‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, ‘Cunk on Life’, ‘Marlowe’ | See It or Skip It

Salt Lake City, Utah (See It or Skip It) — The reviews are in for the newest Marvel Studios film, and Film Critic Patrick Beatty is here to help you decide if the 31st MCU feature is worth it for the less-sweaty Superhero folks.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Peyton Reed returns to conclude the “Ant-Man” trilogy, but in the big picture of the MCU, this is just the beginning of Phase 5 of the Multiverse Saga. Now, if that sentence was confusing and you’re holding back the urge to scream “NERD!” from wherever you are, don’t worry—I’m doing it in the mirror every morning.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is living the dream life of an Avenger. He’s got a new book out, a loving co-parent in Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), but after the five-year blip, all he can think about is the time he lost with his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton). When Cassie sends signals down to the Quantum Verse, shrinking the entire family—including Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)—they find themselves trapped in a world with a threat bigger than any of them can imagine.

I’m not ashamed to admit the “Ant-Man” films are my least favorite of the MCU. Not that they haven’t had some charm with the always entertaining Paul Rudd, but the stories never seemed to matter much to the bigger picture. The villains, particularly, have never felt strong, but in “Quantumania,” Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) is an Avengers-level threat and one of the most interesting things in Marvel’s new phase. Michelle Pfeiffer plays a much larger role in the story, and I loved how they utilized her past being stuck in the Quantum Realm to show more backstory.

The biggest problems lie in the balance of telling an “Ant-Man” story while setting up the future films of Phase 5. I wish I could say this is a complete story that concludes in a satisfying way, but it’s not. There are zero stakes in “Quantumania,” which makes it hard to engage with the repetitive action beats we’ve now become accustomed to—perhaps too much—with superhero films. There’s a litter of supporting characters that are underutilized to serve the new characters we’re supposed to connect with, making the film feel disjointed and rushed. One of the only shining characters reintroduced to us is M.O.D.O.K. (Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing), with Corey Stoll returning. Yes, he is the weirdest part of the film, but to me, he shone like a diamond in the rough, and I hope we get much more of that kind of bizarre character.

Overall, this is a mixed bag. If you are invested in the overarching MCU story, this is worth seeing, but I would shudder if someone who hasn’t seen many MCU films chose this as their introduction.

See It or Skip It: Skip It

Cunk On Earth

If you’re looking for the next comedy binge, look no further than Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk, on an epic journey through time from cavemen to Beyoncé. Originally from the BBC, this is a fantastic mockumentary like “The Ali G Show” or “The Colbert Report,” where the interviewees are unaware they’re participating in a comedy bit and are as equally perplexed as they are sincerely answering the odd and laugh out loud questions being asked of them.

I’ve personally been watching the five episodes on a loop for the past few weeks when I’m feeling down and need a pick-me-up. The humor may not be for everyone, I’ll admit, but you’ll only need to watch the first five minutes to really find out for yourself.

See it or Skip it: SEE IT

Marlowe

Based on Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe books, Liam Neeson enters the detective noir genre with a film that fails to achieve coherence or resonance. Marlowe is a detective sleuth working the streets of 1930s Hollywood. This story isn’t based on any of the actual books, but after seeing what’s left on the floor, I think it should’ve been a more faithful adaptation.

The overacting aside, there’s not a story worth exploring here. You hear all the classic, reused noir lines and predictable plot points that make it a sluggish watch. The film falls into the newer trend of trying to build everything into a universe and multiple sequels, but not properly setting up the first film as a solid foundation.

See it or Skip it: Skip It

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