Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania is the third film in the superhero drama series about the titular characters of the same name. Directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jeff Loveness, the movie begins Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and introduces the super-villain Kang the Conqueror to the MCU. The movie stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathryn Newton.
Truth be told, there was much anticipation placed upon Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania due to the promise that the movie would set up the major villain of Phases 5 and 6 of the MCU viz. Kang the Conqueror. With Jonathan Majors’ well-received portrayal of He Who Remains, a Kang variant, in the Loki TV series, fans were looking forward to see how the infamous Kang the Conqueror would be portrayed.
Sadly, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania is a huge disappointment! While the plot points are posted in typical superhero drama style, there are too many logic holes and narrative disconnects that ruin the enjoyment of the story. This poor writing snatches the viewer out of the movie and in the main, destroys the suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy a superhero movie.
Premise-wise, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania borrows so much from Star Wars tropes that it is impossible to ignore. The clichés envelope the movie from start to finish – whether it concerns the rebellion within the quantum realm or the convenient arrival of the ‘calvary’ at the denouement – while problematic in themselves are compounded by the logic flaws that pop up again and again. Mainly involving the use of Pym Particles and while we understand that these devices are signatures of this movie series, their sudden use of by various characters (to turn the tables) seem illogical and oh too convenient!
In addition, like all previous Ant-Man movies, there is a light-hearted tone that belies the seriousness of Kang’s planned invasion of the Earth, nothing ever seems to be at stake and the ultimate fate of Kang rather minimises his threat to the multiverse. How can we then take Kang and the rest of Phase 5/6 seriously then? Thus, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania carries on the general declining trend of MCU movies of Phase 4 into Phase 5. Now, the two post-credit scenes suggest something epic is in store but after Kang’s lame introduction here it is difficult to be excited by this character as a major villain.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania is now showing in the cinemas | Read about the MCU!
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