“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”; Phase 5 in Effect

Myles Williams

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, is the newest Marvel movie to kick off 2023. Released on Feb. 17, this film is the third movie for the hero Antman and this adventure would push him to his limit as a hero and father.

The film follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Cassandra Lang, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pyme (Michael Douglas) and Janet Pyme (Michelle Pfeiffer) as they are shrunken down into the Quantum Realm.

The film wastes no time in thrusting viewers into the plot of the movie by slowly revealing the antagonist. The pacing of the movie felt very moderate. The film did a good job of balancing between the storylines of Hope, Hank and Janet trying to find Scott and Cassandra while avoiding detection from Kang the Conqueror and his plan for revenge.

This wouldn’t be a MCU film if Marvel did not add any comedic moments and Corey Stoll who played M.O.D.O.K definitely was a great comedic character. Even though he was a villain working for Kang, M.O.D.O.K was a threatening yet hilarious character you couldn’t help but laugh at in certain moments due to his witty banter with Cassandra and his reunion with Scott and Hank. The comedic moments didn’t feel too forced to where you felt like it wasn’t funny. Scott had his moments as well from his own self narration of his own book and his banter with Kang. It gave me a little bit of a laugh, genuinely because Scott is a funny character.

Most actors in the film played their roles amazingly, while some felt very monotone. Jonathan Majors, who played Kang The Conqueror, was phenomenal. Each time Kang appeared, people could feel that he was truly a threat to everyone who inhabited the Quantum Realm. Majors was calculating, devious, arrogant and confident when playing Kang, all traits that describe Kang in the comics and was properly portrayed in the movie. On the other hand Kathryn Newton, who played Cassandra, was mediocre at best. Newton’s acting felt like she was reading the script without any type of emotion or energy. Her acting made me feel less invested, even though she was one of the main characters who caused everything to happen in the first place. Each time she was on screen it felt like she was there just to be there and nothing else. She wasn’t terrible, but in all honesty I think the film could’ve worked best if I felt her emotion a lot more.

My favorite scenes featured Kang and showcasing how dangerous The Conqueror truly is. From showing us his vast army, to his future technology, and even his fight with Antman it definitely didn’t disappoint me. Seeing him in comics and Cartoon adaptations compared to the big screen was truly a sight to see.

Overall, the movie was average. It’s definitely a movie you don’t have to watch immediately. Even the end credit scenes that Marvel are notoriously known for did not move me and that’s saying a lot because those scenes are what get the fans excited for the next movie. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is the second movie out of phase five and for it to be just a mundane movie that you can skip in the MCU. It raises the question on the direction of where the MCU will be headed and if it will be good or bad.