Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has, to put it lightly, underachieved thus far. With a lackluster Rotten Tomatoes score, lukewarm fan responses, and the type of blah feeling that only a so-so movie can provide — Marvel’s latest entry into its universe hasn’t lived up to the hype.
At a time when superhero fatigue seems to be at an all-time high, the MCU can’t really afford to fall flat. Still, that’s exactly what’s happening with Quantumania, and one fan seems to think they know why.
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. 2022 was the year of the blockbuster. It was a time when Top Gun reignited moviegoers, bringing them back to theaters. When RRR exploded onto streaming, causing countless new fans of foreign films to challenge their cinematic horizons. Let’s not forget Avatar: The Way of Water. After more than a decade, James Cameron’s sci-fi epic came back in a big way to stun, shape, and blow our minds. We’ll admit it wasn’t perfect, but as a visual spectacle, it didn’t disappoint.
All that is to say this: When great movies exist at the same time as bad or underwhelming ones, people notice. Plot aside (because a bad story will spoil any movie), seeing how great movies can still be is exactly why people won’t waste their money on something that isn’t. Especially right now. At a time when hard-earned cash is especially hard to come by, no one wants to go to the movies and leave disappointed.
Unless Marvel starts challenging the status quo, things are only going to get worse. Yet, we still have hope in the entertainment juggernaut. Mixing things up has always been what Marvel does best, so here’s hoping they save the day. They always have.