Going into Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania I had a long think about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now. The MCU is at a point of such large expansion that it is creating a real-world problem in terms of VFX studios and artists. This expansion has meant that more stories have to be connected and more films have to intertwine with each other. I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting some more grounded stories. We seem like we’re long passed the days of having a Marvel film like Spider-Man 2, a story of Peter Parker’s life and not saving the universe, or are we?
Quantumania’s main focus is on Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his life after Avengers Endgame, he has written a book and doesn’t seem to superhero around anymore. His now grown-up daughter Cassie (played amazing by Kathryn Newton), who Scott didn’t get to see grown up because of the blip, doesn’t understand why he doesn’t super around anymore and starts doing things for herself. After a mishap, the whole family ends up in the Quantum realm being chased by Kang (played by Jonathan Majors) who is determined to get out and conquer.
Let’s discuss grounded stories, in my mind a grounded story is something that is about that character. It is set in a place that is connected to that character and features a story focusing on issues related to that character. Quantumania has Kang in it, yes and we know he is the future of villains in the MCU. It is somewhat unfortunate that the film serves as a bridge to support the rest of the MCU but it is being missed in some opinions and reviews as not being about Scott Lang.
The Quantum realm is Ant-Man’s, New York. No other superhero character is messing around on the streets of the Quantum realm, the same as no other MCU heroes except for the Guardians are messing about on Xandar. This heavily, and strangely, Star Wars-inspired film is a grounded story that has a significant connection to the MCU.
We are at a point where everything has to be connected somehow or else the story ends. The story is no longer about one character, it is about what that character does for everyone else in the same way as doing a kind gesture to someone in real life. Scott Lang is a kind person who has unfortunately had the big baddie taking over his streets and he and his family have to do something about it.
If Quantumania were set in San Francisco then I would be saying well any superhero could rock up and defend the universe, and that would probably be boring. Quantamania is a story of Scott Lang just wanting to watch his daughter grow up and live her life, he missed crucial years of her growing up and is worried she isn’t on the right track. Throughout Quantimania he sees who she has become, through her abilities and friendliness to weird Star Wars-inspired characters.
Quantumania is filled with heart and soul wrapped up in a story that continues the bridge-building between each MCU project. I’ll save the discussion on CGI and why you should just be grateful to be watching the films you can see today for another day.
Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantimania trailer features the song ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. For Elton John, it is about being owned by someone else and not having control over your life because of it. Quantumania is a film set entirely in a plane of existence that we can’t see. It is a world that only Ant-Man and his family of heroes can go to and it is a tale of fatherhood and saving the world, both his and humanities. No one else is there to help them out, they’re fighting on their streets, in their weird backyard. It also has some pretty decent laughs along the way.
Score: 4 out of 5 Ants.