Ant-Man: Quantumania — How to Build a Cinematic Cash-Grab | Anatomy of a Failure

Introduction

The video begins with an introduction to the topic of Ant-Man and the WASP of Quantumania, the 31st MCU movie. The speaker expresses their disappointment with the film.

Ant-Man and the WASP of Quantumania

• The speaker didn't expect to see Ant-Man's protege again after what happened.

• Quantumania is another disappointing entry in the MCU.

• The movie features Ant-Man but is not focused on his character development.

• Marvel made this movie as a cash grab, using an established character and CGI world.

• The filmmakers wanted to explore the quantum realm and potentially introduce Kane the Conqueror as the villain.

Why Quantumania is a Cash Grab

In this section, the speaker explains why they consider Ant-Man and the WASP of Quantumania a cash grab and how it fails as an Ant-Man movie.

Lack of Personal Specificity for Ant-Man

• Scott Lang has lost his defining personal specificity, becoming a generic hero used for whatever Marvel wants to introduce.

• He is no longer distinguishable from other MCU heroes, lacking unique characteristics that made him stand out initially.

• Scott's role in the movie revolves around being a hero in the MCU rather than having personal struggles or motivations.

Purposelessness of Story

• Due to Scott's lack of purpose, the story becomes aimless and lacks direction.

• He becomes a tool for Marvel's storytelling needs without any meaningful involvement or personal growth.

Exposing DC Influence at Marvel?

The speaker hints at a possible DC influence at Marvel and teases an exclusive expose about it later in the video.

DC Influence Rumors

• There are rumors of an ex-DC employee now working at Marvel and potentially influencing decisions.

• The speaker plans to reveal the identity of this person later in the video.

How to Avoid Making a Cash Grab Project

The speaker provides advice on how to avoid creating a cash grab project similar to Ant-Man and the WASP of Quantumania.

Maintaining Character Specificity

• Ensure that your main character retains their defining personal specificity throughout the story.

• Avoid turning them into a generic hero without unique traits or motivations.

Establishing Purposeful Storytelling

• Give your protagonist a clear purpose and ensure that the story has direction and meaning.

• Avoid making the protagonist a tool for fulfilling external storytelling needs without personal growth or involvement.

Conclusion

The video criticizes Ant-Man and the WASP of Quantumania for being a cash grab movie that lacks character development and purposeful storytelling. The speaker suggests maintaining character specificity and purposefulness in order to create a successful project.

The Role of Scott as the Hero

This section discusses how Scott Lang's role as Ant-Man is not essential to the overall story and could be replaced by another character.

Scott's Value in the Story

• Scott being the hero is not crucial to the plot; anyone else could take on his role and the story would still function similarly.

• The movie is not centered around the main hero but rather made for its own sake. The writers seem aware of this, as Scott is instructed to steal something for the villain Kang.

Lack of Significance for Scott

• Scott's value as a person in the story diminishes over time. His defining purpose has already been served, and nothing significant about him changes throughout.

• The story does not explore or build upon Scott's character; he is included in the movie solely because he is Ant-Man, a property that Marvel can use to make a film.

Example with Scott's Daughter

• If a movie were to focus on Scott's daughter, it should be built around her core values and not just using her as Ant-Man. For example, she could tackle issues like government surveillance or internet censorship using Pym technology.

Unique Elements of an Ant-Man Movie

This section highlights how certain elements made the first Ant-Man movie special and how they are lacking in subsequent films.

What Made the First Movie Special

• The first Ant-Man movie stood out due to its unique elements such as shrinking down, interactions with everyday items in new ways, and creative action scenes. These elements were made possible by Edgar Wright's understanding of the character.

Lack of Unique Ant-Man Elements

• In subsequent movies, there is a lack of ant relationships, interactions with everyday items, or any unique aspects that define an Ant-Man movie. Instead, it focuses more on generic superhero content.

The Quantum Realm and Redundancy

This section discusses how setting the movie in the quantum realm makes it redundant as an Ant-Man film.

