Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

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Multiverse Saga

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Edit Coming 08/03/25

This is a fine example of a movie I look forward to reviewing, as from my perspective, I am going completely against the grain of so many critics. Movies like this make me so happy to have a blog to post my opinions on. I'm no film school graduate, nor am I a pro at what "good film" is. I'm just an average guy who believes one can read my reviews at one's discretion. I do this for a general audience of viewers and fans of film, so I'm always happy to find something to love in something everyone else seems to dislike, or even hate.

To begin with, this is an MCU film with an astonishingly low rating of 48% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It was initially said to be a "new record," but by technicality, 'Eternals' is actually at 47%. The difference is that I felt no surprise upon reading that about 'Eternals.' But for this one, ultimately, it comes across as a bit of a shocker. This is just me talking, but this MCU film gives us a better glimpse into an intriguing dimension, expanding Marvel lore even further with strange creatures and environments. And I understand how this could irk some, but I appreciated the fact that this film took place almost entirely in the Quantum Realm, with very little Earth-level material to be had.

Sadly, having said that, this also means no Luis (Michael Peña from the previous films) with his hilariously visual storytelling, but there's also something to be said for change. Until now, 'Ant-Man' has always been more of a "fun-time" title than a "serious" title. You wouldn't compare them to 'Captain America' or 'Black Panther' films so much as something like 'Spider-Man' or 'Guardians.' So, at least speaking for myself, this one is almost refreshing. Although it still has its sense of humour, there's also a darker side to this than we've otherwise become used to. It's a solid balance of material.

After helping the rest of the Avengers and friends to defeat Thanos in the Battle of Earth, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has become a successful author and lives happily with his main squeeze, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however, as his now teenage daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), has become a political activist in support of those who have lost their homes after the "Blip" (or "Snap"). We get the rebellious teenager vs Dad trying to set a good example here. But almost instantly, Cassie reveals that she, along with a bit of assistance from Hope and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), has been devising something to establish contact with the Quantum Realm.

The whole undertaking is altogether impressive, but when it's said that she has been sending a signal down to the Quantum Realm, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) panics about shutting it down. But when it's too late, Scott, Cassie, Hope, Hank and Janet are sucked into the Quantum Realm against their wills. Separated into two small groups, Scott and Cassie find themselves amid a group of bizarre freedom fighters. At the same time, Hope, Janet and Hank seek answers about arriving in this realm. It's soon revealed that Janet's reason for panicking about Cassie's device involves a trapped but all-powerful being named Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). If he gets out of the Quantum Realm, that means pure destruction of the multiverse. In other words, this is our "Thanos Version 2.0", ladies & gentlemen.

So, "Can our heroes stop him?" If you've looked at the release order of the rest of the Multiverse Saga, it won't be too hard to figure out based on titles. Anyway, there are a few things here that I can understand some criticism on. A few more things may include some heavy comparisons to 'Star Wars,' and some actors here seem to be phoning it in a little bit. There is also the question of time distortion and how that all works down there. Scott once mentioned in 'Endgame' that he was down there for five years, but it felt like five hours. So will a few more years have passed on the other side of this? I suppose time will tell. But it does get quite confusing.

The final thing I should cover is the appearance of M.O.D.O.K. I can't spoil the face under the mask for anyone, but it is a familiar face, and it looks about as ridiculous as one might assume (as M.O.D.O.K. has always looked ridiculous) However, he does end up being a sort of comedy relief, and I feel like if you're gonna bring a character as silly as M.O.D.O.K. into things, this is a pretty good place to put him. Between M.O.D.O.K., the freedom fighters, and Kang himself, there's a pretty interesting contrast of characters going on here. We even get a cameo from Mr. Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. I had a good time with the humour, strange environments and creatures here, as well as the expansion of the MCU into new worlds. It's not at the top of the list, but I still think critics were too harsh on this one.
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MID-CREDIT SCENE: The Council of Kangs, led by Immortus are shown planning their multiversal uprising and takeover.
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POST-CREDI SCENE: Loki and Mobius M. Mobius have an encounter with Victor Timely; another Kang variant, at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
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3/5​

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