 This is a fine example of a movie I look forward to reviewing, as from my perspective, I seem to be going completely against the grain of so many critics. Movies like this make me so happy to have a blog to post my opinions on. I'm no film school graduate, nor am I a pro at what "good film" is. I'm just an average guy with an opinion that one can read at one's own discretion. I do this for a general audience of viewers and fans of film, so I'm always happy to find something to love in something everyone else seems to dislike.
To begin with, this is an MCU film with an astonishingly low rating of 48% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It was at first said to be a "new record", but by technicality, 'Eternals' is actually at 47%. The difference is that I felt no surprise upon reading that about 'Eternals'. But for this one, ultimately, it comes across as a shocker. This is just me talking, but this MCU film gives us a better glimpse into an intriguing dimension, expanding Marvel lore even further with strange creatures and environments. And I understand how this could irk some, but I appreciated the fact that this film took place almost entirely in the Quantum Realm, with very little Earth-level material to be had. Sadly, having said that, this also means no Luis (Michael Peña from the previous films) with his hilariously visual storytelling, but there's also something to be said for change. Until now, 'Ant-Man' has always been more of a "fun-time" title than a "serious" title. You wouldn't compare them to 'Captain America' or 'Black Panther' films so much as something like 'Spider-Man' or 'Guardians'. So, at least speaking for myself, there's something almost refreshing about this one. Although it does still have its sense of humour, there's also a darker side to this than we've otherwise become used to. It's a solid balance of material. After helping the rest of the Avengers and friends to defeat Thanos in the Battle of Earth, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has become a successful author and lives happily with his main squeeze, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however, as his now teenage daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton) has become a political activist in support of those who have lost their homes after the "Blip" (or "Snap"). We kind of get the rebellious teenager vs Dad trying to set a good example thing here. But almost instantly, Cassie reveals that she, along with a little assistance from Hope and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) have been devising something that can establish contact with the Quantum Realm. The whole undertaking is altogether impressive, but when it's said that she has been sending a signal down to the Quantum Realm, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) panics about shutting it all down. But when it's too late, Scott, Cassie, Hope, Hank and Janet are sucked into the Quantum Realm against their wills. Separated into two small groups, Scott and Cassie find themselves amid a group of bizarre-looking freedom fighters, while Hope, Janet and Hank seek answers as to their arrival into this realm. It's soon revealed that Janet's reason for panicking about Cassie's device involves a trapped, but all-powerful being named Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). If he gets out of the Quantum Realm, that means pure destruction of the multiverse. In other words, this is our "Thanos Version 2.0", ladies & gentlemen. The silly question here is "can our heroes stop him?" If you've looked at the release order of the rest of the Multiverse Saga, it won't be too hard to figure out. That said, I have to admit that the way things ended didn't feel quite as "insulting" as they almost did. No spoilers but... I mean, really. Anyway, there's a few things here (including that tidbit) that I understand criticism on. A few more things may include some heavy comparisons to 'Star Wars', some actors I won't name seemingly phoning it in a little bit, and there is ultimately the question of time distortion and how that all works down there as Scott Lang once mentioned in 'Endgame', that he was down there for five years but it felt like five hours. So will a few more years have passed on the other side of this? I suppose time will tell. But it does get quite confusing. And this is coming from someone who fully understood how dream time worked in 'Inception'! I suppose the final thing I should cover is the appearance of M.O.D.O.K. I can't spoil the face under the mask for anyone, but it is a familiar face and it looks about as ridiculous as one might assume (as M.O.D.O.K. has always looked ridiculous) However, he does end up being a sort of comedy relief, and I feel like if you're gonna bring a character as silly as M.O.D.O.K. into things, this is a pretty good place to put him. Between M.O.D.O.K., the freedom fighters, and Kang himself, there's a pretty interesting contrast of characters going on here. We even get a cameo from Mr. Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. All in all, much like other 'Ant-Man' films, this was just plain fun to me. I had a good time with the humour, strange environments and creatures, and the expansion of the MCU into new worlds. It's not at the top of the list, but I sincerely think that critics were a bit too harsh on this one. It's a good time, and I'm glad I got to experience it on the big screen in 3D. MID-CREDIT SCENE: No Spoilers Until Release of 'The Marvels' POST-CREDI SCENE: No Spoilers Until Release of 'The Marvels' 4/5
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