For thirteen years and a whopping 31 installments, Marvel Studios had avoided having a single rotten movie on Rotten Tomatoes, even with the mediocre storylines of Thor: The Dark World, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain Marvel. But then Eternals became the first MCU film to garner a rotten score (47%), a score that I still disagree with to this day. Sure, Eternals wasn’t the best superhero movie ever made but it sought to tell a story that felt different and unique, and ultimately, Chloe Zhao did just that.

Now, over a year later, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the second film in this ever-growing franchise to garner a rotten score, (also 47%), a sign that must be worrying for Kevin Feige and the rest of the producers of the franchise. What is most jarring is the ultimate response from the audience who have given the film a pleasing 84% score instead. So why is there such a disconnect between casual moviegoers and critics? And is this score warranted? Well, let’s look at the film’s flaws.

Too Many Plot Holes

Marvel movies may sometimes be lackluster and they may leave you with questions but never has an MCU film left me with so many questions. The last MCU movie that made me question whether the plot was at all logical was Endgame whose time heist found me scratching my head. Even the writers and directors couldn’t seem to agree on how the time heist mission actually worked. Unfortunately, Quantumania triples the number of plot holes that, upon further inspection, reveal the movie’s weaknesses on a massive level. Here are some just to name a few.

Minor spoilers ahead!

1. Why is Janet van Dyne so adamant about not toying with the Quantum Realm when in the post-credit scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp she aids Scott in returning to the quantum realm for the realm’s special particles?
2. Why is M.O.D.O.K chasing Cassie for a ridiculously long amount of time when he could easily shoot a bunch of lasers and defeat her in seconds?
3. And primarily, why is Kang just standing in a room watching his forces being pummeled instead of actually joining the fight before he can be defeated?

Conclusion

I walked out of the theater on Friday with a smile on my face but a question mark in my head. There were so many decisions that were made to dampen not only the seriousness of the film but choices that just felt strangely amateur.

Marvel Studios has never been a company that feels like they’re just churning stuff out with no care to detail or fully realized love but Quantumania feels rushed somehow. As if there was a story that they wanted to tell but decided halfway through that instead they wanted to make something more akin to Spy Kids. And there’s nothing wrong with making something more geared toward younger fans but there were times when this movie just felt overbearingly cheesy.

The saving grace of this film is undoubtedly Jonathan Majors’ Kang who absolutely steals the show in every way possible. You find yourself far more invested in his story compared to the veteran Avengers who seem to move through each scene as if they’re just saying lines rather than embracing the story. I found myself wishing Paul Rudd’s charm was on greater display than it was because there were several moments where I felt that even he didn’t particularly like whatever scene he was in.

If this movie didn’t have Kang it would undoubtedly be the worst MCU film I’ve seen. And I think for those reasons, I believe its 47% score from critics is warranted. They aren’t just there at the cinema to have fun. They are there to provide constructive criticism and Quantumania is a vibrant CGI rollercoaster ride of rushed ideas and cheesy moments.

That being said, Quantumania is the type of movie that personifies escapism. The plot isn’t too heavy, it’s not tear-jerking, and it’s just plain fun, hence the audience’s 84% score.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.