The MCU is finally ready to kick off Phase 5 of The Multiverse Saga this week with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The new Marvel film stars Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne. A newcomer to the franchise is Kathryn Newton as Scott’s daughter, Cassie Lang. Last but certainly not least, we have the introduction/return of Jonathan Majors as Kang.
Together, the Langs and the Pym Van Dynes travel and explore the Quantum Realm. They interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. I watched the film earlier this week and my thoughts on the film are below.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantunamia’s story
The overall plot of Quantumania was an absolute thrill ride. Short, sweet, and to the point. The screenwriting by Jeff Loveness in telling this story and explaining the concepts of the Multiverse and Time excite me for the possibilities that this sets up down the road for future MCU projects. In particular for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
If I associate this film with other projects – think Marvel meets Doctor Who, meets Firefly, meets Star Wars, meets the Magic School Bus. There are moments where the story seems slightly chopped up in terms of leaving things out or repurposing for other sequences. However, the overall writing, in my opinion, is a solid 3.5-4/5 for Loveness’ first MCU outing.
The cast of Quantumania
The main cast is a solid A- on screen. I enjoyed the performances of the main characters, and Paul Rudd, as Scott, is always an A+ for me. He’s incredibly comedic when needed, but we also saw a new side of Scott that we rarely see, and I was pleasantly surprised and excited about it.
Evangeline Lilly took a side-character role for this particular outing compared with her previous appearances in the franchise. Still, she was enjoyable and had some critical moments throughout the film.
However, something was particularly off with Kathryn Newton’s portrayal of Cassie. In some moments, she nailed Cassie to a T. Other times, she felt slightly robotic and detached, as though she was acting off-screen or somewhere else. While there is undoubtedly room for improvement, she has yet to sell me as Cassie Lang.
Standout performances in this film were unsurprisingly from Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer. At last, they took a more proactive role with Hank this time, and Janet Van Dyne’s story in Quantumania proved to be one of the more exciting parts of the film.
Special mention to the interesting side characters in this story. Bill Murray as Krylar places Murray in an acting form we rarely see him in. Katy M. O’Brian had an incredible stage presence as Jentorra, and William Jackson Harper was an absolute favorite.
Jonathan Majors as Kang is easily the best character in the entire movie. His portrayal of Kang sold me the moment he appeared onscreen. His presence and story make him a compelling character with so many complex layers that often make you sympathize with him at times.
The visuals and music in Quantumania
Hats off to director Peyton Reed and cinematographer Bill Pope for creating some of the most visually compelling scenes the MCU has ever offered. Don’t expect to see any weird floating heads mirages in this one.
The immersion into the Quantum Realm is truly stunning and a testament to the incredibly talented VFX houses that worked on this project. Incredible settings and character design all around.
Christophe Beck returns to compose the third installment of the Ant-Man franchise with his most glorious score yet. Implementing the powerful themes from the previous films, mixed with a brand new sci-fi vibe and grandiose epic orchestra, his score really nails the visual setting of the film.
Conclusion: another entertaining and visually stunning Marvel film
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the standout film in the Ant-Man trilogy. It was a fun, entertaining film and I’m sure it will be one that fans will look back to for callbacks in future MCU projects. The implications Quantumania has for the future certainly excite me. I cannot wait to see how the multiversal story unfolds from here.
My rating for the film:
★★★★ / ♥♥♥♥
Are you seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania this weekend? Let us know what you think on Twitter @mycosmiccircus or on The Cosmic Circus Discord. For updates, and where else to follow us on social media visit the updates page.
Be on the lookout for a future Cosmic Circle podcast review of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania coming soon! In the meantime, listen in on what the gang had to say about Scott, Cassie, Kang, and the lead-up to the third Ant-Man film in the podcast linked below!
Cosmic Circle Ep. 19 : The Journey to Quantumania
