Review by garethmb

• Username: garethmb

Life for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is good. He is basking in the recognition and fame that has come with his work with the Avengers and saving half the universe from Thanos and has even become a best-selling author. He has a successful relationship with Hope (Evangeline Lilly) who has taken her father’s company to new heights and they have managed to blend their personal and professional lives and enjoy a very happy life. Scott does worry about his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) as he lost several years with her during the Blip and she is an activist who has been arrested for her efforts including a hysterical prank on the police with Pym technology. Cassie is constantly on her father for not doing more as she feels that he is more focused on the past battles with the Avengers and not the day to day struggles people are facing. Over dinner, she tells Hope and her dad as well as Hank (Michael Douglas), and Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), whom she studied Hank’s journals while they were in the Blip and has developed a Quantum beacon which can map the Quantum Realm without having to venture to the sub-atomic relay where until recently nobody had been able to return from. This news sends Janet into a panic during a demonstration and the four are soon sucked into the realm and discover a diverse and thriving ecosystem as well as an abundance of strange and dangerous creatures. Janet is clearly hiding something and is frantic that they must leave but their party has been scattered and they soon learn that she fears and individual known as Kang (Jonathan Majors). While she was trapped in the realm for thirty years, Janet encountered King and helped him regain his power source but in doing so, learned he was a banished conquerer who can manipulate time, space, and the multiverse. Her actions to trap Kang and lead a resistance to the vast empire he created has set the stage as Janet has now returned to see what has developed and Kang will stop at nothing to regain his power source to escape and wreck his wrath on trillions. Naturally, it is up to Scott, Hope, and the team to find a way to fight the evil and powerful Kang to save the day. The film is a darker tale than people might expect from an Ant-man movie but in kicking off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie is a visual splendor filled with amazing visuals, landscapes, and characters. The film takes a bit of time to get to the action but when it arrives it delivers and the performance of Majors as Kang is captivating it will be interesting to see where the storyline evolves over the next series of films leading up to “The Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and beyond. “Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania may not break loads of new ground in terms of a Marvel film but Director Peyton Reed knows the characters well and delivers a story that should resonate with the fans and the strong cast and addition of Majors along with the great visuals make this another winner for Marvel. 4 stars out of 5