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In Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the films were pretty straightforward stories about heroes battling bad guys who threatened life on Earth. Through the years—through movies and series—they’ve gotten much more complex—now kicking off Phase 5 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a journey into a distant realm to battle a destroyer of universes.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania finds Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) living his best life as an Avenger. He’s written a book, and he’s enjoying time with his family. But when his daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), creates a device that can search for information about the Quantum Realm, Scott and Cassie, along with Hank (Michael Douglas), Hope (Evangeline Lilly), and Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), are transported through the device. As they try to navigate this otherworldly realm and work with the creatures who live there, they’re hunted by Kang (Jonathan Majors), who’s determined to escape the Realm to continue conquering the multiverse.
Since Ant-Man tends to be one of the more comical characters in the MCU—his stories more on the whimsical side—it’s no surprise that Scott and his makeshift family of scientists end up trapped in a wildly imaginative world filled with strange-looking cities and inhabited by a whole lot of bizarre-looking characters. It may be a Marvel movie, but it often feels like Ant-Man has crossed over into the Star Wars universe (which wouldn’t be a huge leap for director Peyton Reed after directing a couple of episodes of The Mandalorian).
While Scott and the others get caught up in all kinds of wacky situations—whether Scott is climbing a pile of clones of himself or teaming up with an army of enormous enhanced ants—the general silliness is balanced out by the weightiness of Kang the Conqueror, this serious, thoughtful, and fascinatingly layered character, who feels like he stepped right out of a Shakespearian tragedy.
Thrown together in one big otherworldly adventure, this mix of Star Wars and Shakespeare and silly superheroes is definitely a lot to take in. It’s admittedly a little messy. But if you tend to prefer the lighter, more playful side of the MCU, you’ll enjoy the whimsy and the dad jokes of Ant-Man’s latest mission.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania certainly isn’t one of the franchise’s grander, more heroic installments. It’s generally goofy and a little chaotic. But it’s a fun adventure that steers the franchise in a new and treacherous direction.
Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens in theaters on February 17, 2023.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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