Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Review – A Tiresome 2-hour Commercial for the Next Thanos of MCU

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania takes away everything that is enjoyable about its titular character and delivers a two-hour-long tiresome commercial for Kang.

Scott Lang is enjoying his post-Endgame fame, even if people mistake him for another Avenger. But while Ant-Man thinks the fight is over after The Blip, the rest of the family does not. Cassie has found a way to make contact with the quantum realm. The pursuit of the unknown leads the family into something that’s better left alone.

This third installment is responsible for introducing Kang, the next big MCU villain that replaces Thanos. Eventually, a bunch of Avengers is going to join forces and fight him, as evidenced by the announcement of Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Sounds familiar? Well, the formula worked for the first time, so why not do it again?

This, however, comes at the expense of what made Ant-Man movies fun. The inventive fight sequences resulting from his shrinking powers are gone. The endearing cast dynamics are sorely missing as they have nothing else to do but zig-zag around the quantum realm as they move the plot forward. The light and quippy movie that made the first two films (Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp) a serviceable MCU filler has been replaced by a badly executed setup for Phase 5.

Quantumania crams a father-and-daughter story, the past of a former freedom fighter (or terrorist), a Star Wars-influenced tale of rebellion, and a pivotal character introduction into one plot. The result is a generic action adventure with no believable stakes, forgettable character moments, and ugly CGI.

The quantum realm is a montage of non-descript sci-fi worlds. This includes a dim landscape with purple clouds and floating rocks, an underwater-world-resembling forest, a sand dune, and brutalist technocratic cities.

All the while, the movie doesn’t tell you what Kang is and what he wants. “I am a Conqueror,” he says. The audience is supposed to think that this is enough.

Jonathan Majors is able to compensate for his purposefully vaguely-written character through a formidable performance. The rest of the cast is so underutilized that this movie could’ve been just about Scott and Cassie. Kathryn Newton, however, makes the same face throughout the film which doesn’t make her introduction interesting.

For the die-hard MCU fans, it’s business as usual. For anyone that’s invested in Marvel’s runt of the litter, this send-off is mean. For the rest of the audience, it’s disposable and uninvolving entertainment that requires prior knowledge of a connected universe that grows increasingly crowded and tedious.