Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania – The Third Installment in the Franchise is Here!
Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the third movie in the Ant-Man franchise, is set to open in theaters on February 17.[0] The movie follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) as they are sucked into the mysterious Quantum Realm and come face-to-face with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).[1] Kang, a villain of Thanos-level threat, is portrayed by Majors with quiet menace and majesty, and is destined to become the central antagonist as the next batch of Marvel movies build toward an Avengers-sized showdown.[2]
The movie is currently at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics noting that the humor of the first two Ant-Man movies is largely absent from Quantumania.[3] However, the trippy visuals, interesting themes, and charming gang of goofball heroes make it a fun ride, and it is projected to take in at least $160 million in foreign markets over the opening weekend for a total of $280 million worldwide.
Kang’s power and the scope of his evil plans make the hero-villain pairing feel like a decided mismatch, one that’s overtly made by Kang himself.[2] It’s a point echoed by critics, who note that the film’s plot is often nonsensical and that the jokes miss far more than they hit. But even so, Marvel fans will likely still make it a must-see.
0. “Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is a wild fever dream of a movie” cleveland.com, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/02/marvels-ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-is-a-wild-fever-dream-of-a-movie.html
1. “‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania': Paul Rudd, Jonathan Majors & Cast Talk Phase 5 and Kang the Conqueror” Collider, 13 Feb. 2023, https://collider.com/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-cast-paul-rudd-jonathan-majors-interview/
2. “‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' kicks off Marvel's next phase but comes up short” CNN, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/entertainment/antman-and-the-wasp-quantumania-review/index.html
3. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lands Marvel's second lowest Rotten Tomatoes score” Gamesradar, 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.gamesradar.com/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-rotten-tomatoes-low/