Review: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Aims High

HOLLYWOOD, CA — With the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now officially underway. Directed by Peyton Reed, the new Marvel film is a sequel to the 2018 “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” as well as the third installment in the “Ant-Man” movie series that began in 2015.

In “Quantumania,” Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly return to their iconic roles as the eponymous insect-size superheroes, Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Hope Van Dyne/Wasp, joined by Jonathan Majors as the nefarious Kang the Conqueror.

Picking up after the events of the life-altering “Avengers: Endgame,” the latest Marvel offering opens with a blithesome Scott Lang, who’s enjoying a rosy life these days. And why not? After all, his memoir, “Look Out for the Little Guy!” is finally out. Besides, he and his girlfriend Hope (Lilly) are so much in love, while his relationship with his teenage daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) is doing well.

However, it won’t be long before Scott’s fantastic life is upended, when he, Hope, Cassie, Hope’s dad Hank (Michael Douglas) and Hope’s mom Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) are suddenly sucked into the Quantum Realm.

In the blink of an eye, audiences are transported into a visual feast of a world. From costume designs to production settings, the aesthetic appeal of the Quantum Realm is truly magnificent, exuding “Star Wars” vibes in the process.

As the story unfolds, so does Kang the Conqueror’s menacing plot to ruin the universe — and the screenplay can’t be any more transparent about it, given the villain’s presence in every other sequence frame at this juncture. As such, there are times when it feels as though Kang had overstayed his welcome. But luckily, Majors has managed to make Kang intriguing and fascinating enough to watch.

Audiences will also learn more about Janet, who spent 30 years in the Quantum Realm. Apparently, she and Kang have a score to settle. But what a duo to watch! Pfeiffer and Majors simply electrify the cinematic stage when paired onscreen.

And by the way, did we tell you that this review is no-spoiler? So, we better stop revealing more.

See it.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” offers enough Marvel entertainment thrills for the entire family to see — albeit not that wildly entertaining compared to its two predecessors. Tip: Be sure to stay for the two end-credit scenes.