Ant-Man 3 movie review: Formulaic and forgettable, Paul Rudd movie is a dud

Ant-Man 3 movie review: The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth that appears to be too big to fail. Despite proclamations by Kevin Feige and others overseeing this interconnected film franchise, the Marvel formula has remained mostly consistent, with a few notable exceptions. But clearly, it still works. Even the less exciting installments, like the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the 31st film in this juggernaut of a franchise, are met with raucous laughter and cheers every few minutes. While watching the movie in the theater, it seemed like the audience was primed to erupt with laughter at even the slightest hint of a joke. It has become a routine almost, a thing one just has to do.

Me? If you have read anything I have written about Marvel in recent times, you would know I got disillusioned long before Thanos faced the Avengers. Marvel formula bores me out of my mind.

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Is 'Avengers Fatigue' here?

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There are, of course, benefits of a shared universe from a storytelling point of view. The sandbox allows the writers to create exciting, interconnected stories and explore the more interesting supporting characters further through spinoffs movies or TV shows. The world feels richer, complex, and lived-in when you spot hints of other characters while watching a movie or show unrelated to them. That sense of unity and shared continuity is what comic-book companies have cashed in on for decades.

But then, there are pitfalls as well. The tone largely has to stay the same. Feige and his team have to make sure the scribes understand the connections between the characters. And this breeds mediocrity of relying upon callbacks, cameos, and Easter eggs. It's not as though I completely abhor those. I began reading comics before I was 10 and have not stopped. I think I never will. I love all references to other stuff, but in moderation. Even as just a consumer of these stories, I understand they cannot collectively serve as an alternative to a well-crafted story, engaging dialogue, and fully-realised characters.

But since this is the almighty formula and this is what fans of these movies expect, the people in charge of the MCU have no choice but to cater to those expectations.

Also Read:Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania: Who's who of the MCU movie

So Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania sucks?

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has Scott Lang, his daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (Michael Pfeiffer) getting stranded in the Quantum Realm, the weird but wonderful pocket subatomic universe which resembles popular science-fiction depictions of alien worlds. It even has its own aliens — humanoids with monstrous beasts, creatures wholly made of goop, and human-looking people wearing clothing straight out of Mad Max movies.

Oh, and there is an Immortan Joe equivalent as well. Kang the Conqueror is one of Marvel Comics' most popular supervillains, and for good reason. He presents a challenge to the Marvel heroes that is unique in itself. He is a conqueror, but not of land, at least in the lore. Instead, his domains are temporal. He is not all-powerful, but has technology, mind, and will at his disposal that is far superior to any superhero alone. Jonathan Majors plays Kang as somebody truly desperate but will never let it show on his face. He hides devilish intelligence beneath a reasonable, mild-mannered demeanour. "Just give me this, and I will give you that in return," he says, straight-faced (paraphrased to protect spoilers, of course). But Majors is nuanced enough to make that statement give an edge. It is a full-bodied performance that makes the movie less of a chore.

Rudd is reliably charming, making nonsensical lines funnier than they have any right to be. Newton is good too, though in a movie supposedly about a father-daughter relationship she is not given much to do. Pfeiffer's character is given more room, which is welcome, and Douglas and a couple of cameos are amusing enough.

If you can't tell already,Quantumania is an absolute dud. I felt bad for genuinely great actors that populate this thing for having to mouth lines that might as well have come out from that AI thingy everyone these days seems so fond of. The script is, and I cannot stress this enough, execrable. The screenwriter behind this film is Jeff Loveness and that should frighten you. For he is also writing the next Avengers movie, The Kang Dynasty. MCU is certainly not getting any better soon.

Everything that is good about Quantumania is due to the actors doing their very best considering the material they are saddled with and talented VFX artists making the film visually pretty if nothing else. I dared to imagine what the movie would have been like if nor for Rudd, Jonathan Majors, and others in the cast... and I would not want to live in that timeline. This is bad enough. The script tries to instill a little goofiness à la Thor: Ragnarok, but it too feels forced, like it was just a half-hearted attempt to fit the movie in the mould of the 'delightfully deranged' side of MCU.

Also Read:Exclusive | Ant-Man 3 director Peyton Reed on what makes Kang the Conqueror so scary

Final words

If you are a typical MCU fan, you will probably not share my opinion. I realised that by watching the movie with a crowd screaming at the most quotidian moments like it was Rapture. And that's okay. I won't begrudge it if people find escape and enjoyment for a couple of hours and forget their worldly troubles. I have to suffer through these movies these days only because they are popular, alas, and it's my job.

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