The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest film addition Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania released in theaters on February 17. As fans from all over poured into the theaters to watch this new release, many came out disappointed with the movie they had just watched, but excited by the possibilities that it brings.
The movie begins with an upbeat recap of where Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, and his family have been since the events of Avengers: Endgame. This happy-go-lucky recap is cut short by Scott learning that his daughter Cassie, played by Kathryn Newton, has found herself in jail for shrinking a cop car. Scott and his girlfriend Hope van Dyne, played by Evangeline Lily, take Cassie back for a family dinner where Scott learns of the antics that his family had secretly been up to. These antics cause Scott, Hope, Cassie, Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglas, and Janet van Dyne, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, to get sucked into the Quantum Realm, and become separated. The family must find a way to reunite in this unforgiving world, all while fighting off Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, who is also trying to leave so he can continue conquering the Multiverse.
Overall, the movie had a lot of pitfalls surrounding it. The movie constantly starts new storylines and abruptly ends them by starting a new one. This causes parts to seem out of place and cause confusion to the viewer. Multiple times, the attempts at comedy takes away from the significance of scenes, tarnishing crucial points within the story. Many new characters were introduced that seemed important, but that went away nearly immediately such as Bill Murray’s Krylar. A lot of times, it doesn’t feel like a movie, but rather a setup for the future of the MCU.
The biggest pros of the movie comes from the performances of the actors, specifically Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors. Paul Rudd plays the same comedic yet heartwarming Ant-Man that has been a fan-favorite.
The best performance of all must go to Jonathan Majors for his portrayal of Kang. Majors creates a spine-chillingly realistic portrayal of Kang that exudes the importance of the character going forward. Despite saying the movie was “a bit lackluster,” Dylan Huamani ‘23 explained that one thing they did very well was “setting up Kang as the next big bad of the MCU.”
They also left themselves with multiple ways to continue the story of Kang and continue the connected universe as a whole. These impressive performances cause other characters to become invisible. Evangeline Lily’s character, whose name is in the title of the movie, feels invisible and is barely noticeable due to these big performances and them shoving new characters down the viewers throat.
Just like many other movies in the MCU, this one doesn’t disappoint in terms of CGI. The CGI made the Quantum Realm, a fully fictional place, seem like a real place. The CGI made the impossible of growing and shrinking seem possible as the transformations looked completely realistic. Sean Hennessey ‘23 said that the visuals were “outstanding,” and that the visuals were “ahead of its time.”
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a mixed bag. For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is a must-see as it sets up so much for the future of the MCU. For everyday movie-goers, it could present as a fun watch, but not an amazing movie.
