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On February 17th of this year, the Marvel film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released in theaters. The third movie of the Ant-Man series, the excitement for this film has been building up since the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp, which was back in July of 2018. In the context of the Marvel Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania takes place in 2025, which is two years after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The blockbuster film is also the last time we saw Ant Man and the Wasp in action.
Directed by Peyton Reed, the plot of the film follows the superhero duo Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), and Hope Pym (Evangeline Lily) and their exploration of the Quantum Realm. They aren’t alone, however, as they are joined by Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) and Hope’s parents Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Micheal Douglas). In the comics, Janet Van Dyne is actually the original Wasp, while Hank is the original Ant Man. Further adding to the complexity of the plot, the trailer reveals that Kang (Johnathan Mayors), who plays the antagonist in the Marvel television series Loki, makes an appearance as well.
Despite all of the anticipation for the film, fans and critics have widely been disappointed. The film has only received a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s mild failure is also reflected in the movie’s box office sales. The first film, Ant-Man, made around $519.3, while the second movie garnered over $622. These numbers have significantly dropped with the release of the third film, which has only made $463.
The primary criticism of the movie is the lackluster plot. The events of the film fail to bring anything new to the table, and the focus seems to be more on the CGI and individual scenes, rather than the wider purpose of the plot. The movie as a whole is messy and predictable. Because of this, the film seems to have numerous plot holes and leaves the audience feeling slightly underwhelmed. The actors do play their characters well, however, considering their circumstances, and Paul Rudd’s charm keeps the audience entertained.
The only other redeeming quality of the film is how it further introduces Kang as a new villain in the Marvel Universe. Even then, however, they did not go into as much detail in regards to Kang and the threats he may pose as they could have. For Marvel fans, watching the movie might be worth it purely to understand the context of any future movies.
If you do plan on buying a ticket, it is also worth noting that there are two post-film clips: one in the middle of the credits and one at the end.
Author: Avery Liu