The Problem with the Quantum Realm Setting

• Placing the movie in the quantum realm is considered one of the worst ideas in the MCU so far. It undermines its identity as an Ant-Man movie.

• The plot could easily be adapted to any other hero; it does not require Ant-Man specifically. For example, Iron Man could have been involved instead of Scott Lang.

Timestamps are approximate and may vary slightly depending on the source video.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the impact of Ant-Man's ability to shrink in the movie. The small world concept takes away from the uniqueness of his power and limits its use to combat scenes.

Ant-Man's Ability in a Small World

• When everything and everyone is small, it diminishes the significance of Ant-Man's ability.

• The unfamiliarity of the small world restricts the creative use of size manipulation.

• Ant-Man's abilities are mainly showcased during combat scenes.

• There are a few exceptions where his abilities are utilized effectively, such as Scott's daughter shrinking down to escape or Hank Pym showing up to save the day.

• These moments should have been longer and used more extensively instead of being brief plot devices.

New Section

This section highlights a scene that stands out in the movie as an example of utilizing Ant-Man's unique abilities effectively.

The "Stealing" Scene

• Scott dives into a blown-up engine to shrink it down, creating an engaging scene.

• Scott and his clones work together using their size manipulation to save Scott's daughter.

• This scene showcases what makes an Ant-Man movie special - doing things that no other movie can do.

New Section

The speaker explains why "Quantumania" feels like a cash grab by using Ant-Man's popularity to promote something unrelated.

Using Ant-Man for Other Purposes

• Scott Lang lacks agency and purpose in "Quantumania."

• He is reduced to a passive character, driven along by others.

• The movie focuses more on the introduction of Kang as the new Big Bad of the MCU.

• Ant-Man's role is overshadowed by constant references and focus on Kang's backstory and motivations.

New Section

This section discusses how both Ant-Man and Kang suffer from their roles in "Quantumania."

Ruining Both Sides

• Ant-Man is diminished in his own movie, while Kang doesn't receive enough focus either.

• Ant-Man becomes a secondary character despite being the titular hero.

• Kang's presence is limited, with minimal interaction and lack of insight into his intentions.

• The movie fails to explore Kang's depth beyond ominous references.

New Section

The speaker concludes that "Quantumania" lacks a strong hero and villain, resulting in a disappointing narrative.

Lackluster Hero-Villain Dynamic

• Ant-Man isn't allowed to be the hero he should be, while Kang remains shallow as a villain.

• The movie falls into the trope of another CGI power villain trying to end the universe.

New Section

The importance of having a central character in a movie and exploring their perspective.

Focusing on the Central Character

• In movies, it is crucial to have a central character who drives the story.

• Batman is an example of a character whose actions are always at the center of attention.

• In Infinity War, despite being an Avengers movie, Thanos becomes the central character.

• The movie begins and ends with Thanos, and we see scenes from his perspective.

• This approach allows the audience to understand his choices and sacrifices.

New Section

The need to keep the main character at the center of their own movie.

Keeping Ant-Man or Kang at the Center

• To make an Ant-Man movie successful, it is important to keep Ant-Man as the central character.

• Ant-Man should be causing things to happen and driving the plot forward.

• Similarly, if this were Kang's movie, his perspective should be explored thoroughly.

• Merely reducing them to references or spectators diminishes their impact on the story.

New Section

Criticizing movies that prioritize financial gain over artistic value.

Artificial Value vs. True Value

• Some movies seem to prioritize generating artificial value for financial gain rather than focusing on true artistic value.

• These movies may exist solely as cash grabs to sustain a profit-making machine.

New Section

A mention of exposing a double agent and promoting Private Internet Access.

Miscellaneous Mention

• The speaker teases about exposing a double agent from DC working at Marvel but does not provide further details in this video.

• There is also a mention of checking out Private Internet Access.

Timestamps are provided for each section to help locate the corresponding part of the video.