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(Michelle Pfeiffer, Ant Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania film review, Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumaniareview, Jonathan Majors, Kang, Marvel, MCU, Paul Rudd, Wasp
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania
Review by Paul Bowler
Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe gets off to a confident start with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) are back to continue their adventures as the diminutive super-heroes Ant-Man and the Wasp. This time Lang and his extended family get caught up in an adventure into the mysterious Quantum Realm after Scott’s 18 year old daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) manages to send a signal into the mysterious subatomic realm.
Ant-Man and Cassie, along with his partner the Wasp, and in-laws Hank Pam (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) find themselves in a bizarre world filled with micro-fauna, luminescent wildlife, and even stranger looking lifeforms! The familiar sci-fi trappings of this CGI heavy world looks like its been cut from the same cloth as something out of Star Trek or Star Wars, and there’s even a rebellion brewing against an oppressive all-powerful regime run by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Paul Rudd impresses once again in his role as Ant-Man, its perhaps ironic really how the smallest Avenger suddenly finds himself playing such a big role in shaping the future of the MCU in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Indeed, Rudd, Lilly, and Douglas once again make an engaging trio, Kathryn Newton is also great as Lang’s daughter, Cassie, but it is Michelle Pfeiffer who really stands out as Pym’s wife and Hope’s mother, Janet Van Dyne. Having previously been trapped in the Quantum Realm, Pfeiffer’s character is often right in the thick of the action, although she clearly knows a lot more about the Quantum Ream and its despot ruler than she initially lets on.
Its when hyper-powered Kang himself, brilliantly played by Jonathan Majors, enters the fray that Ant-Man and the Wasp:Quantumania really kicks into high gear, especially when he tries to use Cassie as leverage to get Scott to help him retrieve his power core. Ant-Man must endeavour to do everything in his power to help his family return home and stop Kang’s evil scheme.
There are big action set-pieces galore and mind boggling subatomic world-building that is dazzling to behold. Franchise director Peyton Reed is an assured pair of hands that just about keeps this theequel on track, the complex narrative of Kang’s feature debut is compelling, but Ant-Man’s emotional family drama often gets lost in all the CGI mayhem. Kang’s henchman, M.O.D.O.K (Corey Stoll), is the films biggest stumbling block, and I’m sorry to say the MCU’s take on one of Marvel Comics most grotesque villains is a lamentable effort at best! The subtle charm and humour of the previous Ant-Man films is also somewhat lacking, and its a great shame fun key supporting characters from the first two films also sit this one out.
This Ant-Man movie is essentially all about setting up Kang as the MCU’s next big-bad. There is still a very heartwarming story about family underneath all the CGI spectacle, and it also does a good job of paving the way for the Kang Dynasty and the Multiverse Saga that will eventually culminate in Avengers: Secret Wars. Despite its slight flaws, Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is still an exciting adventure, although one that’s not quite as fun as the previous Ant-Man films.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
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I’m not really an MCU guy, other than Guardians of the Galaxy, but I did enjoy the other two Ant-Man films so I’ll have to give this one a try now, especially after your take on it.
I really enjoyed the first two Ant-Man films as well. Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania was certainly an action-packed adventure with some spectacular visual effects. The humour wan’t quite on par with the first two but still pretty good.
I will adjust my expectations accordingly 😦
I’m guessing there is no amusing dub over scene like in the previous two?
The humour isn’t on the same level as the first two Ant-Man film, but its still an exciting enough adventure and a good introduction for Kang to the MCU.
Although the tone of this Ant-Man film is very different from the others it was a welcome change and demonstrated why Scott is a true hero. I enjoyed that he was a real underdog fighting Kang. As for the next big MCU baddie Majors outdid himself with his portrayal of Kang. Overall this was a winning start to Phase Five of the MCU.
It was very different in tone and style to the previous Ant-Man films. It was good to see the character of Scott Lang evolve like this, especially battling Kang. Majors was superb as Kang and I’m excited to see what happens when he next appears. He’s certainly going to be an epic foe for the Marvel heroes to take on!
Hi there, I haven’t seen Quantumania (or most of the MCU films to be honest) but it sounds as if the CGI is a bit like a Michael Bay Transformers movie – you struggle to “see” the film and story under all the visual FX. I got tired trying to watch some of the robots movies.
I have seen the first Ant-Man film (iirc, the one where Scott Lang is fighting to maintain his visiting rights to his child whilst trying to rescue Janet van Dyne) – that film was ok.
Yes, I liked the first Ant-Man film as well. The CGI in Quantumania is a but full on at times, but its still a very exciting and action packed story. As you know, I’m a big comic book fan, so have seen all of the Marvel and DC films. They all tend to vary. Quantumania was a good film, but the level of humour wasn’t quite up to scratch with the first two Ant-Man movies.
