This is the 31st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the first film in Phase Five of the MCU. It is the sequel to Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
As I considered the movie as a whole, I wasn’t as content with it as I should have been. I did enjoy some of the movie’s elements.
WHAT I LIKE
I began to like the film when the characters were sent to the Quantum Realm. That’s when the movie started to get intriguing. I became engrossed in the plot and was eager to see what fresh information would be revealed in the film. What I was most interested in was how the film would handle the adversary, Kang the Conqueror.
Jonathan Majors is fantastic as Kang the Conqueror in this movie. You know who he is and what his objective is right away, and the viewer can see the future of the MCU more clearly after this film. After he appeared in the film, everything really begins, and the film became more emotional and you began to feel the stakes.
I also felt the confrontation between Kang the Conqueror and Ant-Man was handled quite well in the film. Kang wasn’t too overpowered, and both he and the battle had some realism to them. You understand why Kang does what he does, even if you don’t agree with him.
Michelle Pfeiffer was fantastic as Janet van Dyne in the film. She makes significant contributions to the plot and delivers a first-class performance. I really like William Jackson Harper’s performance as Quaz, particularly his interactions with the other characters. I think Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man did a decent job, but I really appreciated how the film handled Cassie’s relationship with her father, Scott Lang.
WHAT I DISLIKE
I didn’t enjoy everything that led up to the Quantum Realm visit, which is roughly the first 30 minutes of the film. This is due to the fact that the opening 30 minutes are one of the most disjointed first acts I’ve ever seen in a Marvel film. The film begins on an odd note in terms of humour, and the characters look awkward.
I thought that the visual effects were inadequate. The Quantum Realm appears grandiose on screen, but the execution seemed like two people standing in front of a green screen, delivering expositional lines. That was how it felt until the second act. I also thought that the visuals detracted from some of the film’s most emotional and pivotal scenes.
At times, the lighting of the characters did not appear to match that of the background. In one scene, for example, the light on one of the characters’ hair was a different shade from the background.
I didn’t enjoy Corey Stoll’s portrayal of Darren Cross / M.O.D.O.K. at all. He appears ludicrous on screen, and I was unable to connect with him as a character.
I wasn’t a fan of the Marvel comedy either. The jokes were not up to par and had no impact. I liked that they attempted to include some jokes that the children might not understand but might appeal to the adults in the audience. Nonetheless, I found the majority of the jokes to be lacklustre.
I also find myself not caring about the residents of the Quantum Realm since the creatures were not developed as much as they could have been to pique my interest.
CONCLUSION
After the first 30 minutes or so, I began to enjoy watching this film. The film has a rough start but improves gradually as it progresses. This raises the question of whether it will be enough for you to invest or whether you will be so dissatisfied in the beginning that you will abandon it. Despite the outcome, I would suggest this film to anyone seeking for a one-time-watch film and those trying to catch up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It’s not world-class, but it’s competent.
