Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – An Imperfect Sci-Fi Romp

After a tumultuous Phase 4 which attempted to steer the MCU forward after the Infinity saga, it is now time to keep moving forward with Phase 5. Phase 4 took some pretty big swings for the most part in terms of their films and for the first time, series thanks to the advent of Disney+. Starting a new phase, it looks like that strategy has not changed with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third film in the Ant-Man franchise. While each of the previous films in the franchise have been smaller-scale affairs, this third installment is definitely departure. The film is essentially a sci-fi romp through the Quantum Realm. Those expecting more than that will most likely be disappointed which can perhaps be attributed to the mixed critical reaction, putting this film on the same level as the unfairly-maligned Eternals. That being said, it doesn’t bring all that much new to the table in building what is now known to be the Multiverse Saga other than the formal introduction to Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror (not counting the variant of him that appeared in the Season 1 finale of Loki). Though the returning cast deliver once again this time around, Majors absolutely steals the show as he looks to be a force to be reckoned with.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as mentioned, saw Scott Lang (Rudd), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), and Hope Van Dyne (Lilly), along with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) find themselves trapped in the Quantum Realm. In order to survive and eventually escape, they must navigate the unchartered territory and the various creatures and others in their path all while the force known as Kang the Conqueror (Majors) loomed over it all. But as far as Janet was concerned, there was much more to that story following her previous time trapped in the realm for 30 years as the realm was different than what she remembered. There’s a backstory there waiting to be unveiled and over the course of the film, the truth slowly trickled out as she certainly knew more than she was letting on. Unsurprisingly, that story was connected to Kang for whom she shared a past with. In the end, the Janet/Kang story and the characters themselves were the best part of the film. Meanwhile, the others were sprinkled in to move that storyline along. Though there were more subplots here, they were nowhere near as interesting other than of course Scott and Cassie getting to spend some time together to rekindle their relationship post-Blip.

Arguably, the film is better viewed as more of a self-contained story rather than a MCU film. It was more a film that happened to have Ant-Man characters in it which isn’t necessarily a bad thing per se. While the story may feel inconsequential to those looking for more connections to the MCU as a whole, all things considered, there was still plenty of excitement to be had as that scale and spectacle remains, this time dressed up in an incredibly silly package in contrast to the previous Ant-Man films and the MCU thus far. The action set pieces and albeit inconsistent visuals are there and will most likely be enough for a lot of audiences. Where the film does falter in its ability to find the right tone in the midst of the story and setting. There’s drama and the humor is hit or miss but that lack of tonal balance does undercut the emotional impact albeit slightly as all the subplots came together towards the standard MCU climax. Along that journey, the film did have enough moments to keep audiences engaged with most coming from Kang and his charming yet still menacing presence. Though all he wanted was to get out of the Quantum Realm, there’s a reason why he was exiled there as he warned about an incoming threat which may or may not be him. The end of the film and its two post-credit scenes answered that question.

What ultimately makes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania work was its performances who all made the best of the material. The returning cast, led by Rudd, were a blast to watch despite the film not utilizing their great chemistry as well as it could have. Spending more time apart than together, they still had their time to shine but they were merely a bunch of pieces on a board that never quite fit together seamlessly. While Rudd did not miss a beat, Pfeiffer had the most impressive and deep performance, carrying so much pain and emotion below the surface as she repressed her trauma in favor of her family. However, the aforementioned Majors steals the show as Kang, operating on a completely different level with his incredible charm and charisma alone. Creating such an imposing presence, one can’t help but not be pulled in and the MCU has only scratched the surface of where he can take the MCU as this next saga’s presumptive villain.

At the end of the day, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may not be the kind of film that fans wanted but as it stands, delivers an entertaining feature that may very well become a footnote.

still courtesy of Marvel Studios

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.