The thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, that there’s always more of it.
What has been deemed “Phase 4” officially ended last year with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
As a whole, these series of films and TV shows, which included “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” were praised for including some big swings, such as the parallel universe shenanigans of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and introducing new characters such as Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel.
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But the shows and movies were often dinged for feeling a bit undercooked at times, and not having a clear direction, with many fans complaining that once Thanos, the main villain of the first decade of the MCU, was dealt with, everything else felt anticlimactic.
Also, there was just so much Marvel in this Phase, which started in 2021 with “Black Widow” and included seven films and eight TV shows, which is a lot even for the most devoted fan. Not every film and TV show was important to understanding the overall narrative, but there was a growing sense that you had to do a lot of homework to keep up with the whole Marvel thing.
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Now, any notion of a so-called Marvel Fatigue is a bit overstated as four out of the top ten movies of last year were from the MCU.
But even MCU mastermind Kevin Feige knows 18 shows and movies in three years is a lot to take, and in an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” he noted:
“I do think one of the powerful aspects of being at Marvel Studios is having these films and shows hit the zeitgeist. It is harder to hit the zeitgeist when there's so much product out there — and so much "content," as they say, which is a word that I hate. [Laughs] But we want Marvel Studios and the MCU projects to really stand out and stand above. So, people will see that as we get further into Phase 5 and 6. The pace at which we're putting out the Disney+ shows will change so they can each get a chance to shine.”
These comments are similar to sentiments from returning Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger, who was behind Disney’s push to acquire Marvel. As the battle for streaming intensifies and companies begin to look closely at their budgets, the sheer amount of stuff out there will naturally restrict.
Iger recently commented that the company needs to be “better at curating” TV shows and films that are “extraordinarily expensive.”
He added that “We want the quality on the screen, but we have to look at what they cost us.”
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What Are Critics Saying About ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”?
The latest Marvel film “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” will kick-start what is being known as Phase 5, which is part of the Multiverse Saga.
The Ant-Man series of films, which started in 2015, have until now been light, comedic diversions carried by the charm of Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang, an ex-con who fell into the superhero world to reconnect with his daughter.
But returning director Peyton Reed talked about his intentions to make the third film a grand scale adventure, by paradoxically going to the microscopic parallel universe the Quantum Realm. In the latest outing, Scott Lang and family becoming trapped in the realm, and are menaced by the time-traveling conquered Kang, played by Jonathan Majors, a new addition to the MCU.
While Rudd gets plenty of chances to deliver his snappy one-liners, there’s a bigger sense of scale and more world-building going on here, though critics are mixed on what it all adds up to.
Entertainment Weekly thinks the film is over-stuffed, but overall enjoyable, saying Reed "sometimes gets swallowed by the whirling spectacle of it all: a ringmaster overtaken by pew-pew battles and talking space blobs. At just over 120 minutes, though — a blink in Marvel time — this 'Ant-Man' is clever enough to be fun, and wise enough not overstay its welcome."
Is bigger always better? Hollywood Reporter appreciates the effort, but feels like it loses some of the comedic charm of the earlier films.
The whole thing just gives The Daily Beast a headache, really.
Rolling Stone is just getting tired of the MCU in general, it seems, and thinks this film doesn't breath any new life into proceedings.
The Times thinks the epic scale collapses in on itself, feeling like a strange mishmash.
But Consequence loves the playful, comedic tone, and enjoys that the film isn't trying to be too serious.
Like many reviewers, Variety thinks Majors stills the show completely, making for one of the most compelling villains Marvel has ever had.
