Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania raised the curtains for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Marvel writers dive deeper into the Multiverse Saga. Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang dived so deeply in his explorations that he landed in the Quantum Realm, a microscopic subatomic dimension. But more on that later.
The first half of 2023 also saw Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord guarding the universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Meanwhile, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury learns of a scary invasion of Earth in the television series Secret Invasion.
When compared to the recent performances of DC Studios-backed movies, Marvel has little to worry about, with the Pratt starrer grossing $845 million worldwide. Still, in terms of critical success, a lot was left to be desired from both Ant-Man 3 and Secret Invasion. In that regard, Chris Hemsworth has shared a very interesting opinion.
What Chris Hemsworth Finds Wrong With Marvel Movies Like Ant-Man 3
The last decade or so has been absolutely brilliant for Chris Hemsworth‘s career and much of that has to do with his association with Marvel movies.
The Australian actor got his first Marvel break in Thor (2011), playing the titular character who also subsequently joins hands with other superheroes to take on the supervillain Thanos in The Avengers series.
When it comes to the action genre, Marvel has established itself at the summit, with every character tasked with saving the world in one way or another. However, it seems the 40-year-old isn’t the biggest fan of the idea of “so big” that drives the plot of the majority of Marvel movies.
In an interview with GQ in June, Hemsworth came up with a very well-versed answer when the interviewer asked him why Ant-Man 3 had to be “so big.” The Extraction star explained:
“That’s the trick: you have to separate all those stories. The moment it’s like,” – he does his best trailer voice – “‘Your world is in danger, the entire universe!’ It’s like, ‘Yeah, so [it] was the last 24 films.’ It has to become a bit more personal and grounded.”
Interestingly, Hemsworth’s latest Marvel movie, Thor: Love and Thunder was steered in the same direction, as it explored Thor’s pursuit of inner peace.
Why Fans Didn’t Like Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man 3
Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania managed $476 million in worldwide collection – a figure that might be the subject of envy for many projects, but considering the movie’s budget and the performance of other Marvel projects, Paul Rudd‘s story of the shrinking superhero was an underwhelming attempt.
As hinted in Hemsworth’s aforementioned point, the plot puts the responsibility on Scott to save the universe from Quantumania’s Kang the Conqueror. Albeit in this case, the universe is a microscopic-sized alien world only accessible through shrinking to beyond a sub-atomic size. Scott and Hope Van Dyne are dragged into the Quantum Realm and are forced to face the mysterious Kang.
However, apart from introducing fans to yet another universe, the movie made little progress from its past installments. From static character developments to leaving the issues between Scott and his daughter Cassie Long unresolved, the writers failed to move the emotional arc of the movie further. Fans were also left disappointed with the VFX work, especially during the shrinking and enlarging of characters and other objects.
This was also the first time Marvel introduced Jonathan Majors’s Kang the Conqueror to the big screen. The makers didn’t do justice to his frightening persona from the comics and television series Loki. How easy Ant-Man found to deal with the supervillain was certainly disappointing.
Source: GQ
