Back in 2021, we got our first glimpse of where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going. In the finale of the first season of Loki, our titular guide came across a multiversal traveler named Kang. It was a fateful meeting.
Now, more than a year later, the MCU as a whole is finally ready to dive into the era of Kang. The newest offering, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania launches a new phase and brings Jonathan Majors as Kang into focus. It also reunites us with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family, heading on a fun new adventure that portends the danger to come.
When last we left Scott, he was helping his fellow Avengers save the world, and half the population, from Thanos (Josh Brolin). In the aftermath, life’s been a little slower. As we pick things up, Scott is something of a celebrity living in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, those in his life are still trying to make a difference. Hope (Evangeline Lilly) has poured into her work while Cassie (Kathryn Newton) is fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves and working alongside Hank (Michael Douglas). Meanwhile Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) is trying to adjust to life back on Earth. When something goes awry and pulls them into the Quantum Realm, they come face-to-face with Kang, a marooned traveler that he wants to be free from the Quantum Realm. And he needs Scott to help him do it.
If you’ve seen the trailers, you know this has a different look at feel. Most of the film is set in the fantastic Quantum Realm, relying on green screen and digital technology to build vast new worlds and new groups of people fighting for their freedom. While the film doesn’t feel like your typical MCU film, it does feel very familiar, hewing closer to another Walt Disney Company property. Yes, this new Ant-Man film feels an awful lot like Star Wars, both in its look and feel and the way the story plays out. That will hit everyone differently, but it worked for me. I loved the worlds created throughout this film.
I also enjoy Majors in the role. He’s off to a hot start in 2023, having already blown away viewers with his performance in Magazine Dreams at the Sundance Film Festival. He’s quite good in this role, too. The film doesn’t let him shine as much as you might like, but it’s a solid start for this next phase of the MCU.
I enjoyed Rudd in this film, and the comedy that remains a big part of the storytelling. The opening sequence is delightful and much of film has fun back-and-forth. It’s a sturdy and fun new film, my favorite of the three stand-alone Ant-Man films. I’m excited to see where all this leads and where the MCU goes from here.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens in in theaters on Friday, February 17.
Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.
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