Ant-Man 3 is Not Good
The third entry in the Ant-Man franchise is not good, in fact it's one of the worst films in the MCU’s ever growing canon. Quantumania is bloated, boring, and most importantly a reminder that this superhero stuff actually takes real effort to do well. The built in worldwide audience mostly guarantees financial success, but not necessarily quality. Quantumania may be a sign that the MCU is finally running aground.
Quantumania’s low caliber should be disappointing to fanboys everywhere, but it’s a very personal loss for me. Because I’ve been adhering to a theory called the MCU rule of three, and it’s finally been imploded.
It’s similar to the idea that the even numbered Star Trek films are superior to the odd ones, except much more complicated. According to the MCU rule of three each third film is a stone cold comic book classic. This does not apply to every third film released in the MCU but every third film of a particular line in the MCU.
The list includes Iron Man 3, Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. These are far and away the cream of the MCU and some of the best superhero films ever. For some reason Iron Man 3 gets a lot of hate, but this is misplaced. It was written and directed by the amazing Shane Black and it’s wonderful. But the rule is a little more complicated than just this, because it applies to the first and seconds of each line also.
The first entry in an MCU line is almost always a good or serviceable film, and the second entry is usually weak or an oddity. There are some exceptions. The main exception to the first entry rule is Captain Marvel, which is in the running with Quantumania for worst movie in the MCU. And the big exception to the second entry rule is Captain America: Winter Soldier, which it could be argued is the best overall film in the MCU.
So basically the MCU rule of three is this:
Good
Not as good, downright weird, or an outlier in some other way
Great
It’s unclear how the number 4s fit in yet because there have only been two so far. Avengers: Endgame, which was great and Thor: Love and Thunder, which was not so great. But Ant-Man was basically on course to follow the rule of three.
The first Ant-Man was very good. Co-Written by the incomparable Edgar Wright, one of the best genre directors of his generation best known for Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the dead. The casting of Paul Rudd in the lead was truly inspired, but in some ways the supporting cast stole the show. Michael Pena and Michael Douglas in particular. It’s a delightful, if simple, super hero film. Loaded with laughs and immensely rewatchable.
The sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, was fine, not great but not bad. Like many of the number 2s it was middle of the road but certainly weaker. So Quantumania should have been another masterpiece of super hero story telling, but it is not. Peyton Reed has directed all three films, making it painfully clear it was really the script that set apart the original Ant-Man from its inferior sequels. Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, and the academy award winning writer Adam McKay were all involved in the first Ant-Man and it shows. The writing has been a consistent step down with each sequel.
This used to be the industry standard for most IP franchises. Sequels tended to be poor, and the further they moved from the original usually the worse things became. The apotheosis being Superman IV: the Quest for peace and Batman and Robin. The MCU initially was no exception to this trend until their thirds started rolling out and it became obvious that this franchise was not only here to stay, but the biggest money making juggernaut ever committed to celluloid.
And yet Quantomania is a mess. It’s very unclear what the point of the narrative is or where it’s going. The main purpose in making this movie seems to be establishing Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, as the successor to Thanos. Marvel wants to make it absolutely clear that Kang is the next big bad, but the overemphasis on the villain and lack of a coherent plot suck the life out of the rest of the characters.
This film contains A- list talent like Michelle Pfeiffer and Bill Murray, yet it gives them barely anything to do. The MCU has become known for its comic quipiness, to the chagrin of many critics. But Quantomania can’t even rise to the level of popcorn comedy. There are some good laughs, but they’re few and far between. And the action is downright boring.
Wakanda forever suffered from some of these problems, but it made up the ground with excellent direction and impressive performances. It felt like a genuine attempt at a solid film, but besides dealing with the real life fallout from Chadwick Boseman's death, didn’t bring much to the table. Namor and his world were interesting, but because Warner Bros beat Marvel to the punch with the spectacular Aquaman, and the second installment of Cameron’s Avatar franchise being focused in water those aspects mostly fell flat.
The sad truth is Quantumania is proof that the MCU is running out of steam. Avengers: End Game provided an impressive and satisfying ending to a decade long story arc, but it’s not clear where they should go now. Quantumania reveals that they’re moving forward without a confident vision.
The MCU rule of three might be saved by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 coming out this summer. But if that film is as great as I hope it will be, that does not necessarily indicate Marvel is going to be okay long term. It’s written and directed by James Gunn who was recently given the keys to the kingdom of DC, so he’s done with Marvel.
The last decade and a half has seen Marvel do things no one ever thought superheroes could do on the big screen. They were essentially the New England Patriots of cinema. Winning championship after championship at the box office. But just like the patriots that kind of success can’t be maintained forever. Together Tom Brady and Bill Belichick accounted for 30 playoff wins, including six super bowls. Quatumania is the MCU’s 31st film. The end of this epic run is nigh. How nigh? No one can say but nothing lasts forever, and the current lineup does not inspire much hope.