The Ant-Man films have played a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that mirrors the character’s functions as a superhero. Both generally operate small but grow to gargantuan when necessary.
We’ve seen Scott Lang go from ant to giant based on the particulars of the time. The film series mimics this by being lighter and scaled-down compared to its counterparts while introducing one of the MCU’s most critical elements. For his third film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the MCU calls for Ant-Man to go big.
Quantumania is the lead-in to Phase Five of the MCU and takes us to post-Avengers: Endgame life for the Lang and Pym families, where they are inadvertently transported into the Quantum Realm and must find a way out. With a new role comes new responsibilities, but does Quatumania show Ant-Man is up to the challenge?
Quantumania wastes no time embracing its role in establishing, at a minimum, the next 3-5 years of MCU movies. To get things moving in the right direction, writer Jeff Loveness and director Peyton Reed set up Quantumania to run like a 2-hour episode of Rick and Morty or a space opera.
It takes a fraction of the first act to bring us up to speed about the changes in Lang’s life. Quantumania then quickly changes course to the Quantum Realm. After that shift, Reed moves it slower than the typical Ant-Man or Marvel film but steady enough to address the necessary world-building and backstories.
Ant-Man staples, such as father-daughter melodramatics, redemption arc, and sense of humor, still show up, but Loveness’s script and Reed dial back their presence in this one. On the one hand, the reduction causes Quantumania to drag at times. On the other hand, it allows the film to focus more on bringing the Quantum Realm to life.
Visually, Quantumania is a tale of two methods. The green screen work is incredible and well worth the additional dollars needed for a 3-D ticket, but the CGI is a different story. Scenes such as the Wasp’s flights and the characters' travels to and through the Quantum Realm are gorgeous. Sadly, the CGI work leaves much to be desired, especially regarding one of the film's bigger surprises. All I will say is there are better examples of this piece that were a blueprint for how it should have appeared in Quantumania.
On the acting side, Paul Rudd and Co. are as good as ever, especially with a more comedic than usual performance from Michael Douglas. That said, the MCU struck gold again when they added Jonathan Majors, and he almost made Quantumania his movie. It takes him a while to get going, but Majors steals the show after the story fully establishes the Quantum Realm and Kang can operate. The chilling delivery of his lines, regardless if they are in a solemn or rage-filled tone, alone makes Majors’s Kang the MCU’s most affecting villain since Thanos.
The only hitch among the performances was the Bill Murray cameo. In what may be a first, Murray’s appearance lacked the dry humor and wit that has always made his occasional popups fun and welcomed. This time he came across as a horny, crass old man, and his time on screen was unnecessary and uncomfortable to watch. Thankfully, Quantumania’s other cameos and surprises are far more satisfying.
Despite a few flaws, Quantumania takes the opportunity for the world of Ant-Man to be front and center and runs with it. It doesn’t reach the heights of previous phase starters like Iron Man and Captain America because the focus lies more on the place than the people. However, Quantumania effectively serves its purpose of establishing Quantum Realm’s importance to the MCU and creating anticipation for what Phase Five holds moving forward.
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