(L-R): Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios' ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is a fantastic start to Phase 5. Undoubtedly, it’s the best Ant-Man film, darker and with higher stakes. It is an epic scifi adventure. Paul Rudd is as brilliant as ever and Jonathan Majors as Kang is a force to be reckoned with. Kathryn Newton is also an amazing addition to the MCU cast.“
Last year, Marvel concluded its fourth phase with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, an heartfelt and hilarious epilogue. Now, we begin the year with Phase 5. This one opens on the big screen with the newest Ant-Man & The Wasp film. And they are facing their biggest foe yet – Kang the Conqueror. After Thanos, he is the next big villain in the MCU. We got our first encounter of the character with He Who Remains in Loki. But with Quantumania, we are getting a very different version of the one we met.
STORY
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania marks a departure from the previous Ant-Man films. Indeed, the first two entries were lighthearted and acted as “palate cleanser” after major events. This time, Quantumania sends us on an epic scifi adventure inside the Quantum realm. Additionally, it gives us a proper introduction to Kang the big villain of the Multiverse Saga. Thus, the stakes are higher and the tone is more mature and darker. Nevertheless, it knows how to keep the humour and the heart from the previous Ant-Man films. Jeff Loveness has found the right balance of everything in his script. This makes me so excited to see what he is cooking up for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Without any doubt, Ant-Man is the most underrated character of the MCU. So, I think it was a clever move to have his film open phase 5 and pit him against a villain like Kang. This film is a refreshing new direction for Ant-Man. And I absolutely love this. The MCU always knows how to surprise us. Moreover by exploring the Quantum realm the MCU opens a brand new world to play with while also building up on the glimpse we saw of it in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
This third film is very much about family. It especially taps into the parent-children relationships. We see that with Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie. But we also see this with the interactions between Hank, Janet and their daughter. Quantumania delivers on every level. It is a fantastic start to phase 5. Indeed, it perfectly introduces what kind of threat the Kangs are going to be, while also giving us the Ant-Man family content we love and the epicness of the MCU.
Make sure to stay during the end credits as there are two scenes. The first one sets something big for this phase and the overall arc of the saga. And the second scene is a tease for an upcoming project.
THE ANT-MAN FAMILY
Moreover, Paul Rudd is as brilliant as ever. He is our Scott Lang, he is our Ant-Man. It is always delightful to see him on screen playing this character. Evangeline Lilly is just as great. They are our MCU power couple. Then, Michelle Pfeiffer has a much more prominent role than in Ant-Man and The Wasp. In fact, her character plays a key role to the story. Plus, I do love seeing her sharing so many screentime with Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas. Pfeiffer brings more seriousness and gravitas while Douglas is more on the comedy side.
On top of that, there is a new addition to the Ant-Man family. It is not the first time a recast happens in the MCU. This time, Kathryn Newton replaces Emma Fuhrmann as Cassie Lang. And, this works for the best. Kathryn Newton is amazing in this role. Indeed, she brings a lot of her energy to the character. On top of that, she has such a natural father-daughter on-screen chemistry with Paul Rudd.
THE CAST
We can now say the words Bill Murray is in the MCU. It is strange but nice. He makes a little appearance in the film. He shares a scene with Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas. I was definitely overjoyed to see these three legends interact with each other on the big screen. When you think about it, if you bring Bill Murray in the MCU and in an Ant-Man film, he has to be in a scene with Pfeiffer and Douglas. It is obligatory.
Furthermore, Corey Stoll returns as Darren Cross but in a very different way as his character has become MODOK. Thus, he shows us a different side of his character. It is a lot of fun to see him doing this.
Finally, I have to talk about Jonathan Majors. In Loki, we saw him play He Who Remains. He truly deserved an Emmy nomination for that performance. It was incredible. And here, he plays Kang The Conqueror, a very different version of the character. As such, he delivers a different performance. This one is just as terrific. Indeed, Jonathan Majors is a force to be reockned with. When he is on screen, he owns the scene. This is exactly what you want from your next main villain. He is going to have the time of his life playing so many different versions of Kang.
VISUALS
In addition, Ant-Man and The Waps Quantumania explores the Quantum realm and like I said earlier, it is a scifi adventure. Which means that we see something a lot more visually than just the San Francisco of the previous Ant-Man films. The Quantum realm gives Marvel a brand new sandbox to play with. We see various types of environment and an enormously amount of new creatures. This film has a lot of worldbuilding. I love that they were not afraid to go weird with some designs. Undoubtedly, this is the richest Marvel film on a visual level. It is incredibly striking.
Since I am talking about visuals, I have to talk about MODOK. When you open a comic book, you cannot stop thinking about how ridiculous he looks. A big head with tiny arms and legs, what is that? And the MCU has perfectly brought him on the screen. Visually, he is as ridiculous as he is in the comics. You cannot complain about that. I love the contrast they made with the armored mask which gives him a menacing look and when he removes it, he has the ridiculous MODOK look from the comics.
COSTUMES
On the costume side, Ant-Man and The Wasp get an update. For Ant-Man, there is a better distribution of red and black on his suit. As for the Wasp, she has comic accurate colors with a mix of bright yellow, black and a little bit of blue. Cassie goes with a purple suit as we have seen before in the comics. The design matches the suits of her father and stepmother. On top of that, the three costumes have a common circle on the torso. I love how the costume designs reflect that they are a family.
Then, Kang’s costume is on point. It is as comic accurate as it gets. Obviously, the MCU adds its little touch to make it look even better on screen. When you look at this costume it screams villain. Plus, the blue mask actually works. I am impressed.
SOUNDTRACK
The use of ‘Welcome Back’ by John Sebastian feels appropriate to welcome back on our screen an Avenger we had not seen in Avengers Endgame. But, it is also a song that belongs right in an Ant-Man film. Once again, Christophe Beck is back to compose the score. He has worked on the whole trilogy. So, we hear some of his previous themes as well as new tracks. This film sends us into the Quantum realm for a scifi adventure. Thus, you need some tracks with a heavy scifi feel. Beck delivers that and some more. His score has all the epicness it needs for the battles. He also gives Kang the villain theme he deserves.
VERDICT
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is a fantastic start to Phase 5. Undoubtedly, it’s the best Ant-Man film, darker and with higher stakes. It is an epic scifi adventure. Paul Rudd is as brilliant as ever and Jonathan Majors as Kang is a force to be reckoned with. Kathryn Newton is also an amazing addition to the MCU cast.
Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania arrives in cinemas in the US, UK and Ireland tomorrow. The film is already in cinemas in several countries across the globe.
Author
Collectables Editor at Future Of The Force.
Star Wars and Marvel specialist, anime expert
