‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Gives a Delicious Intro to Kang

Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe officially began with releasing the highly anticipated Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. To our delight, the film delivers on its promises, providing viewers with thrilling action sequences, some heartfelt moments, hilarious one-liners, and immersive world-building that paves the way for the upcoming films —and series.

So what does a superhero do when there’s nothing or no one that needs saving? They write a book. Which Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), our Ant-Man, did. He spends his days in his own time loop of normalcy, being mistaken for random Avengers, doing book readings, and of course, spending every moment he can with his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton; Freaky). His lovely wasp, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), has taken over her father’s business and is now a high-powered humanitarian, which leaves Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) to make up for lost time. They’ve all become quite the little family, including having routine family dinners.

Cassie is an activist by day, attending peaceful protests and a budding scientist at night, experimenting with advanced technology. She’s been secretly working on a project with Hank and Hope that, if it works, will help them better understand the Quantum Realm, as we’ve seen in the trailer. Her curiosity is well-intentioned but dangerous. As a signal is sent down to the Quantum Realm, the group is sucked in.

Janet is terrified and tries everything she can to get the family back home. But no one understands why she’s so afraid because she’s never shared what actually happened during her time in the Quantum Realm or how she’s connected to who we know as Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).

The Quantum Realm is nothing like we’ve seen before. The audience shrinks with the characters into this elaborate world filled with so many colorful creatures — it’s beautiful.

At the movie’s start, the dialogue may come across as overly cheesy, even more so than the norm. However, as the plot thickens, we are rewarded with a deeper and more complex story. Along the way, we’re treated to an array of jokes that only Paul Rudd’s unique delivery style could pull off. Scott is perhaps one of the most genuine and sincere characters we’ve seen in the MCU. Witnessing his change in demeanor when it comes to protecting Cassie was great to watch.

Once inside the Quantum Realm, everything ramps up, accelerating rather quickly until we arrive at the origin story of Janet and Kang.

This film will wet the appetite of MCU fans who have been anxiously awaiting some newness to kickstart their fan theories and hold them over until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Still, the story was lacking, leaving us with what felt like an incomplete plot. There wasn’t enough tension in Scott’s new dilemma of fighting for everyone and protecting what he already has. Rudd is excellent as the Ant-Man, and I would’ve loved to see him flex his acting chops with a story that really allowed him to emote while contemplating the heavy decision he has to make.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures

However, Jonathan Majors as Kang is enough to redeem the film. Majors’ performance carries the intensity you would’ve liked to see from Rudd in certain moments. He exudes a quiet power even when he’s just speaking. Before things escalate, you can tell he possesses an unmatched strength in how he carries Kang’s character. Kang is unassuming as a character which helps him manipulate people into thinking he’s a gentle giant and not a ruthless conqueror. Major tightropes that duality incredibly well. For a moment, we forget whose film this actually is, which might be the point. We all know the Kang dynasty is surely approaching, so this film acts more as a coming-out party for our conqueror than a third installment of an Ant-Man franchise.

The biggest gripe I have with the film is that our favorite characters were nowhere to be found. We had no Maggie (Judy Greer), Paxton (Bobby Cannavale), or audience favorite Luis (Michael Peña). Peña’s comedic relief created some of the best moments of the Ant-Man films. Their void was definitely felt.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania paves the way for what’s to come in Phase 5 of the MCU. We can expect thrilling showdowns that will culminate in an epic finale against a formidable new foe. The film has plenty of funny meme-worthy content that’ll plague the timelines long after the film has left theaters. The world-building is gorgeous. The action is great, and we even see Pfeiffer kick some butt. It’s unfair to compare every MCU film to the majesty of Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania completed the assignment by ushering in the next chapter. The movie may not meet all of your expectations, but it is undoubtedly worth your time.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania releases in theaters worldwide on February 17.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars