ANT-MAN AND THE WASP QUANTUMANIA Review: The Most Ambitiously Weird Marvel Studios Movie Yet, Kang is Everything


***THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.***


Before I get into anything with ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, let me make a bold statement first. I feel like this is more of a true STAR WARS homage than anything the studio has ever done. 

With saying that, you might think, “Um... Marvel Studios’ homage to Star Wars is the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY franchise.” And my response after seeing this last night at my press screener is to say you’re wrong.  GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is the studios’ homage to the space opera, while QUANTUMANIA does in fact feel like more of a direct homage to the STAR WARS franchise. It probably feels this way because director Peyton Reed has been playing in the STAR WARS sandbox directing two episodes of THE MANDALORIAN in season two.

But enough of that and let me get into this new movie. 

QUANTUMANIA is a really fun movie that takes the quirkiness of the ANT-MAN franchise and turns it on its head by venturing into the Quantum Realm where things get really weird (in a good way!). This makes the third movie in the franchise the biggest scale of all three. We see creatures, and humanoids, and alien-like creatures never seen before in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). 

This movie is about family. Scott Lang’s daughter Cassie may not have her character name in the title of this threequel, but this movie is an introduction to his daughter as well as the bond she has with her dad, and with her extended family of Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, and Hope Van Dyne. This quintet goes on an adventure that is full of amazing visuals and fun humor, which shouldn’t be any surprise to anyone with actor Paul Rudd leading the charge with jokes and one-liners. 


All these character performances are great, but the real draw of this movie is one who fans finally get to see as the MCU’s next big bad, Kang the Conquerer, played amazingly by actor Jonathan Majors. Majors is an absolute delight throughout and has plenty of screen time, but you'll still want so much more... and you'll get that in more MCU's features and shows coming out soon.

This movie is just as much about Kang as it is the title characters and their supporting cast. In fact, one might say this movie is more of a Kang movie than an Ant-Man movie when the final credits roll because Kang is mesmerizing in every scene he's in. The Ant-Man family brings the funny and some emotion, but Kang brings even more emotion and is truly a scary and powerful enemy the MCU needs to fear moving forward. 

In order to not spoil Majors’ wonderful performance as Kang, I’ll leave you with this one thing… nobody should worry about this live action version of Kang and he will bring more intrigue and interest to the character from moviegoers who know about him in the comics, and from those who do not. People will be talking and theorizing all-things Kang once they’ve seen this. Kang is legit. Kang is everything.

If there’s any nit-picking to be made it would be that some of the scenes have an over-abundance of CG, but that's what happens when you build a brand new world like the Quantum Realm. Some scenes could have been trimmed a little here and there to help the flow of the movie, too. 

And a big issue I can possibly see from the hardcore Marvel fanbase is the portrayal of M.O.D.O.K., who could be a divisive character transitioning into live action. But what do you expect from a giant head floating in a chair? 

In the end, this is one of the most ambitiously weird Marvel Studios movies released yet. And if the studio continues to lean into more and more weirdness like seen in QUANTUMANIA, then I’m all for it. And you should be too. 

Two credits scenes.


Written and reviewed by Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief Daniel Wolf


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