I really liked this movie when I watched it a few weeks ago on Disney+…oh wait, that was Strange World. But seriously, they feel like basically the same story. Not complaining, I love the idea of worlds within worlds. The creatures felt very similar (maybe they drew from the same inspiration, who knows).
Alright, you should probably stop reading if you do not want spoilers.
I was excited for this movie since it felt like this was the true setup for the next Avengers movie. Kind of like how Captain America: Civil War was a precursor to Infinity War. All of the multiverse stuff keeps hinting at Kang. Hell, we even met a version of Kang in Loki. He warned us what would happen if they killed him. The multiverse would come back, and all of his variants would go back to war with each other, and some were worse than others.
And who better to go to war with a guy like Kang than…Ant-Man. I mean, it actually worked well. Turns out the variants banished Kang the Conqueror to the Quantum Realm. He wants to escape, so he can resume his war with himself. He seems to have seen the end of existence, and knows that stopping his other selves is the way to prevent it (basically the same thing He Who Remains said to Loki and Sylvie).
Jonathan Majors was incredible as this version of Kang. I love that he played him slightly different from He Who Remains. The rest of the cast was good. Obviously, Paul Rudd is perfect as Scott, and Michael Douglas pulls off Hank so well. Kathryn Newton was a nice addition as Cassie. It felt like this movie did not have much for Evangeline Lily to do, well except show up to save the day a few times.
The real strength of this movie is again the family dynamic. How does Scott deal with having a daughter who wants to follow in his footsteps? Is he just turning his back on being a superhero, or should he be using his power to help people? And most importantly, what is Scott willing to sacrifice in order to save his daughter? Janet saw into Kang’s mind, she knew the destruction that would happen if she gave him what he wanted. She was willing to never see Hope again, whereas Scott could not see Cassie hurt (granted, the situations are different since Kang did not have Janet’s daughter present to physically harm her). And when the chips are on the table, Scott proves that he is willing to sacrifice himself to save Cassie.
Okay, a few random notes…
-“Holy shit! That guy looks like broccoli.”–Hank Pym. Probably my favorite line from the entire movie.
-I was not a fan of the Bill Murray cameo. I like Bill Murray, but it just felt so forced. I think it would have been cooler to get an actor who played a love interest in another Michelle Pfeiffer movie. It would have been a subtle reference, but not nearly as jarring as Bill Murray.
-MODOK was amusing. It was funny brining back Darren Cross, and then giving him a hero’s death.
-I loved the ants! When Hank says they are practically a Type II civilization, I was waiting for them to show up with some incredible technology that would be able to rival Kang.
-Did you notice that Baskin-Robbins store manager, Dale, spelled birthday wrong on Cassie’s cake? It said BITHDAY
-I still love how much the MCU continues to build upon their own universe. The stuff that was happening in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (people being displaced because of the Blip, and their subsequent return), is still happening. The world is trying to get back to normal, but there has been a massive change, and we are seeing the ramifications still (again, this reminds me of how the events of the first Avengers managed to continue to influence things for movies and shows further down the road).
-The mid-credit scene was all the Kangs having an assembly to discuss how Earth-616 is touching the multiverse, and that is basically their domain. In the end credit, we see Victor Timely (another Kang variant) doing his performance on stage, but he is being observed by Loki and Mobius.
Okay, I am contemplating doing another ranking. However, I may have to include everything. Or should I do a post-End Game movie/show ranking? The ranking for Phases 1-3 would be separate from 4-6? Hmmm, something to ponder. Anyways, what did you think of the movie?
