Antman and The Wasp: Quantumanina recently released as the first film in the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the popular reviwing site Rotten Tomatoes, the film was released alongside mixed reviews from critics who scored the film with an average rating of 47%, audience members however loved the movie with an average score of 83%. Johnathan Majors who you might recognize in his work in Loki as ‘The One Who Remains’ finally stars in his first MCU movie and takes away the show with his stellar acting as the antagonist: Kang.

“Walking into the movie theatre I wasn’t expecting much, and by the end of the movie I was met with disappointment because I expected more than what we ended up with,”  senior Mason McGill explains.

The film opens in the present day with Scott Lang, living his day-to-day life after the events of Avengers: Endgame. During a visit to Hope’s parents, his daughter Cassie showcases a small radio device she created that can potentially communicate with the Quantum Realm. 

“Seeing Johnathan Majors’ cast as a villain was great because of his masterful ability to fulfill the role of the villain and make the character he’s acting as so menacing and threatening,” senior Richard Williams says.

After the machine malfunctions and creates a space vacuum they are all shrunk down and pulled into the microscopic realm. Now split into two groups consisting of Hope and her parents, and Scott with Cassie, they must find a way to escape the strange realm while avoiding the tyrannical Conqueror of Worlds: Kang, as he seeks out Scott for his powers.

The film’s plot can be hard to follow if you haven’t watched the other two Antman movies due to recurring themes and characters, Kang’s backstory wasn’t given much time to be expanded upon. Accompanying the strange choice of a clear backstory, the CGI (Computer Generated Images) in the film is also pretty lackluster as the animations and facial expressions that use CGI, both of which Kang and M.O.D.O.K. use, look bad and rushed.

“Quantumanina felt so rushed with all the different characters who had no story relevance which is a real shame for the start of the fifth phase of the MCU, ” Mason expresses.

All this being said, Johnathan Majors does an incredible job throughout this film, his ability to excellently play the antagonist helps the character of Kang feel more threatening and all-powerful. This may be partly due to his work in the recently released film Creed III where, yet again, he plays the antagonist, Dame, who also holds overwhelming strength over the protagonist. 

“Even though this movie wasn’t the best, I’m excited for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., that series is always a treat to watch, ” Richard describes.

Overall, Antman and The Wasp: Quantumania was a mediocre film with an outstanding performance by Johnathan Majors and some lackluster CGI, especially for a billion-dollar company. The film’s ending sequence hints at Kang’s return to the MCU with an end credits scene teasing the plot of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty set to release during the 6th MCU phase and is slated to release May 2nd, 2025. With the MCU’s fifth phase, we can only hope that the accompanying films can salvage this rough start and propel it into being one of the great MCU phases that fans will adore for years to come.