Here’s our review for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which lands in theaters nationwide on Friday…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
The next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off 2023, although if you didn’t know that the previous phase had ended, don’t feel too bad about it.
In fact it could be easily argued that Marvel has been a bit sporadic mapping out future plans in the wake of “Avengers: Endgame,” which really did feel like a conclusion after a decade-plus long series of films that set up two of the most iconic blockbusters in movie history. Since that time, Marvel has rolled out what feels like two dozen television series on Disney+ and a few films mixed in without any serious direction about where everything was heading.
That all changes with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which opens in theaters on Friday, and introduces fans to the new Thanos level villain that will be haunting the MCU for the next few years.
Now technically the character has appeared previously — any “Loki” fans out there? — but this is the first big screen, mic drop moment for Jonathan Majors to arrive as Kang the Conqueror. If there was any doubt about his status in the MCU, look no further than the two “Avengers” sequels that will eventually wrap up this next phase of films with one titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.”
It’s an interesting choice to go with an “Ant-Man” sequel to truly introduce Kang to Marvel audiences, although as Kevin Feige explained, he wanted to go with familiar characters to help bridge the gap between old and new with this latest phase of films.
Now truth be told, the first “Ant-Man” film was charming and a little goofy yet still did an admirable job as an origin story around another hero that wasn’t well known at all. Sadly, the sequel failed to live up to anybody’s expectations with “Ant-Man and the Wasp” featuring one of the most forgettable storylines in MCU history and a villain that absolutely nobody remembers (although the character will return in the upcoming “Thunderbolts” movie because if at first you don’t succeed…).
The third film in the series, which is once again directed by Peyton Reed, manages to pack in plenty of action, a whole lot of goofy if not lovable side characters and the introduction of a villain who really chew up the scenery every time he appears on screen. This film may be called “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” but it will likely be remembered as the movie that made us all remember the name of Kang the Conqueror — and that’s great for Jonathan Majors but not so much for the two leads actually on the marquee.
With that said, let’s get to our full review of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”
PLOT
Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame” where Scott Lang aka Ant-Man played a pivotal role in helping to save the world and defeat Thanos, he’s returned to his normal life in San Francisco where he’s routinely recognized for his heroics. These days, Scott loves the smiles and nods of appreciation — and the occasional free cup of coffee that comes along with his title as an Avenger — but he’s mostly sitting back and enjoying the fruits of his past labors while engaging in a book tour to promote his new biography.
Meanwhile, Scott’s girlfriend and fellow hero Hope Van Dyne has established herself as an invaluable member of the scientific community while his now teenage daughter Cassie considers herself a full-time activist, who wishes her father would try to be a little bit more heroic.
In the midst of a family dinner, Cassie decides to show her dad and almost stepmom a project she’s been working on with her pseudo grandfather Hank Pym. It seems Cassie has been tapping into the Quantum Realm — the microscopic world and wormhole that allowed the Avengers to travel back through time to save the world and retrieve the Infinity Stones but also served as the place where Hope’s mother Janet Van Dyne was trapped for 30 years.
Cassie’s goal is to map out the entire Quantum Realm so they can better understand the world but Janet realizes the sheer danger that comes along with tapping into that world — and soon enough her biggest fears are realized when the entire family is sucked into a vortex that drops them into this unknown landscape.
Once they arrive, Scott, Hope, Cassie and Hank start to realize that Janet’s warnings should have been heeded, especially after meeting a barbaric ruler named Kang the Conqueror.
ACTING, DIRECTING AND SCRIPT
Let’s just get this out of the way right now — Jonathan Majors steals the show and he really does take center stage every single time he’s on screen. Majors has a huge advantage in his role as Kang because unlike Josh Brolin emoting behind a CGI face as Thanos, the 33-year-old actor is able to showcase his range while often times dialing down his performance and then dialing it back up again to chilling effect.
Majors is one of the best actors working in Hollywood today and Marvel’s casting directors really hit a homerun when striking a deal with him to serve as the main villain in these next phase of films. Throughout the film, Majors portrays a frightening opposition to our heroes, which is only enhanced by the way he chooses to subdue his delivery and then reminding everybody why they should be absolutely terrified of him.
Meanwhile, Paul Rudd is funny and charming as always, although it’s still a struggle at times to take him seriously as an action hero. He feels completely genuine as Scott Lang but it’s a bit more of a stretch to believe him as Ant-Man — and his best moments have almost always been as a supporting character in other Marvel films (particularly in “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Endgame.”)
Here’s where the problems start.
Because so much of the focus of this film is centered on Rudd and Majors, many of the other incredibly talented actors in this cast take a backseat. It feels like Evangeline Lilly only has maybe 10 lines in the whole movie and Kathryn Newton seems almost out of place at times while playing an older Cassie Lang.
With the majority of this film taking place in the Quantum Realm, there are seemingly a dozen new supporting characters introduced that get more of a spotlight than the established veterans returning for a third film.
When it comes to the direction, Peyton Reed certainly knows what he’s doing and he’s settled into his niche with these “Ant-Man” films that never feel too big, although this one certainly goes far bigger than the previous two movies. There’s a whole lot of digital effects in this one and that’s not a detriment by any means, especially when exploring an unknown world like the Quantum Realm, but it does get a bit taxing on the eyes with a spectacle just waiting around every corner.
The plot itself is fine, although terribly predictable and perhaps that’s because nobody was attempting to reinvent the wheel with this film. Instead, this was a relay race of sorts where the baton was being handed from Thanos to Kang and that’s all the movie really needed to be.
Something else worth noting — “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is a lot of fun and it’s also rather funny without being over the top or ridiculous. It’s the kind of fun that we all hoped would happen in “Thor: Love and Thunder” but then that movie ended up falling flat on its face.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE MOVIE?
The story in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” works but it just feels a little too safe and paint-by-the-numbers, which is a problem because a lot of Marvel films have fallen into that same category lately. That’s not to say this is a bad film — far from it — but again it’s just predictable and you’re likely going to feel like you’ve seen this before because that’s exactly how the movie plays out.
Each “Ant-Man” film has continued to expand, especially where characters are concerned, which is how this really turns into a family movie with the Langs and the Van Dynes teaming up like a world-saving Brady Bunch. As previously stated, that unfortunately results in less character development for any one person outside of Major’s Kang the Conqueror.
There’s still good chemistry for what you get but ultimately it almost felt like we needed more time to explore these relationships not to mention the Quantum Realm but editors had other ideas in mind. While some Marvel films feel bloated, this one actually seemed to perhaps leave a little bit too much on the cutting room floor.
FINAL VERDICT
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is a fine film — it’s charming and funny at moments, there’s plenty of over the top action and eye popping effects. The villain is off the charts (as expected) and that’s truthfully the biggest memory you’ll have walking out of the theater after seeing this one.
Sadly, it’s just hard to imagine anyone clamoring for another “Ant-Man” film and maybe that’s a good thing after this third sequel comes and goes.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” gets 3 out of 5 on the Skolnick Scale:
