Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an epic adventure film that sets up the MCU’s Phase 5 along with selling some books.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, this film is just one huge commercial for Scott Lang’s upcoming memoir, Look Out For The Little Guy. It’s still unclear if Rudd is pulling our leg and writing a novel sequel to everyone’s favorite E.T. rip-off film, Mac and Me. We’ll know for sure when the book finally hits stores later this year, But enough about the book, which again, you need to buy because it’ll look so classy on your bookshelf…

In any event, the most important thing that you need to know–aside from the books–is that there are two scenes: mid and post-credit. I’ll have more to say about the film below the photo. If it’s not in the trailer, it’s not down below in terms of the film’s plot. Per Disney and Marvel, the spoiler embargo runs through 12 PM ET/ 9 AM PT on February 24.

Welcome to the middle phase of the Multiverse Saga. I’ll be able to expand more on how the film fits into the saga when the spoiler embargo lifts on February 24. But for now, I can say with 100% certainty that viewers are in for a treat. Audiences got a sneak peak of Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains during the first season of Loki. This time around, Majors is front and center as Kang The Conqueror. Mostly known as just The Conqueror, audiences know who he is from the minute he sets foot on screen.

This film marks the third outing with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). The opening catches us up on their post-blip lives. Meanwhile, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) are doing a lot of ant science these days. What I can tell you about Cassie is that the apple does not fall far from the tree. The new installment moves her closer to her comic counterpart. It doesn’t matter that Scott isn’t on board because she’s just going to do it anyway. What does matter is that Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) is not talking about her experiences in the Quantum Realm. If she did, this entire film could have been avoided! Let me remind you that communication is key to any relationship. This film is no exception!

One thing for certain is that the family dynamic is much different from previous films. Janet is back in the picture. And again, Cassie is old enough to actually work with her father. It’s her science that gets the family into this mess. Again, that’s more or less Janet’s fault for not communicating. However, it also says something about trauma and how it impacts people. Don’t forget that Janet was down there for some 30 years before Hank pulled her out in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Time and space works differently down there so we don’t know how long it felt for her. What we know (from the trailers) is that she hid her experiences with Kang (Jonathan Majors). Because of this, she knew sending a signal was a bad idea.

Among those who we meet in the Quantum Realm are Axia governor Lord Krylar (Bill Murray), Kang’s right-hand man, M.O.D.O.K., the Quantumnauts (Matthew Wood). There’s also Freedom Fighter leader Jentorra (Katy O’Brian), Quaz (William Jackson Harper), Veb (David Dastmalchian), and Xolum (James Cutler). O’Brian was previously in The Mandalorian during its second season and like Matthew Wood, she joins the list of people in both Star Wars and the MCU.

Unlike previous films, this one introduces us to a Quantum Realm unlike anything we’ve seen in previous films. It’s one thing to go subatomic but another to go beyond the Quantum Void. There is an entire universe down here that we’ve never seen on screen with new creatures, too. It’s an entirely new universe and feels every bit as epic in scope. The film moves along at a quick pace as it is over before we know it. There’s as much room here for comedy as there is for drama and action and even coming-of-age. If you’re not a fan of epic sci-fi war films, there’s a good chance that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will not be for you. Personally, I enjoyed it and am still debating where it sits in my MCU rankings. Unfortunately, the trailers manage to give a bit too much away.

As far as where the film sits in the MCU timeline, press materials state that Cassie Lang is now 18 years old. She was 6 years old during the events of Ant-Man in 2015. Scott Lang mentions that Cassie is 10 years old when Ant-Man and the Wasp took place in 2018. Throw in the five year time jump during Avengers: Endgame and she was 14-15 years old. This places the film around 2026-2027 by my calculations. Things have progressed enough in her relationship with Hank that she refers to him as Grandpa. Anyway, Cassie kept busy during the blip. She was way too young to be on her own but the film dives into her backstory during this time. Say what you will about the recasting but Kathryn Newton is amazing in the role. Young Avengers, anyone?

We’ll know for sure about the film’s place on the timeline upon its arrival to Disney+ later this year. There’s a new MCU timeline book coming out later this year so any questions will get cleared up. My 2026-27 is speculation based on Cassie’s age during the first Ant-Man movie. She even says in this film that a guy was dressed as a bee and tried to kill her when she was 6.

Majors really does make a great addition to the MCU. He is having himself quite the year ever since breaking through during Sundance 2019 with The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Lately, he starred in Devotion, premiered Magazine Dreams during Sundance 2023, and still has Creed III to go. Speaking out of my own personal experience, Jonathan Majors couldn’t be more different from Kang. He is as nice as it gets in real life–someone that you want to have a conversation with!

To help give the film its epic experience is a new score from Christophe Beck. Beck changes it up a bit from the previous films but also keeps the themes for Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Hank. The composer doesn’t depend on those themes to drive the film, of course. Instead, he brings a new score while also keeping the spirit from the previous films. In any event, he’s definitely having fun with the music.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an epic sci-fi adventure that explores the family dynamics against the backdrop of a sci-fi war movie.

DIRECTOR: Peyton Reed
SCREENWRITER: Jeff Loveness
CAST: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, Katy O’Brian, William Jackson Harper, Bill Murray, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas

Marvel will release Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in theaters on February 17, 2023. Grade: 4.5/5

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