Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Movie Review

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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Movie Review

Director: Peyton Reed

Writer: Jack Kirby, Jeff Loveness (Screenplay)

Cast

Paul Rudd (Ant-Man)
Evangeline Lilly (Lost)
Jonathan Majors (Da 5 Bloods)
Kathryn Newton (Detective Pikachu)
Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface)

Plot: Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.

Runtime: 2 Hours 5 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania starts as Scott Lang (Rudd) has moved on with his life, hanging up his Ant-Man suit. However, his daughter Cassie (Newton) starts finding herself getting in trouble with the law. She has also been working with Hank (Douglas) and Hope (Lilly) on a secret device to map out the Quantum Universe.

When Janet (Pfeiffer) demands they stop, the five get sucked into the quantum realm. The Van Dynes explore using Janet’s previous connections. Elsewhere Scott and Casey learn of the battles that have taken place there against an evil ruler Kang (Major). They need to figure out how to escape before Kang can continue his work of destruction.

Verdict on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Characters

Scott Lang is living in the moment after helping save the world. he doesn’t fight crime anymore and has written a book about his experiences. However, he is still trying to help Cassie stay on the right path after her latest clash with the law. He is challenged as to why he doesn’t put the suit on anymore, believing he has done his part now. When they get sucked into the Quantum Realm he must step up to protect his daughter and fight back against the threats they face.

Hope has been encouraging Cassie to use her creative gifts. She still wants to learn more about her own mother’s time in the Quantum Realm. Once inside, she must keep her guard as she looks to learn more about her mother’s missing years. Sadly, despite being one of the most important characters, she really doesn’t seem to do much in the movie.

Cassie has started to follow in her father’s footsteps. She has found herself in trouble with the law and shown off her intelligence. Cassie built the device that is designed to map the Quantum Realm, not knowing the dangers in the world. Once inside, she encourages her father to step up and help fight back against the dangers. She easily becomes the most memorable character in the film, with her plucky determination no matter what the threat.

Janet has a past in the Quantum Realm, having previously encounter Kang. However, she keeps her memories of the Quantum Realm secret, only leading to her causing a bigger threat. She knows how to navigate this world and could be the only solution to escape.

Kang

Kang the Conqueror is a feared man in the Quantum Realm. He was rescued by Janet, however, his true colours came out. Kang has spent every moment searching for a solution to escape to continue his path of destruction. Kang is a calm villain, knowing he can overpower anyone and get what he wants.

Elsewhere, we have Hank, who does get some fun lines. We also get the residents of the realm, which includes different warriors that are used in the large battle against Kang.

Performances

Paul Rudd does return with his charm, which we see for most of the movie, not until later when he gets some grit to his character. Kathryn Newton might well be the third actress to play Cassie, she does step into the character well, being the most interesting of the gang.

Jonathan Majors makes for a compelling villain, he gets the menacing lines and imposing figure needed for the larger threat. Michelle Pfieffer seems to have become the best performer from the Van Dyne family. Michael Douglas is good for laughs, he does look like he is having a great time though. Evangeline Lilly seems almost neglected in the movie, really not having much to do compared to what you would expect from her character.

Sadly for the film, there is one giant absentee, Michael Pena who has been the heart and soul of the previous to Ant-Man movies.

Story

The story sees Ant-Man, The Wasp, Cassie Lang and the Van Dyne’s sucked into the Quantum Realm. They are separated and learn of a secret world operating in it, one that has been through a war for power. It sees a new ruler Kang taking over the Realm in his quest to escape and continue his own path of destruction. The five must work together to overcome the evil ruler and end the war forever.

This story could easily be compared to a Star Wars movie. It has an evil ruler looking to control everything and small alliances fighting back. Then, you throw in Ant-Man and friends, we see them becoming the ones needing to stand up and fight back. There is a theme running for the story of children wanting to know more about their parents. You will see this with Cassie wanting Scott to do more and Hope trying to connect with Janet more. This could have been dealt with a lot quicker is Janet had just come clean earlier, instead of delaying for plot points.

Themes in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the latest Marvel big-time action movie. This time we are inside the Quantum Realm, where a secret world has been built. Each location does look incredible despite having similarities to other established franchises. This leads to different styles of fights and battles, using an array of different weapons. It all works well for the movie.

Where the movie can stumble is on the similarities though. This sees large parts of the movie feeling like a Star Wars rip-off. The idea of different creatures fighting a bigger evil leader is very similar. However, this does make me want to return to see these characters more and learn more about how they operate in this world.

Final Thoughts –Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a big fun Marvel movie, that gives Ant-Man his most interesting battle yet.