3 episode that was made notable for a scene in which Henry Winkler’s Fonzie proceeded to conduct a water-ski stunt involving a jump over a shark, leading to the coining of the phrase “jumping the shark” representing a moment where things have gone too far, past the point of no return. 

A sad moment in 1977 for Happy Days, 31 films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) it’s time we now call it as it is and say that Marvel has now cooked it’s golden goose. 

It can’t be denied, Marvel had an incredible run from the moment Iron Man entered the pop culture space in 2008 and for years following the Robert Downey Jr starring hit the comic book behemoth delivered some of the most enjoyable and entertaining big screen spectacles we could’ve asked for and while they no doubt stuck to a formula many now berate as being the death knell of quality cinema, time and time again Marvel proved to be masters of juggling characters, spectacle and entertainment (often against the odds), culminating in the double pronged attacked of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame that tied off years worth of work in spectacular fashion. 

From there on out however things have taken a sharp turn towards entering the water, strapping on a set of skis and finding a willing shark to hold position as its launched over with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania a new low for the modern age Marvel brand name that follows in the not so impressive footsteps of last years misfires Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the OK if far from memorable Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

Kicking off the championed “Phase 5” of the MCU, Quantumania finds Paul Rudd’s once charming and likeable every-man Scott Lang have his solo venture hijacked and turned from a fun and carefree heist/comedy of often hilariously tiny proportions into a lifeless and convoluted set-up for what’s to come as we enter into yet another alternate universe, quantum realm, 8th dimension and whatever else Marvel wants to conjure up to cover up having to explain things or make much sense in what is a narrative out that has now become part and parcel of their storytelling devices in what started out in a fun fashion but has quickly grown overly wearisome. 

Forgoing most of the aspects of the Ant-Man brand that was never outstanding to begin with but found fans of many ages on a global scale, Quantumania gives little thought to laying out much groundwork, throwing Lang and his offsiders that includes daughter Cassie, partner The Wasp (poor Evangeline Lilly, getting to share a title but not an ounce of worthy screen-time/character development), in-laws Janet and Hank (equally underused Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas) into the quantum realm where they come across Jonathan Major’s new Thanos level big bad Kang the Conqueror, a character that could offer hope moving forward but gets little if any memorable moments here in an underwritten and uninspired main entrance. 

Not convinced Quantumania sets the new low standard for the MCU and causes great concern for the ability of the future of the whole shared universe idea? I am sure the CGI’d butt cheeks of how did that pass quality control M.O.D.O.K, a little hole loving alien who utters the phrase “milk juice”, the site of Douglas strutting into another mindless big city battle with a horde of ants flanking him in what’s akin to the worst version of The Charge of Rohirrim you could conjure up or just the general sense that no one cares enough to even pretend will surely do the trick. 

It’s been an incredible run but now all we can do is sit back and watch as the MCU gathers speed and launches itself out of the water for one spectacular if miss judged jump. 

Final Say – 

Ladies and gentleman it’s time for Thor: The Dark World, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Eternals to move aside, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now the worst MCU film yet with all the signs pointing to it likely moving aside itself as the ship it’s a part of slowly but surely sinks. 

1 1/2 over priced coffees out of 5