Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hit Australian cinemas on February 16. The new movie ushers in the beginning of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A lot of you have seen it, and a lot of you have strong opinions on it.
Over on Rotton Tomatoes, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is sitting pretty with an 84 per cent audience score, but 47 per cent on the Tomatometer. Critics have said, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mostly lacks the spark of fun that elevated earlier adventures, but Jonathan Majors’ Kang is a thrilling villain poised to alter the course of the MCU”, and we said, “it’s massive sci-fi adventure that takes both Ant-Man, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to brand new places, with both good and bad results.”
We’ve covered this movie a lot, so we thought we’d bring everything into one neat little package for you.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania sees our heroes, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) head to the quantum realm — where they’ll encounter Kang (Jonathan Majors), who may just be this Saga’s Thanos, considering his name is in the title of one of the eventual Avengers movies. Which means: it all starts here. But, is it any good?
Before the movie came out
Before we get stuck in, here’s the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Featurette and a trailer.
If you’re yet to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, we reckon it’s worth taking a look at our piece on everything we spotted in the trailer.
First reactions
#Quantumania REVIEW: SCARY & SHOCKING GAMECHANGER! Marvel is back with a fun, WILD adventure. This isn’t just another superhero movie, it’s one of the BEST sci-fi films ever! WOW… A fitting end to her journey, while also setting up what’s next #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania pic.twitter.com/iTC9KkuehU
— Atom (@theatomreview) February 7, 2023
There comes a point where every franchise has to get weird, and the MCU has done just that with #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania. Like all his other roles, Jonathan Majors remains endlessly compelling. 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/cxWEcoKTze
— Brian Davids (@PickYourBrian) February 7, 2023
As promised #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania is a big movie carrying a ton of franchise weight. Exciting threads created. Endless visual effects. Ragnarok-ish (not as good). But that family dynamic is dependably wonderful. Loved Pfeiffer and Newton.
And: KANG.
Full review soon.
— Victor Lucas (@Victor_Lucas) February 7, 2023
#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania has way too much going on — it’s tough to connect emotionally to any of it. Jonathan Majors’ Kang is a charismatic, intense baddy and visually awesome, but the threat he represents is too abstract. Review @CNET on Feb. 14. pic.twitter.com/42bDJobRgc
— Sean Keane (@SpectacularSean) February 7, 2023
Reading these, both good, bad, and in-between, it’s important to remember that post-premiere tweets are generally instant, visceral reactions, sometimes tailored just to get interaction. So trust them, but also be wary. More considered, nuanced thoughts came with the Quantumania reviews.
Our Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review
Trusty critic Germain had this to say in his Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review:
The good? Characters we know and love, like Scott Lang as Ant-Man and Hope Van Dyne as Wasp are forced into a fantastic new world filled with untold visual and storytelling wonders, all up against a game-changing new villain named Kang. The bad? That world is so unbelievably monumental and needs so much explaining, it often comes at the expense of meaningful character development leaving the film with a fun, yet flat, feeling.
Look. It’s been 15 years at this point. If you love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’ll probably like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania more than you don’t. It’s an entertaining, epic exercise in world-building with huge set pieces and surprises a-plenty. The MCU is sprinkled with Star Wars, Dune, and Heavy Metal Magazine. Conversely, if you don’t get goosebumps every time the “Marvel Studios” logo hits the screen, chances are it’s not going to work as well for you. It’s uneven in terms of pacing and character while relying heavily on the audience having a pre-existing connection with this franchise.
Read more of our Quantumania review here.
After watching
As you’ve probably heard, the movie’s got Marvel’s traditional two end credit scenes — one in the middle and one at the very end. But what sets Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania apart is that its end credit scenes are probably the most significant in a very, very long time. Over here, Germain talks about them. Obviously, with major spoilers.
We of course still have questions. Germain dishes out some more info over here, again, with spoilers aplenty.
Chatting with Peyton Reed
One of our Australian-based writers Lauren Rouse got the opportunity to sit down with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed. In one piece, she discusses MODOK (Mechanised Organism Designed Only for Killing) and how he fits into Ant-Man’s story. In another, chatting also to Kathryn Newton, she discusses Ant-Man’s new and grown up Cassie Lang.
Germain, meanwhile, spoke to Reed about completing a Marvel trilogy, creating his own world, and the logistics of filming this seemingly infinite world.