Jonathan Majors' super villain act stands out in the chaotic new Ant-Man movie

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Kathryn Newton, Jonathan Majors

No MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movie or OTT series has been able to replicate the massive success of Avengers: Endgame (2019). Other than a handful of gems like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), not many have since stuck with viewers. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania—the third addition to the Ant-Man franchise—just adds to the status quo. 

The hectic and visually cluttered but progressive film doesn’t have room for wit and sharp repartee among the superheroes who humanised the Avengers movies. Having said that, it posits an endearing protagonist—the underrated Ant-Man—whose virtuosity is conflicted and elevated by its brilliant supervillain, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). 

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Portrayed by the witty and winsome Paul Rudd, Ant-Man leads the life of a minor celebrity who gets free coffee and gets mistaken for Spider-Man after having saved the universe in Avengers: Endgame. His partner and fellow superhero, the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), has taken on meaningful work involving scientific research with her father Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and mother Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfieffer).  

Ant-Man now has a daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) who wants quick success but is determined that her father help people again. In an experiment, she sends a subatomic signal to the Quantum Realm, earning the ire of Janet who hides many secrets from her 30 years in the unpleasant space-time junction. 

A slide into the Quantum Realm splits up Ant-Man, Wasp, Cassie, Janet, and Hank as they seek a way out and face unpredictable dangers. 

While the movie does a good job representing Ant-Man’s life, the story begins on a confusing note as it rapidly introduces multiple characters without giving them breathing room. Director Peyton Reed has created a visually kooky landscape, with stunning elements, that becomes a little chaotic. The clutter is extravagant and offers too many details to the point that the VFX that can be exhausting for the eyes. 

Quantum Realm offers a fair share of challenges for Ant-Man, with Janet helping him figure a way out of them. Bill Murray shines as an eccentric Krylar, a shady acquaintance of Janet, while warrior Jentorra (Katy O’Brian) sizes up as a rebel leader against the supervillain Kang. 

By building in a rebellion against Kang, this story adapts a bit of the Star Wars world to the MCU. Janet’s ability to navigate the Quantum Realm establishes her as a key character here but the movie also tends to deviate a lot from its storyline. Some of these minor plots could have been done away with to make the screenplay crisper. 

The film immerses the viewer when it dives into Kang’s story and his intentions. Avid MCU fans may recognise him from his earlier appearance in the final episode of Loki, the OTT series. He conquered and destroyed timelines and appeared as parallel versions of himself, raising stakes for the MCU supervillain. 

Pitted against Ant-Man, Kang is both vulnerable and icily calm. Jonathan Majors delivers an edgy and engrossing performance that is both unpredictable and emotionally charged. He is both humane and manipulative—a classic villain without the mind-numbing powers of MCU characters. The performance gives a much-needed elevation to the new crop of superhero films that often end up being bland and boring. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania climaxes in a one-on-one fight that thankfully goes beyond the trope of light- and flame-throwing superhero fights. 

Jeff Loveness and Jack Kirby have written a screenplay that offers plenty in a very limited time. While it misses out on the razor-sharp wit that humanised the Avengers, the movie has effectively built up a strong, solid antagonist positioned against a smaller-sized (literally), likeable protagonist. 

As a stand-alone casual viewing experience, this film is a little too much to swallow. But for committed fans of this franchise, more is less. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is entertaining and an important part of this all-encompassing universe’s meta-narrative. 

Rating 3.5/5