Ant-Man and the Wasp

The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Scott Lang is under house arrest, entertaining his daughter Cassie with an elaborate cardboard city. He's three days from freedom but confined to his home, separated from Hope and Hank after the events of Civil War.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.

The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Scott receives a vision/memory of Janet van Dyne while awake, proving a quantum entanglement connection. He contacts Hope and Hank despite the risk, revealing he may be the key to finding Janet in the Quantum Realm after 30 years.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.

The First Threshold at 29 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Scott actively chooses to help Hank and Hope despite house arrest, fully committing to the mission to rescue Janet. He becomes a full partner with the Wasp, entering the world of the quantum tunnel heist and the race against Ghost., moving from reaction to action.

At 60 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Ghost reveals her tragic origin: she's a victim of Hank Pym's former partner's experiments and is dying from quantum instability. She doesn't want to destroy them—she needs their technology to survive. The stakes shift from simple rescue to a moral dilemma with no easy answer. False defeat: Ghost steals the lab., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.

The Collapse moment at 90 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Ghost has taken the lab into the Quantum Realm tunnel, threatening to tear Janet apart to save herself. Bill Foster, Ghost's mentor, can't stop her. The mission seems lost, Janet may die in the extraction, and Scott's house arrest window is nearly closed—he'll lose everything., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.

The Second Threshold at 96 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. They realize Janet herself may have the power to heal Ghost from within the Quantum Realm—a solution that saves everyone. Scott chooses to enter the Quantum Realm himself to retrieve Janet, trusting Hope and Hank completely. The family works as one unit., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.