«Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania»: the conqueror saves the Marvel universe

First off: my review contains no spoilers. Any information stated here is featured in trailers that have already been released.

Frankly, this is not the most excited I’ve been about the release of a new Marvel movie. It’s not that the comic giant has only been producing bad movies or series of late. «Spider-Man: No Way Home», for example, is an outstanding service to fans. «Shang-Chi» makes for a welcome change from the usual North-American setting. And «Loki» opened up interesting new doors for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Apart from that, however, the last few months have been pretty bleak. Average at best.

Ever since «Avengers: Endgame», Marvel Studios has been stuck in a bit of a crisis.

It’s as if the cinema community has just been fed up since the end of the Infinity saga in 2019. Gone are the days when movies including «Guardians of the Galaxy», «Captain America: The Winter Soldier», «Thor: Ragnarok» or «Black Panther» got appreciative nods even outside of nerd circles. Meanwhile, Marvel movies seem rather arbitrary. There’s not much left of the famous multiphase master plan of Marvel boss Kevin Feige. Does «Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania» have what it takes to save this sinking ship?

Spoiler alert (the only one, promise): yes.

What «Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania» is about

There was a time when Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) served time in prison for a theft that went wrong. He goes on to meet the genius scientist and company boss Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). He becomes Ant-Man, fights mad titans and travels through time side by side with Captain America and Iron Man. In the meantime, he’s also become a national hero who writes books and holds autograph sessions.

And he’s a father. Even though Scott’s 18-year-old daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) is a chip off the old block in terms of her father’s more rebellious side, life is good. Strangely beautiful, as Scott himself says. Together with his girlfriend Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank’s wife Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), they form a patchwork family. Sure, there’s occasional friction, but, ultimately, everyone has each other’s backs.

At least until the day they’re back in the Quantum Realm – the subatomic dimension beyond our imagination with its very own microcosm. And within it, there’s the enemy who’s long since conquered the realm. Who also wants to conquer much more. Not only the whole world. Not only the whole universe. But the whole multiverse.

He’s coming: Kang the Conqueror

«There is no stronger bond of friendship than a common enemy,» British playwright, poet and novelist Frankfort Moore once said. Perhaps it’s this common enemy the MCU’s been lacking since Thanos’ defeat in «Avengers: Endgame». For almost ten years, the threat posed by this mad titan was the recurring theme in the Marvel movies. It was the glue, and gave the movies a common direction.

An «endgame».

The good news? Actor Jonathan Majors has the potential, charisma, and gravitas to give the MCU back an overarching, all-consuming presence that the franchise may boil down to. And Majors isn’t entirely new to us Marvel fans. In the Disney+ series «Loki», he already played the important role as He Who Remains. And he delivered. Giving us a wonderfully OTT, but nonchalant rendition of the character. It was a little taste of what’s yet to come.

Here’s a quick recap: He Who Remains is the devil (no, not Mephisto) at the End of Time. As a scientist, he once discovered the existence of the Multiverse – as well as his variants, that is, versions of himself from another universe. At first, they’d visit each other. Peacefully. But soon, they began to attack the infinity of the multiverse. The variants gave themselves many names. Ruler. Conqueror. Immortus. Rama-Tut. Scarlet Centurion. Each variant with the goal of becoming the sole ruler of the Multiverse.

Ultimately, it was He Who Remains who first took advantage of Alioth. Alioth, the cosmic being, the huge cloud that destroys, sucks in and absorbs everything it touches. The cloud that brings down entire dimensions. Devours entire realities. Absorbs entire Multiverses. And so, millions of Kang variants were defeated and the Multiverse reduced to a single timeline dictated by the megalomaniac He Who Remains. That’s until Loki and Sylvie killed him and the Multiverse could be born again. And with it He Who Remains variants.

«See you soon,» He Who Remains whispered with a wink of the eye before dying. He knew full well «he» would be back. More horrendous and dangerous than ever before.

And it’s precisely this return that Majors embodies in «Quantumania». Kang the Conqueror, the variant he plays, is a cunning war strategist – charming, ice-cold and calculating. He’s also a force of nature. Horrid and gruesome, not shying away from brutally tearing down everything in his way. That’s exactly how the megalomaniac He Who Remains justifies his actions: to keep Kang out of the game, any means were acceptable. The awe with which the seemingly omnipotent He Who Remains speaks of him – Kang lives up to it.

Although it takes a while for Kang to make his big appearance in the film, you can feel his looming shadow right from the very start. Almost all the characters our heroes meet during their adventure are in the grip of fear when they talk about him. In no time at all, this also contributes to the myth surrounding «Kang» . Clever. And when Kang makes his first appearance, it’s thanks to Jonathan Majors’ stunning performance that the build-up doesn’t turn into a massive letdown.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Kang the Conqueror is here to stay. At least until the finale of Phase 6 of the MCU. In other words, in May 2025, when the next Avengers movie, «Avengers: The Kang Dynasty», hits the silver screen.

If only all that glitters were gold

The question remains what «Quantumania» has to offer beyond a villain. In the first half, it’s one thing above all: Ant Man humour. The fact that leading actor Paul Rudd started his career in comedies is something you feel in every frame. This is also thanks to director Peyton Reed, who’s directing Ant-Man for the third time. He knows precisely what his established characters are made of. Even though the entire Ant-Man movie settings are always changing – watching them feels like coming home every time.

However, I wasn’t that impressed with the Quantum Realm. Remember, that’s the subatomic dimension in which time and space don’t matter and in which a whole microcosm exists – including huge, futuristic cities populated by alien-like beings, animals and humanoids. In «Avengers: Endgame», the Quantum Realm served as a quasi-vehicle to travel through to the past, in which the Avengers try to fix the broken timeline. In «Quantumania», however, it’s the main setting of the film. And, holy smokes, what a setting it is.

There are abstract long necks. Entire worlds that curve at the horizon. Living houses shaped like hilly sponges. Ray-like creatures that carry people on their backs. Floating red cushions that dart through the air similar to schooling fish. I could go on. No doubt, visually, the mysterious Quantum Realm is a sight for sore eyes. But as soon as real-life actors move around in it, it’s all too obvious in many shots that hardly any sets were built for the film. Instead, most of the goings-on are happening in front of a green screen, with the scenery being added later on using a computer.

Not that this is uncommon in Hollywood movies. But I’ve rarely noticed it as much as I did in «Quantumania». This was so extreme in some scenes, I could swear I caught a glimpse of the treadmill the actors use to feign running. These types of things really yank me out of a movie. As did the massive final battle hinted at in the trailer. If it weren’t what feels like the thousandth battle of its kind in the MCU alone, I might be impressed. But in this case, it’s hardly going to blow anyone’s mind. Instead, I’m thinking: «Really? Again?»

Conclusion: an absolute must-see thanks to Kang

There’s not doubt about it, Jonathan Major’s Kang is the reason to watch «Quantumania». His performance packs a punch, giving the MCU a sense of direction and the «Avengers: The Kang Dynasty» due in 2025 something it can steer towards.

Apart from that, «Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania» is extremely entertaining and funny for the most part. This is mainly thanks to seasoned actor Paul Rudd. And then there’s the visually impressive Quantum Realm, which we’ve never before been able to see in all its glory. Only the last third of the film falls a bit flat, because we’ve seen similar versions of it umpteen times before. It’s a pity the makers missed out on providing us fans with something new. Or maybe after 20+ Marvel movies – not counting all the series – it’s just become too hard to tell stories that feel fresh and new.

«Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania» hits theatres on 15 February. Runtime: 125 minutes. Age rating: 12.