Home Movie Reviews Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Review – Kang Kicks Off Phase 5 With A Bang

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a solid start to the MCU’s Phase 5, working well to serve Scott Lang’s story and introduce the menacing Kang.

Kathryn Newton and Paul Rudd in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

After an experimental Phase 4 that introduced a host of new characters, Marvel Studios is launching Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The movie has the dual tasks of not only rounding out Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man trilogy that kicked off back in 2015, but setting the stage for what’s to come in Phase Five, which is part of the franchise’s Multiverse Saga. Thankfully, director Peyton Reed and writer Jeff Loveness are up to the task. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a solid start to the MCU’s Phase 5, working well to serve Scott Lang’s story and introduce the menacing Kang.

As its name implies, Quantumania sees Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man (Rudd), get dragged into the Quantum Realm alongside his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), his superhero and romantic partner Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her parents, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Once there, Janet is confronted with her past and all five are targeted by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), a terrifying being who has laid waste to much of the Quantum Realm. Working together, the family has to figure out a way to get home without letting Kang get free of the Quantum Realm.

Related: 6 MCU Movies & Shows To Rewatch Before Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania

Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Evangeline Lilly in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

Quantumania is quite a different kind of Ant-Man movie. Whereas past films in the trilogy were much more grounded than other MCU movies, and often had lower stakes, Quantumania takes its characters to a very fantastical world and raises the stakes exponentially. Still, Loveness and Reed manage to make the movie feel like it fits within the Ant-Man canon, due in large part to the characters. Rudd’s Scott Lang has been established and developed not only over the course of the Ant-Man trilogy, but other Avengers team-ups like Endgame and Captain America: Civil War. As such, his humor and his desire to be a good dad help to ground everything fantastical about the Quantum Realm and Scott’s adventure.

This also works well as a contrast to the movie’s main villain, who, other than Scott, is Quantumania’s primary focus. Kang is larger than life, speaking about time in a way that feels unfathomable to a regular human like Scott, and it’s this contrast with Rudd’s hero that makes Majors’ villain so menacing. When Rudd and Majors are onscreen together, Quantumania is truly exhilarating, showcasing exactly what makes the MCU so special — talented actors bringing to life these epic stories of good and evil. It helps that the remainder of the cast are exceptionally strong, too. Newton’s Cassie gets some great moments of her own, though it’s Pfeiffer’s Janet who shines brightest after Rudd and Majors. Douglas also has some fantastic line deliveries that bring a lot of Ant-Man’s signature humor to the film. Lilly has a lot less to do in this movie than past Ant-Man outings, but has a few moments. The scene-stealer, though, is the actor who plays M.O.D.O.K., who’s an absolute delight in Quantumania.

Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

Overall, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania manages to successfully be both a fantastic addition to the Ant-Man trilogy — perhaps even the best of the bunch — and set the stage for what’s to come in the MCU’s Phase Five. Reed and Loveness accomplish this by balancing the stories of Scott Lang and Kang, making them the most important characters of the movie. While that means others get left a little by the wayside, particularly Lilly’s Hope, it makes for a much stronger movie. Quantumania isn’t necessarily the MCU’s riskiest outing, it doesn’t take many chances and instead feels like the product of a well-oiled machine, but after nearly 15 years of Marvel films, it’s both fresh and familiar enough to satisfy general audiences.

As such, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a must-see for Marvel fans, not only because it’s a genuinely entertaining addition to the MCU, but because it’s important to the overarching story of Phase 5 and the Multiverse Saga. That said, though there are aspects of Quantumania that are best enjoyed by those who have seen the previous Ant-Man movies, they aren’t necessarily required viewing to understand this film. As with many MCU movies, Quantumania is most rewarding to those who have invested in the franchise, but is enjoyable enough even for casual viewers. Still, the real draw of the movie is Majors’ Kang, who’s poised to be the next major villain of the MCU and, while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania effectively sets up the big bad, it also makes plenty of room for the little guy.

More: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Trailer

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania releases in theaters February 17. The film is 125 minutes long and raged PG-13 for violence/action, and language.

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