By Maalik Hawkins
Trinity Times Movie Reviewer
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are always debating who is the greatest Avenger, or at least which one is in the top three.
Ant-Man – a personal favorite – is frequently a top three Avenger among the MCU buffs who favor the underdog, largely because the comedic nature of his films often eclipses how his character and attributes compliment the team.
When it comes to this third installment of Marvel Comics’ Ant-Man franchise – 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania” – the comical Avenger ranks high compared to what the MCU delivered in the Phase Four features released from 2021 through 2022.
This Ant-Man movie begins Phase Five for MCU and it’s a stellar launch.
Fellow movie critics are calling it the “Star Wars” movie of the MCU because of its world-building traits, and they are getting no argument here.
In this picture we have super-hero cohorts Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) resume their pairing as Ant-Man and the Wasp, alongside Hope’s parents (Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas) and Scott’s daughter (Kathryn Newton) uncovering the Quantum Realm and embarking on a quest that drives them to the outer limits of all they imagined conceivable.
Though some fans have been disheartened with the film’s portrayal of the Quantum Realm (a parallel dimension or alternate universe), the psychedelic and beautifully crafted dominions serve the plot, characters, and audience well in this story.
The Ant-Man films always explore the Quantum Realm, so it was a just a matter of time before one of the stories made it a deep-dive examination.
The dynamic between Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie, however, could have been better explored.
The conflict between the two characters develops when Cassie views her father’s actions as taking a backseat after saving the world in 2019s “Avengers: Endgame.”
Perhaps he was just exhausted after bringing half of the universe back into existence?
Quantumania’s villain is Kang the Conqueror – played by the astonishing (pun intended) and polished Jonathan Majors, who just steals the show with a terrifying depiction of the power he brings to the table.
Majors has been slated to appear in many more Marvel films as time variants of the antihero and he has the versatility and acting chops to get the job done.
The good vs. evil backstory involving Kang and Janet van Dyne (Pfeiffer) gleams with staggering action scenes and sizzling chemistry.
The scorching duo of Wasp and Ant-Man reaches a pinnacle in this outing. Could this be true love?
Then, there’s the wacky M.O.D.O.K (an acronym for “Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing”), whose appearance provides a one-dimensional comedic diabolical nemesis and serves as the butt of the jokes.
It’s obvious that Ant-Man three provides steppingstones for upcoming MCU movies, but this one is genuinely fun, even if other critics give it an undeserved thumbs down.
The only big complaint here is that the producers should have extended the 124-minute running time another 30 minutes to better explain the Quantum Realm and flesh out the characters who live there.
Now, let’s get ready for the rest of MCU’s Phase Five.
Everyday Moviegoers – 8.2/10
Critics – 4.7/10
Cinephiles – 7.8/10
– – –
Maalik Hawkins is a graduate student at Trinity Washington University.