Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, despite its flaws, got me extremely excited for the MCU again. It’s almost impossible to write a review of an MCU movie at this point without making it a referendum on the idea of the MCU, its never-ending sprawl, and its omnipotent inevitability in popular culture. I’m going to do a bit of that too, but I do so as a genuine fan still fully invested. I feel almost none of the dreaded “Marvel Fatigue” so many critics and increasingly more general audience members feel.
Earlier this week, I wrote an article about why it’s time to abolish the cinematic universe concept. But I made sure to grandfather in Marvel and spare them from my proposed ban. I still genuinely enjoy the overwhelming majority of these movies and shows (not you, Moon Knight). I don’t watch them in any sort of objective way, I watch them pre-disposed to liking them. How much I like each of them varies, obviously. But I’m not going to pretend like I’m watching with a sharp, critical eye or hunting for flaws. You’ll need to read other reviewers for that.
As evidenced by my recent reviews of Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, I tend to come in a bit above the critical consensus on Marvel movies. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania is no different. At the time of writing, the film currently sits at a 51% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Placing it second to last out of all MCU movies, only besting Eternals. But I loved Quantumania. And here in a second I’ll tell you why.
But look, I’m absolutely a fan, but I’m not a shill. It’s not my job to protect our mouse overlords at Disney from criticism. So that’s not what I’m going to do. But what I am going to do is give you a spoiler-free rundown of my genuine thoughts about Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. And why I’m all in on Phase 5 of the MCU after seeing it. Let’s go.
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania’s GETS Superheroes
When I wrote my review of Black Adam, my biggest criticism was that the movie (and most of the DCEU/DCU) fails to understand superheroes. The big ass-kicking CGI action set pieces where The Rock fights the devil or whatever are fun, yeah. But a good superhero story needs more than that. What makes superheroes inspiring is that they do whatever it takes to save real people from real stakes.
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania understands that and emphasizes it. The movie starts with Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang being a bit lost in the sauce. Scott has let the fame of Avengers status go to his head. And, understandably, his desire to live his own happy life with his reunited family takes priority before protecting the world. In a surprise, Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang avoids the trap of the Teenage Girl Problem™ and becomes a pleasant new character. Cassie functions as a moral center of the work and she’s able to really drive home to her father, and the audience, what all of this superhero shit is actually for. Helping people. And I loved that shit.
Kang the Conqueror OWNS
I can’t talk about Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania for a moment longer without heaping praise on Jonathan Majors and his performance as Kang the Conqueror. Even before he makes his first on-screen appearance, Kang looms over nearly the entire film as a god-like presence to be feared and not to be trifled with. Before he’s first seen in Ant-Man & The Wasp, other characters refuse to mention the villain by name. Instead simply referring to Kang as “Him” or “He” or “the Conqueror”, like the mere mention of his name will make him pop out and whoop your ass like Mufasa when he heard the hyenas talking shit. It’s a great way to introduce Kang to, presumably, a wider audience that may not have seen him in Loki.
The ominous hushed tones everyone uses to speak about him are made even better when Jonathan Majors does show up. As Kang the Conqueror backs up every single word that’s been spoken about him. Kang is Darth Vader-esque in the best way possible (I’ll get to some other Star Wars comparisons here in a bit). He walks and speaks with a terrifying command and control over every room and every situation he’s in. He’s supremely powerful, and he’s merciless. Plus, Kang was getting bars off the whole movie! Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania is an incredible showcase for Majors as Kang, and I’m excited for both what’s next for him personally and what’s next for the MCU with him as the new big bad. If you’ve been waiting for the MCU to feel like it’s all cohesively building toward a new Thanos-type threat, you’re in luck. Kang is that guy!
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Explores New Themes & Ideas
I want to be careful not to overstate this one, because this is probably the most subjective point in this review. But I love that Quantumania feels like a very different kind of MCU movie from what we’ve seen before. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania feels like a Star Wars movie at points. Kang is a very dope, very evil overlord ruling an empire, there’s a rag tag group of alien rebels and freedom fighters constantly on the run from him, and finding…a new hope (I had to, sorry)…to strike back (again, I’m sorry)…against the overwhelming forces (last one, I promise) of evil is a major theme throughout. Some people may not like the obvious inspiration, especially from another sprawling Disney cinematic universe, but I’m a sucker for a simple story about good vs evil so I truly loved it.
Another movie that Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania drew immediate parallels to in my mind was Everything Everywhere All At Once. That movie, one of my favorites, obviously features the multiverse premise that is a major part of the MCU going forward. But deeper than that, at the center it’s a story about how love persists throughout space and time, and I’m a sucker for a simple story about love conquering all so I really rocked with that in Ant-Man & The Wasp.
I will say though, if you’re one of the 17 people who stan the first 2 Ant-Man movies, the new direction the third movie in the franchise takes may not tickle your fancy. It’s very different from the low-stakes comedy heist movie that was the original. And…honestly I don’t even remember what the second movie was about. It doesn’t matter though. Quantumania is very different. Your mileage may vary.
Phase 5 is Set Up for Success
Because I am supremely online, I’ve seen a lot of the MCU Phase 4 discourse that said the MCU had no sense of direction now that the Thanos arc and the Infinity Saga are complete. There’s been a growing sense of frustration about not knowing where the story was headed now, and thus the whole thing feeling pointless. Ant-Man & The Wasp does not have that problem. If you’re an Ant-Man stan who was hoping he’d get his own time to shine in a self-contained film that wasn’t setting up the rest of the MCU, first of all I don’t believe you. But secondly, Quantumania is the most obvious universe building set piece we’ve had in the MCU for a long time. And I’m grateful for that.
While it is still extremely obnoxious for Disney and Marvel to put out 87 movies and tv shows every year, I can tell you that after watching Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, and particularly the second post-credits scene, there was a buzz and an excitement in my theater that I haven’t felt in a while. Everyone was excited for what’s coming in the next phase because the MCU definitely has a clear direction now.
And his name is Kang the Conqueror.
Grade: B+
Recommendation: See it in a theater
