Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicks off with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which introduces Marvel’s next mega big bad in a threequel that aims to depart from the usual palate cleansing nature of the previous two Ant-Man films. It’s by far the biggest Ant-Man film to date without losing the traditional humor of the character and certainly leaves fans a lot to think about as Phase 5 begins.
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) is enjoying his newfound fame after his role in the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” although his relationship with his now teenage daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton, “Freaky”), has suffered. When Cassie attempts to prove her worth to her father’s superheroics by building a satellite to the Quantum Realm, where Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer, “Stardust”) was trapped for decades, things very quickly go terribly wrong, leaving Scott, Cassie and the rest of their gang trapped in a microscopic universe ruled by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors, “Lovecraft Country”), whose designs threaten every universe.
The big draw of the film is the aforementioned introduction of Kang, who aims to be the MCU’s next Thanos. Having been previously teased in Disney+’s “Loki,” Kang takes center stage here and looks to be just the villain needed to propel the MCU forward. Not only is Kang a complex character in his own right, with desires, connections with certain heroes, and abilities not yet seen in this universe, but Majors turns out to be a strong presence in the film.
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He’s a character who you cannot help but watch whenever he’s onscreen, which makes it more conflicting when he inevitably turns dark. Seeing him enact his sinister urges is terrifying, since the film builds him up in such a way that makes the stakes universe-shatteringly clear, but through it all, his philosophies are understandable and the way that the film presents his ideals makes the waters very murky and the landscape forward very different.
The same cannot be said for Kang’s supporting villain, who’s identity hasn’t been publicly spoken on, although eagle eyed fans have already figured it out. Without giving it away for the uninitiated, a certain character appears that frankly suspends disbelief even for a franchise that has a talking raccoon as a major character. The look of it doesn’t work, the visual effects don’t work and my screening could not stop laughing every single time this character appeared. It’s one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in any movie, Marvel or otherwise, and the fact that this is on the same screen as Kang makes it even worse.
Aside from that, the film does do a lot right. This is a BIG Ant-Man film, exploring the Quantum Realm, which is a trippy, albeit fascinatingly designed world that pulls from tricks not seen in the MCU thus far in terms of world building. The returning cast also gets time to shine, especially Pfeiffer, whose character’s past is finally explored, and Cassie, despite being recast with Newton replacing Emma Fuhrmann’s brief appearance, finally becomes a dynamic and powerful heroine.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a stepping stone for the MCU’s future, but a very solid one at that. With a movie stealing villain at the core, interesting ideas explored, and very trippy visuals, it moves Ant-Man into the big leagues with a splash and paves the way for an exciting realm of possibilities.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now playing in theaters.