Phase 5 of the MCU is here and it begins with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania! This film has a lot riding on it, because it’s the true introduction to our new big bad.. Kang The Conqueror!
I won’t be going into too many specifics in this review to avoid spoiling the film, so if you have yet to see it, you’re safe here!
In Quantumania, we follow Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, and the rest of the Ant-family into the Quantum Realm, with the hopes of escaping back to Earth without freeing the most dangerous being in the universe, Kang! Peyton Reed returns to direct his 3 rd Ant-Man film, this one being the biggest and most insane yet. The Quantum Realm is beautiful and full of all kinds of crazy things, this really felt like his crack at an over-the-top Star Wars film.
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas all return as their respective characters, with newcomers Kathryn Newton, as Cassie Lang, and Jonathan Majors as Kang. I would say none of the cast stand out as being poor in this one, although I was very surprised at how little screentime Lilly aka Wasp, has in the movie, seeing as she’s in the title. Everyone does well with what they’re given, and that’s all I can really ask for!
Quantumania is an interesting movie for me. The first hour or so, felt like I sat down on the couch during episode 7 of a 10-episode season of television. Fast paced, with the story already in motion, and completely skips any time for me to start caring for the characters I’m watching. What’s interesting is that another MCU movie, Avengers: Infinity War also does this, but the execution is night and day when being compared. Then once we get to the “finale” of that season, it focuses on setting up season 2 instead of finalizing the story for the sake of the characters.
Although the story of this movie disappoints me, the real mission this one needed to deliver on was Kang. In case you’re unaware, Kang is the next Avengers level villain of the future of the MCU. His character uses the multiverse to travel throughout all time and realities, and has an infinite number of variants out there, who could be doing the same. If you haven’t seen Loki on Disney+, now is most definitely the time to do your homework! That show is like signing up for the Multiverse 101 course in college!
Jonathan Majors does a good job with what he is given, although by the end, he still fell a bit short of expectations for me. He is most definitely intimidating and seems like plenty of potential is there with the character, but the Ant-family aren’t the fight that the Avengers are, and seeing the character struggle at all here almost feels off for me. I’m trying to see how I’m supposed to be afraid of him in the future, or ok with the character being so much more intimidating and powerful in other possible projects. With the multiverse, literally anything is possible, so who knows!
It seems to be a trend in recent years, but once again I’m disappointed by the new MCU film. Do I have higher expectations than most? Probably, but is it because I know they can do better? Dang right it is. Coming from a big fan, all I can do is be hopeful that the next is better! I would recommend you see this movie on the biggest screen possible and go out there and get your own opinion of it! I think plenty of viewers could have a blast with this one!
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA is in theatres February 17th, 2023.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
Logan Wischmeier (Contributing Editor) is a Texas native and a massive fan of all genres of film. You can find him talking about movies on YouTube or in line for the latest Star Wars/Comic Book film.Click Here to check out Logan's Articles.