Following “Avengers: Infinity War”, it may be surprising that Marvel continues to follow the lives of popular superheroes from the series in new movies.
For many films, dragging on a franchise after a climactic point is purely a money-grab and it is difficult to live up to the original story.
However, Marvel has impressed me with its exploration of the hypothetical, such as the multiverse.
For those unfamiliar, the multiverse is the concept that there are multiple universes with distinct histories and times.
It is not uncommon for one particular character to have led different lives in each universe, as was seen in “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” for its hypothetical concepts. I was unsure after that though if Marvel would continue to consider such unknowns.
Preparing to see “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” on its release, I was skeptical of how good it would be as I had just a week before seen “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Seeing Wakanda Forever, I suspected that Marvel may be heading down the hole of bore.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” was pleasantly surprising, however.
Within 20 minutes, the audience was already cued into the plot and pulled into the action.
The movie begins with character Scott Lang (Ant-Man) portrayed by actor Paul Rudd considering his life and a recent publication of his memoir.
While he seems satisfied with his accomplishments, the film quickly sets up the question of: what’s next for Ant-Man?
It should come as no surprise that the movie takes place in the Quantum realm considering its title.
Scott’s daughter Cassie–played by Kathryn Newton–has created a device that can reach into and effectively communicate with the Quantum realm.
However, upon activating the device, Scott, Cassie, and the rest of their family (Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and Hope van Dyne) are pulled into the Quantum realm where they must embark on a strange and exhilarating journey.
In their quests to find a way out of the Quantum realm, the characters must face several important conflicts, including conquest, decisive action taking, and selfforgiveness.
Furthermore, the concept of “time” is heavily challenged throughout the film. The characters are often asked by a chief villain of the film to reconsider how they define time; they are also presented with the temptation of altering it to regain what had been “lost” to time.
This raises another significant conflict through the film that is crucial to several character arcs and developments. These themes are universal and important. The film portrays them in a way that is understandable for a younger audience while still being relatable and “deep” enough for mature audiences to gain something from.
Beyond the character development and themes of the story, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” also offers complex visuals and grapples with mind-bending experiences.
Creating a place such as the Quantum realm requires a lot of thought and creativity; the aesthetics of the realm draw the audience in to consider the possibilities of what a place like that could hypothetically be like, thus encouraging viewers to stretch their own minds to imagine it.
Music is a critical part in any movie, and the soundtrack of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” did not disappoint.
The music of the film, composed by Christophe Beck, aids in the world building of the Quantum realm. The tones have a pulsing, science fiction feel with a mix of dark and heroic layers that immerses the audience into the setting.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is an overall wellrounded movie that delves into the hypotheticals of the Quantum realm with plenty of character development and significant themes along the way.
The plot of this story is crucial in considering how Marvel may continue to explore the multiverse as well.
If Marvel wants to continue their success, the best way is to keep pursuing the intrigue of the speculative; that is, places and concepts like the Quantum realm or the multiverse.
Audiences have been entertained by earthly concerns to a point that plots revolving immediately around our own planet have become redundant.
Audiences don’t want to be wooed by a basic superhero saving a city or fighting another villain; they want something that will stun them visually and stretch their minds to grapple with hypothetical places and ideas.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” offers just that.
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