Review: Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania Better Thank Kang

Super Heroes Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible. Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Trailer:

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Review:

THE GOOD

Some of the acting in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was noteworthy. Paul Rudd gave one of his most emotional performances, all while still being witty and funny in his effortless style. Michelle Pfeiffer was also great and showed that she was still fully capable of delivering exciting action sequences. However, Jonathan Majors, as Kang, stood tall above all the rest. His delivery was exceptional and captivating. He stole and commanded all attention whenever he appeared on screen because you always were curious about what he’d do next. Simply put, Majors turned Kang into a pure menace and a force to be reckoned with.

Regarding visuals,  Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania excelled at creating a bright, colorful, vivid world for audiences to dive into. The Quantum realm genuinely felt like an escape into a unique new world in the MCU. Director Peyton Reed certainly tapped into his love of Star Wars, given the many obvious parallels. Star Wars fans will immediately recognize the similarities as the main characters explore various parts of the quantum realm. I did appreciate the diverse creatures in this other dimension because it was never a given whether a creature would be friendly or hostile.

One of the strongest positive elements of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was the theme of time. Whether lost, gained, or perceived differently, the concept of time was fascinating to explore through different characters. This theme was the backbone for Scott Lang’s character and how he connected with his daughter, Cassie. Their bond, through this theme, was a relatable subject to keep audiences engaged. What was also interesting to see was how this theme of time played off entirely differently with a character like Kang. This was a great way to position the hero and villain on opposing sides.

THE BAD

The writing for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania left much to be desired. One character that suffered the most was probably Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp. Her character’s name is in the title of the movie, but it felt like her role was diminished and didn’t receive any type of development. She was only there to nag at her mom and kick butt during some action sequences. Then, Michelle Pfeiffer’s character became annoying for taking so long to reveal her secret. It’s OK to create situations that interrupt a character from disclosing something because that builds a good amount of tension or suspense. However, the writing here made her trauma a ridiculous plot device to drag things out.

While Jonathan Major’s version of Kang was phenomenal, I do believe that the writing for this movie compromised his character a bit at times too. I thought it was odd, and possibly even a plot hole, to have Kang need anything from anyone in this movie. I was not a fan of having Kang know some things and conveniently, for the sake of the story, not know other things. It felt like the writing contradicted his own character as a result.

The Ant-Man franchise is known for its humor, but Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was hit or miss in that department. There were indeed some funny moments whenever Paul Rudd delivered dialogue. However, other jokes entirely depended on the audience’s sense of humor. In my opinion, some of the running jokes ran a bit too long or were just completely missed. I think the biggest miss came with MODOK’s character. After the initial shock of seeing his face, all the jokes afterward fell flat. The comedy in this film didn’t always complement what was at stake in the story. Ultimately, the humor was distracting and took away any sense of urgency that was being built up.

The Verdict

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was an ambitiously weird, trippy, fun ride but left much to be desired. If it weren’t for Jonathan Major’s performance as Kang, this movie would be a complete fail. I think this film missed an opportunity to break free from the averageness of the previous MCU films in Phase 4. It leaned too heavily into the comedy rather than allowing the story to mature over time. That’s not to say it should have been void of humor, but if this movie’s purpose was to set up the threat that is to come in Phase 5, then I can’t say it accomplished that feat at all. However, the two post-credit scenes at the end were fantastic. Sad to say, but the post-credit scenes were better than the movie itself. I can’t say there’s much value in rewatching Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, although it is worth the watch in theaters. At the end of the day, this was just another Ant-Man movie.

Director: Peyton Reed
Writer(s): Jeff Loveness
Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, Katy O’Brian, William Jackson Harper, Bill Murray
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA hits theaters February 17, 2023. Be sure to follow E-Man’s Movie Reviews on Facebook, Subscribe on YouTube, or follow me on Twitter/IG @EmansReviews for even more movie news and reviews!