Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania kickstarts Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) which finally explores the titular micro dimension after teasing its appearance in the previous films.
The first movie had Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) go subatomic, which was a one-way ticket to the Quantum Realm (luckily, he escaped), the second was all about Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) searching for a way to bring back Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfieffer).
And now the whole Lang and Pym Ant-fam gets sucked into the quantum Realm thanks to Cassie Lang’s (Kathryn Newton) Quantum Satellite. When Scott asked in the last film, “Do you guys just put ‘Quantum’ in front of everything,” guess it served as meta foreshadowing for Quantumania.
With the movie receiving mixed feedback and lacking the presence of the iconic X-Con trio, is it still worth the watch?
An awkward family vacation in the Quantum Realm
The Quantum Realm looks like a half-psychedelic mind trip and half-sci-fi fantasy universe with a generous amount of slimy substances and gelatinous bugs. If you’re freaked out by insects with fibrous appendages and anything with a suspicious squirm then you will need to mentally prepare for supersized versions of these creatures. Some of the scenes might also look a bit sus, with Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) entangling with giant tentacles and Hank Pym shoving his arms elbow-deep into thick goo—all shown in great detail.
The cityscape gets less creepy-crawly with a set design that somebody just grabbed from the Star Wars props department. While it seems way too familiar with other fictional worlds, the dimension is still a visual treat. (Shout-out to the forest and the multi-eyed Broccoli alien!)
There’s a lot of focus on a brewing rebellion (like Star Wars?) planned by the Freedom Fighters. Sadly, no mention of the What If series’ fifth episode, where the zombie virus is traced back to the quantum realm. (Perhaps in another universe?)
The supporting characters need more support!
The absence of “those three wombats” Luis (Michael Peña), Dave (Tip “T.I.” Harris), Kurt (David Dastmalchian) can be felt. Filling the void were Quantum Realm inhabitants such as Jentorra (Katy O’ Brian), the leader of the Freedom Fighters, Quaz (William Jackson Harper), a humanoid who can read minds, Veb (David Dastmalchian, who previously played Kurt), a squishy creature obsessed with holes. Among the new crew, There’s also Ant-Man villain Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) who went through an uncanny valley transformation as M.O.D.O.K. and reached new levels of cringe. Quaz and Veb were the standout favorites providing entertaining quips.
Ant-Man is known for its hilarious heist sequences, X-Con’s bumbling antics, and Luis’ overly complicated narration. So when Scott was tasked with a fetch quest, the mission hit differently without his hype men.
Janet Van Dyne is The Wasp
Janet is the real MVP of the movie because she was able to survive in a new dimension for 30 years and held her own against Kang (Jonathan Majors). She even guided everyone else across the realm and threw hands at Kang for the second time. Hank Pym did his thing with the ants, too. It goes to show that age ain’t nothing but a number!
Kang “This isn’t even my final form” The Conqueror means serious business
It’s not even clear at the beginning what Kang is really capable of but we’re shown how intimidating the next Avengers villain is going to be through Janet’s wartime flashbacks and other stories. And this is before he actually shows up. Kang is a multiversal conqueror with a genius-level intellect and access to 31st Century tech. He also has a terrifyingly calm manner of speech that will stress the eff out of anyone. His tone is very “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.” In his weakened state, Kang is a tough boss fight so one could only imagine him at full power. (He even talked about defeating an Avenger.) Thanos, who?
The post-movie credits might force you to do your Marvel homework. In Loki’s season finale, Kang’s variant called He Who Remains (HWR), whose hyperactive energy is the complete opposite of The Conqueror, gave a warning, “And if you think I’m evil, well. Just wait until you meet my variants.” Quantumania’s post-credits also hint at a multiversal war care of the Council of Kangs.
TL;DR THOUGHTS: IT’S SO MID IT’S OKAY
It’s more serious than the previous Ant-Man films but Scott is still as goofy as ever especially when flexing his newfound Avengers fame, hanging out with Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), and the blatant Baskin Robbins product placement. One of the highlights include the Probability Storm where—without spoiling anything—Ant-Man serves peak Scott Lang humor.
Despite some points for improvement, it’s refreshing to see a superhero family kicking ass together. Nobody’s a damsel or dude in distress with the Pyms and Langs each getting their own action sequence. After all the brooding “I-need-to-stay-away-from-my-loved-ones” series and movies, we need less drama and more awkward interactions. (With uncomfortable parental TMI moments like an actual family!)
So if you want an epic superhero movie then it might feel mid for you. Quantumania is more like a series of unfortunate events during a family trip with all roads leading to Kang. But it’s a break that you didn’t know you needed before the chaotic multiversal mayhem that will be MCU’s Phase 5.
Images: Ant-Man and the Wasp – Quantumania © Marvel 2022
