As a parent, our time is limited compared to that of our children. We spend too many hours at work. We spend too many hours driving our kids from one activity to another and then the day ends and pretty much repeats throughout the month. It’s only when we sit down and take a moment that we realize how much time has passed and our young kids are no longer that young anymore. Sometimes we wish we can go back in time and spend more time with our children but what would we give to do that?
I know what you are thinking, What does this have to do with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania? This is the dilemma that is faced by two of the characters in this movie: Janet Van Dyne and Scott Lang. We know that Janet lost over 30 years trapped inside the Quantum Realm and Scott lost 5 years due to the blip. Whereas one character is trying to make amends in the form of a book, the other character tends to not divulge their experience and keep what they have gone through to themselves. Why the secrecy? Why not tell others if this information can be useful to them? These little omissions make you question what the real motive was for keeping this a secret from their own family. (This secret is revealed as the story is told.)
If you have seen the trailers you are somewhat familiar with the plot of the movie: Scott and Hope are kind of a big deal now, Cassie builds a radio to connect to the Quantum Realm, they get sucked in and they meet Kang. Now while this seems like a straight plot there are some twists and turns along the way. We learn that Cassie has been trying to do good in the world with the knowledge that she has possessed by Hank Pym. (One thing we noticed with this movie is that everyone is a genius nowadays. (I think I need to start hitting the books to get at their level.) The ants that Hank has have also evolved and created their own tech and civilization. When Cassie is showing the group what she created Janet gets a little freaked out about what the signal could possibly contact and shuts the transponder down. It suddenly starts itself back up and they are all transported into the Quantum Realm.
I will say that the first half of the movie started off a little slow. Some of the jokes fall flat and it felt like it was trying too hard to be a typical Ant-Man movie but also be serious at the same time. The balancing act between the two caused some issues to arise in the third act. This final act is when we see all the gloriousness that is Kang. Jonathan Majors is phenomenal as Kang and while his physicality overshadows Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, it is his tone of voice that makes him truly menacing. Just him talking can send shivers down your spine.
You will hear a lot of comparisons to Star Wars and it is kind of noticeable. There is a huge battle sequence with flying ships and multiple aliens fighting Kang’s army. Lazers are whizzing by our heroes and the inhabitants of the Quantum Realm are being disintegrated all around them. David Dastmalchian’s character Veb, gets a Polka Dot Man-style moment during this big battle. Another character who gets a similar Star Wars- type of big moment is Hank Pym who can be compared to Han Solo at the end of a New Hope.
The visual effects are stunning when our characters are in the Quantum Realm. It is hard not to get lost looking at the backgrounds and wondering what other worlds are there to discover. This whole segment of the movie is pretty awesome to explore and the inhabitants make you wonder how they got there. Although we get to meet many new characters, it is hard to feel anything for them because they feel like they are just there to move the plot along. Think of America Chavez in Dr. Strange or Riri Williams in Wakanda Forever. These characters are just here to teach Scott to use his powers for good and to help Cassie find her way into the superhero world. Sidenote: I loved how Cassie’s suit still had the Converse for shoes instead of having them turn to boots like Scott and Hope’s suits.
As a parent, I thought my heartstrings were going to be pulled a little due to the way the trailers show the relationship between Cassie and Scott. There are a few moments that any parent can relate to finding out your kid is keeping secrets from you, teaching your kid something new, and doing everything you can for your kid. The main takeaway from this movie was Scott would do anything to protect his daughter and that is what all parents do. There is a great callback sequence to the first Ant-Man movie when the ants use their body to build a ladder for Scott. We see this happen again but the reason behind it did give me a small punch to the gut.
Marvel is trying to do in one movie what it previously did in 10 years of movies: Create a big threat for the entire Marvel Cinematic universe. Now the presence of Thanos was scattered throughout all the movies we knew the danger he would bring to our heroes. Kang, at least a variant of him, was previously introduced in the Disney+ show, Loki, and we saw what he was capable of. In this movie, we see more of that but the stakes do not feel as high yet. With that being said, the two post-credit scenes show us what is coming up is not going to be good for all of our heroes.
Final Thoughts: Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania is another story in the Scott Lang saga that feels a little off at times. While this film sets up the new phase of the Marvel movie it introduces us to Kang the Conqueror and makes his presence felt. The “family” fighting Kang together is the next evolution of Ant-Man and gives us a peak as to what might come in future movies/stories (Young Avengers, anyone?). Make sure you stay for the two post-credit scenes.
Kid-Friendly: Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania follows the same formula as the previous two Ant-Man movies. There are jokes that are corny at times that only a dad would love. Kang is brutal with those around him and unlike Thanos, his take no prisoners attitude might not sit well with younger kids. There are a few “dick” joke thanks to M.O.D.O.K and these might stick with your kids or might go over their heads.
Violence: If you have seen one Marvel movie you should already be familiar with the type of violence in this movie. There is a fight between Ant-man and Kang that is a little brutal but shows us the power that Kang possesses. We do see a lot of resistance fighters disintegrated by Kang during the third act of the movie.
Super Heroes Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible. Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard, “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar.