“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” delivers an adventurous, fantastical, comedic film that Marvel fans have long waited for.
Many fans were disappointed with Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, the newest installment in the Ant-Man franchise is a solid start to Phase 5.
The newest movie follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the rest of the Ant-Man crew seemingly a few years after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” Lang is enjoying his life as a celebrity avenger, while his daughter Cassie keeps getting into trouble through her social activism.
Cassie unveils that she has been working with her grandfather, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), to create a machine that communicates with the Quantum Realm. The family gets unintentionally sucked into the Quantum Realm with no hope of returning to the normal world.
In the Quantum Realm, we meet Kang the Conqueror, the newest big-bad villain of Phase 5 of the MCU. The majority of the movie takes place in this dimension as the family deciphers a plan to return home, all while navigating an unfamiliar world.
Gwyneth Johnson, a sophomore film major, noted its nod to the Star Wars Universe.
“With its flashes of cosmic creatures and bar setting similar to Tatooine’s own Mos Eisley Cantina, ‘Quantumania’ turns to the classic film for inspiration in creating the world of the Quantum Realm,” Johnson said.
Director Peyton Reed returns to “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” after directing the first two films in the franchise.
The film stars beloved Rudd as Ant-Man, Evangeline Lily as The Wasp, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michelle Pfieffer as Janet van Dyke and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang. The movie also re-introduces Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, who first appeared in the Disney+ series “Loki.”
Marvel producers faced some backlash after recasting Cassandra Lang’s character without notifying previous actress Emma Fuhrmann. However, Newton does a fantastic job combining comedy and love as Cassie in the film.
The film has faced mixed reviews by critics and fans alike. Some fans loved it for the Star Wars aesthetic, while others could not stand the excessive CGI. Critics were quite adamant about their disappointment in the film’s storyline.
The film contains a fun plot with the typical comedic relief of Paul Rudd and other clever characters. Scott is a great protagonist, and it is easy to fall in love with his character with each installment of the Ant-Man movies.
Cassie is courageous and quietly hilarious, and it is exciting to see more hints to the Young Avengers franchise. Kang presents an intelligent, strong and frightening villain for the upcoming Multiverse Saga.
However, the film fails to meet certain expectations, which Johnson pointed out even though she enjoyed the film.
“[It] lacks depth in some of the character development and plot,” Johnson said.
Sophomore political science and history major Julian Ramos agrees that the film was missing character growth.
“I wish we were able to see a bit more from Wasp and Hank Pym,” Ramos said. “It was definitely a step down from the last two films in the trilogy, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.”
As always, don’t forget to stay in the theater for the mid-credit and post-credit scenes for some glimpses into the future of the MCU and exciting cameos.
Rating: 3.75/5