Just saw it. M.O.D.O.K. was so ridiculous I was laughing out loud! I wish more time were spent on the main characters–making them more complex and interesting–not relying so much on a glut of CGI world-building and the introduction of oddball quantum realm characters whom I never really came to care about. Maybe I’m getting a little burned out on superhero movies, but I’ll probably watch Kang Dynasty anyway. Jonathan Majors was definitely sinister, even if this “very dangerous” Kang was defeated perhaps a bit too easily.
I do think there is a tangible air of fatigue around superhero movies – from moviegoers and film critics alike atm. I did still enjoy Quantumania, but not at much as Idid the first Ant-Man movie – which is still my favourite out the three. Ah yes, MODOK, that was really risible and looked like it’d been created on a mobile phone app or something. Jonathan Majors was indeed superb in his role as Kang though and I’m sure when he returns the storyline will be well worth it.
Awesome write-up, Paul! It was a rough watch for me. I did enjoy both Pfeiffer and Majors in their respective roles, they did the best they could with what lines they had. Kang’s portrayal was interesting but the whole movie just builds him up only to destroy his legacy. The comedy also seemed so off, poorly integrated, unlike the first movie, for example. The whole movie just felt like a teaser for the next chapter… Nevertheless, it was fun to just get lost in all the CGI-mayhem, like you’ve said hahah I hope Marvel can shake things up with future movies.
Thank you, glad you liked the review. Yes, I totally agree, Pfeiffer and Majors were the best thing about it really, and the comedy that made the first two films such fun just fell flat this time. Still, it was an exciting adventure, and well worth a trip to the cinema. I just hope Marvel do more to honour the legacy of Kang a bit more when he eventually returns.
I look forward to seeing another Ant-man film. Thank you for your review!
This Ant-Man film was a bit different in tone to the previous films, but still well worth checking out – if only for Kang’s debut in the MCU. Glad you enjoyed the review.
I enjoyed this film, too. I was a bit perplexed to see the negativity it’s getting in so much online dialogue. It’s not the best MCU film ever but it’s cute. It’s fun. It’s those characters doing what those characters do. I love the little (heh…I didn’t intend that pun but I’m rolling with it) Ant-Man and the Wasp family we have in the MCU. I’ll happily follow them on any sort of adventure Peyton Reed takes them on!
Me too, sure it’s not the best MCU movie, but I’ve seen far worse. I was surprised to see how much negativity is got, it was nowhere as bad as people were making out. LOL, yes, I’d certainly like to see more Ant-Man adventures as well, these films are always fun, and sometimes you need a break from all the serious stuff in the MCU.
YES. You’re absolutely right! I think about this all the time! I feel like alllllllllllll the hype before ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ skewed a portion of the MCU fanbase and they’ve come to expect enormous crossovers with the whole universe at stake in every story. But that’s not supposed to be the way it works! At least that’s never been how comics work. There are heavy stories, sure. There are darker, more serious stories. There are crossovers. But then there are goofy ones and funny ones and low stakes ones. He was called, “Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” for a reason! I enjoy the “event” stories as much as the next person but I’ve always preferred the smaller comic stories. Those tend to be my personal favorites anyway. So I’m happy when the MCU gives us something like that – and I’m happy they still remember how to give us something like that!
Exactly, we’ve been spoiled by so many epic scale crossover movies that audiences and critics seem to have forgotten how we got to this point by building up individual characters and storylines. Much as I love the big epic movies, I often crave a break from it and want of more down to earth story that focuses more on character development… and fun, just like the Ant-Man movies have always been. 🙂
I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to at some point. I actually haven’t yet watched Thor: Love and Thunder either, but I don’t have all that much interest in seeing it based on what I’ve heard.
I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about Ant-Man 3, but one thing I’ve noticed is that Kang is supposed to be built up as a bigger threat than Thanos, yet he’s defeated in his first appearance by Ant-Man. Sure, he’s not alone, but he’s far from the strongest Avenger, but it feels like such a major threat should have been more of a background character, with one of his minions being this movie’s villain instead. At least, that’s how I would handle it.
Yes, Ant- Man 3 has divided opinion a bit. It’s a fun action movie but slightly different in tone to the previous two Ant-Man films. The main issue I had with it was Modok, the character was just too silly for my liking. Hard to say about Kang really, as the post credit scenes would make things more clear about him for you, and give a hint at to how he will become a Thanos-level villain. I enjoyed the movie but it’s not one I’d probably buy on DVD / Blu Ray, I’d only watch it again if it was on TV. As for Thor Love and Thunder, well, that was ok, but wasn’t a patch on Thor Ragnarok.