Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spoiler-free review: Is Ant-Man 3 good?

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is Marvel’s most recent foray onto cinema screens, but is the movie worth your time?

There used to be a time where a Marvel Studios movie garnered instant acclaim upon its release, but it hasn’t been quite as smooth-sailing for the cinematic juggernaut since its Infinity Saga wrapped up. Yes, every project the studio releases still finds itself among the biggest movies or TV shows of their respective years, but there just seems to be more division among audiences these days.

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was slower moving, taking its time to build the Multiverse Saga from the ground-up. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will look to kick off Phase Five, but as more mixed reviews come in, fans are left wondering if changing the Ant-Man format to make the saga more “important” will work against it.

If you’re not quite sure about whether you want to see Ant-Man 3 because of the divided response, let me give you a more streamlined one.

Is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania good?

If you’re going into Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the hopes of watching an enjoyable spectacle, then you’ll be glad to know that it’s a thrill-ride from start to finish, and a pretty darn entertaining one at that.

The film, which sees Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym all pulled into the Quantum Realm when Cassie accidentally sends a signal down into it, is bigger than its predecessors and that makes it feel more “important” than previous Ant-Man movies. That’s what ultimately sets it apart, because apart from the humorous tones, it becomes less like an Ant-Man movie, and more like one of the grander Marvel movies (such as Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor: Ragnarok).

Admittedly, that does rob it of a little bit of that spark that the franchise is known for, but Quantumania makes up for that with stakes. And plenty of them. Nobody is laughing at Ant-Man anymore (though after the quality of the previous two films, they never really should have been), because this movie is bold enough to take the MCU’s most light-hearted hero and put him against its most serious threat.

Jonathan Majors delivers a captivating performance as new big bad, Kang the Conqueror, commanding reverence and awe when he tells Scott Lang that he’s out of his league. It’s an interestingly meta approach that is very effective in establishing Kang as a threat we should never take lightly. And, to the movie’s credit, it never does; portraying him as the unstoppable villain that may just be too much for the lovable Ant-Fam. If Kang really is going to be the MCU’s next major threat, we are blessed to have Majors in the role because he’s absolutely spectacular.

The one person who shines as bright – if not brighter – is Michelle Pfeiffer. Janet van Dyne has a much bigger role to play in this film, being that she is more familiar with the Quantum Realm than any of her family, and Pfeiffer guides much of the movie incredibly well, highlighting why she’s such a force to be reckoned with. Whenever she’s on-screen, you simply aren’t paying attention to anyone else.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t the most cohesive of Marvel’s movies; it isn’t even the most cohesive of the Ant-Man movies, but it is a larger-than-life spectacle guaranteed to entertain you for two hours. It’s wacky, over-the-top, action-packed and bonkers, but it’s also a surprisingly compelling story that promises to take the MCU further into uncharted waters, setting the stage for a complex and intriguing Phase 5.

The Ant-Man movies are thought of as something of a palette-cleanser to cheer us up after the bigger, more serious Marvel movies. Quantumania, on the other hand, sees the saga graduate to the bigger, more serious Marvel movie territory. Honestly, I’d be happy for the saga to return to small scale adventures after this one, but I’m very happy with this experiment nonetheless. And if you like big-budget superhero movies designed to entertain, you will be too!

Grade: B

Are you planning on seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in movie theaters? Let us know in the comments below!