Review | 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quatumania' is the best kind of bug you could catch

Released on Feb. 17, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" sets up the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a new villain, playful humor and a whole lot of audience discrepancies. Photo collage by SIMRAH AHMAD, staff photographer

There is nothing quite like witnessing a hardcore Marvel fan tear apart the latest superhero film. 

They constantly spew out how the plot could have been better, how Stan Lee would not have been pleased with this result all while they polish their action figures and continue to purchase endless merchandise from this franchise. 

I'm not referring to anyone in particular but simply the general notion of the Marvel community. I quite frankly think they are too damn accusatory of these films. It's a superhero movie, not an Oscar-winning film worthy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning scripts. 

Normally, I never take my anger out on the constant nitpicking of Marvel fans, but with the recent release of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" — it was time to air my grievances. 

The film, which was released on Feb. 17, is the third movie in the "Ant-Man" series and introduces the fifth phase of Marvel films. Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man (played by Paul Rudd), and his partner Hope Van Dyne, aka the Wasp (played by Evangeline Lilly), are once again put to the test when they are thrown into the Quantum Realm, a dimension that can only be entered through subatomic particles. 

Luckily, the Wasp's mother, Janet Van Dyne (played by Michelle Pfieffer), previously spent over 30 years in the Quantum Realm, making her the expert guide for this unexpected mission. Ant-Man and the Wasp encounter an unknown society of people, along with the new villain Kang the Conqueror (played by Jonathan Majors).  

As soon as the movie hit the theaters, viewers started to resemble the two old hecklers from the Muppets, judging each and every aspect of the film with a fine-toothed comb. One fan wrote, "I've grown weary of all the Easter eggs, the teases, the grand narratives, the quippy dialogue, the still-constant mocking of code names and the lazy storytelling. I'm tired of the Marvel machine, and I want it to stop." 

It appears that most viewers agree, with the film receiving a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes — making it tied with the 2021 film "Eternals" as the worst-reviewed Marvel film ever on the platform. Despite the criticism, the film made over $120 million within the first four days of its release. 

So, you can imagine how friends of mine reacted in utter shock when I said I actually enjoyed the film. Perhaps Marvel fans view me as someone who just gallops around smelling roses while the entire world is ending. This further emphasizes my point — Marvel fans need to step away from their high standards and just sit back and have a good time, which is exactly what I did. 

A stand-out point in the film, which fans across the board are in agreement with, is the performance of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. Although Kang was first introduced in the 2021 show "Loki," Majors is able to showcase his undeniable charm and slowly crescendo his evil throughout the two-hour runtime of "Quantumania." While Kang is very different from the previous larger-than-life villain Thanos in "Avengers: Endgame," Majors is able to give the audience a taste of his power and keep them wanting more.

The part that made me actually laugh out loud was the performance of Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. While there are some parts where Douglas looks as if he has no idea what is going on (which is pretty accurate because he and Michelle Pfeiffer openly admitted working with the green screen was a challenge), his lines are the most iconic out of anyone in the film. 

The fact that Douglas, who has portrayed Pym in all three "Ant-Man" films, can be both a wickedly talented scientist and also a loveable sense of comic relief that made me almost spew my Diet Coke out of my nose makes him the star of the show.  

Along with Douglas, the overall writing style aligns perfectly with the two previous "Ant-Man" films by perfectly combining action and humor. With the film opening to John Sebastian's "Welcome Back," a lot of Baskin Robbins references, a barista confusing Ant-Man for Spider-Man and even a Bill Murrary cameo makes each action-packed moment also spliced with playfulness. One moment a character is clinging for their life, the next they are having a conversation about not being a dick, giving the film the best of both worlds.

While it seems that I have put this film on a pedestal, there are still several issues throughout "Quantumania." 

First, the special effects are inconsistent, with some CGI moments looking like rough drafts and not a final cut. The VFX workers for the film even agree with fans, saying to Vulture that "'Wakanda Forever' was definitely at the top of the list. All the money went into that. It's understandable given the context — with Chadwick and everything and how well the first film did. But it did diminish the ability to carry 'Ant-Man' all the way though." 

Another flaw in the film is the story's inability to seamlessly transition from the real world to the Quantum Realm. The audience only gets a glimpse of Lang's current life before all hell breaks loose in the subatomic world. Sure, this is an action movie, but I want more moments of Hank Pym and his family enlarging a quarter-size worth of dough into an extra large pizza — because those tiny moments shape the characters the most. 

Recently Marvel has been keen to introduce new characters without any development whatsoever — and that is true again in this film with the addition of Lang's daughter, Cassie (played by Kathryn Newton) as the latest superhero who can shrink to the size of an ant. While the connection between Cassie and Scott is inherently heartwarming, Newton's performance overall falls flat. Toward the end of the movie, I couldn't help but cringe due to the fact that she would scream "Dad!" every five seconds. 

Overall, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is pure fun. Was it the best film that I have ever seen in my life? Not quite. But was it something that I think will ruin the reputation of Marvel and make me lose interest in ever watching those movies again? Not at all. 

This film serves its purpose by setting up the newest phase of this universe, or should I say multiverse, and notably places a new villain center stage. The film was never about breaking records or stirring drama, but to merely transition from one period of Marvel to the next. Not every single movie is going to swoop you off your feet just like "Captain America: Civil War" or "Avengers: Infinity War" — each release cannot be a winner, which means every now and then you are going to get movies like "Thor: The Dark World." 

Scott Lang wrote a book titled "Look Out For The Little Guy," which can actually be purchased everywhere later this fall, where he emphasizes how powerful people can be despite the fact that they may look the weakest. I think this film applies directly to that mantra — where the tiny are indeed mighty. 

Say what you want to say about ants, but they have been here for over 100 million years and are here to stay — and (hopefully) so is Paul Rudd.