Ant–Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the 31st movie in the MCU. You don’t need to have seen all thirty of the others before seeing it, but you should have seen the first two Ant-Man movies and at least one or two Avengers films.

Plot: the Pym/Van Dyne/Lang extended family is drawn into the Quantum Realm and must attempt to escape without letting Kang the Conqueror escape, too.

Theme: Family makes you stronger.

Rating: PG-13 for profanity and violence.

End Credits Scenes: Two. Stay for both.

Heroes and Villains

The Heroes

• Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, ex-con turned superhero, divorced father, and now author.
• Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, his daughter
• Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, aka the Wasp, Scott’s girlfriend and superhero partner.
• Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, Hope’s father, mad scientist, and the inventor of Pym Particles.
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Hope’s mother, who was previously trapped in the Quantum Realm for thirty years.

The Villains

• Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror * If you thought he was good in Lovecraft Country, wait until you see him as Kang!
• Corey Stoll as Darren Cross, aka MODOK.

Supporting Cast

• William Jackson Harper as Quaz, a telepathic inhabitant of the Quantum Realm
• Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, a Freedom Fighter
• Bill Murray as Lord Krylar, an old friend of Janet’s. (Yes, Bill “that’s the fact, Jack” Murray.)

After Janet Van Dyne’s rescue from the Quantum Realm, she didn’t tell her family and friends about her adventures there. That was a major mistake, as it left them painfully uninformed when they were accidentally drawn into the Quantum Realm. She didn’t just spend thirty years twiddling her thumbs whilst waiting to be rescued. She made friends … and enemies. She got involved in local politics. As we learned in Blake’s Seven, the difference between freedom fighter and terrorist, is a matter of point of view.

Had Janet Van Dyne warned her family how dangerous the the place was, her future step-granddaughter might not have engaged in experiments that led to them being abducted into the Quantum Realm. Keep an eye out for Cassie Lang in future MCU movies, by the way. I predict that by the time she’s old enough to vote, she’ll be developing into a major character.

Fandango.com claims Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently “the #1 movie in the world.” The Hollywood Reporter called it a “cautionary box office win for Marvel Studios.” The film certainly didn’t disappoint in its domestic box debut, drawing $120 million on its four day opening, one of the best showings ever for the Presidents Day holiday and by far the biggest start for Marvel’s low-key franchise.

The “cautionary” part they were talking about is the fact that the film is about tied with Eternals (2021) on Rotten Tomatores for Marvel’s lowest score there, and only earning a B on CinemaScore, one of the few Marvel titles to do so. I would consider a B a fair assessment. The movie was good, but not great. Better than The Eternals (2021) or Wakanda Forever (2022), but not as good as The Avengers (2012) or Black Panther (2018).

The set design and special effects are spectacular. An Oscar for Best Special Effects wouldn’t surprise me. I feel the casting was on point as well. Like Nicole Kidman (Queen Atlanna in Aquaman (2018) and Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda in Wakanda Forever (2022), Michelle Pfeiffer proved an older heroine can keep an audience’s interest as well as a young, pretty, skantily-clad woman or a young punch-slinging hero.

Ant-Man and the Wasp:Quantumania is available in both 3D and standard projection. I saw it in normal 2D, so I can’t say how the 3D effects were. Have you seen the movie yet? Are you planning to see it? Let’s compare notes. Use the comments section below.

It’s a good, but not a great movie. I’d give it 8 out of 10. (That’s my opinion, you may like it more than I did, or less.)

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