Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was supposed to be the start of the MCU’s Phase 5, promising a focus on quality instead of quantity as its previous phase had done. Sadly, Kevin Feige was making another white lie. If this movie was a supposed step in the right direction, it actually slipped and fell down multiple flights of stairs.

This story sees Scott Lang, AKA Ant-Man, living his normal life as a well-renowned Avenger. Though when his daughter Cassie starts tinkering with Quantum Realm technology, Scott and his family get sucked into a strange new subatomic universe. Now stuck it is their mission to try to find a way out without being killed by Him. Marvel fans know him better as Kang the Conqueror, who has been living in the Quantum Realm for quite some time, subjugating its inhabitants to tortuous experiences to build a better life for himself. Scott becomes faced with one of the most powerful villains in Marvel history and it is his job to just get his daughter safe.

This movie is jam packed with a load of characters from Marvel’s past and some new ones.

The first one is Scott Lang. He’s become extremely cocky since the days of Avengers Endgame, and he is reaping the rewards of his heroism in that film. He has his own book, a podcast, and a backpack with his face on it and he’s loving his life. All he wants is to spend time with his daughter, but after being sucked into the Quantum Realm, he is faced with danger all around him and is ultimately forced to make some bad decisions to keep his daughter safe.

Another character is Cassie Lang, Scott‘s daughter. Ever since she’s seen her dad in the Ant-Man suit she’s always wanted to follow in his footsteps. She tries her best with her own Ant-Man suit and runs around San Francisco doing some of her own heroic things. Though she does get caught and put in jail many times she does it for the good of the neighborhood she lives in. After being sucked into the Quantum Realm, and seeing all the subjugated people, all she wants to do is help them out and defeat Kang.

The final main characters are the Pyms/Van Dynes. There is Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, and their daughter Hope Van Dyne. Hank and Hope run a successful business and develop Pym Particles (these are the particles that help Ant-Man shrink and grow) and they use them to help other businesses around the world while Janet is still shaken from her time in the Quantum Realm. After being pulled right back in, she is terrified of what lurks there, and what lurks there is Kang.

The final character is Kang the Conqueror. He’s a universe-hopping conqueror, who subjugates people all around the multiverse. He does this for safety, knowing that there are worse versions of him out there. He knows what he does is bad, but not as bad as his other variants. Though his plans are on hold because he has been banished from the normal world and has been trapped in the Quantum Realm. All he has wanted to do is get his revenge on the people who put him there, but he needs Ant-Man’s help to escape and he will do whatever he needs to be free.

Personally, I think this cast is overstuffed. I like Scott and Kang and I really feel they were the only two needed for the story. With the addition of Cassie, Hank Pym, Hope, and Janet Van Dyne along with the host of other Quantum Realm creatures the movie becomes a mess. You become confused as you see six different stories happening at once and are not able to follow any of them. 

I hope this is not a shock to anyone, but the Quantum Realm is not real. Yes, I’m sorry but in this movie, Marvel used CGI and green screens to construct the entire setting of the movie. This is quite a tall ask to construct a completely digital setting, and it is really shown in the final product. It is so obvious that VFX workers did not get enough time to finish because several lighting and texture errors are seen quite commonly throughout the movie. The immersion you once had at the beginning ceases to exist once the characters step foot in the Quantum Realm. Also, this special new realm is not showing itself to be quite special at all. It all seems like a planet from Star Wars that was scrapped from being such an uninspired place, but Marvel decided to pick it out of the garbage and use it at the start of Phase 5. They use a lot of designs that lack their own flair and identity. Along with the suffering CGI, the setting is an absolute disaster, and you can feel the green screens behind the actor’s faces. 

Marvel Studios have been heavily using CGI in all of their movies and TV shows, and they all have been suffering as of late. Some well-known CGI abominations, or Thor: Love and Thunder, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and even to some extent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. All of these movies have been known for their CGI blunders and I think Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will also be forgotten and will be joining this group of blunders.

The action scenes in this movie are hit or miss. Due to the overreliance on CGI, the fight scenes do not feel like they have any real weight to them and ultimately feel like they’re staged or fake. Though sometimes the CGI seems to improve and some cool concepts emerge to make some memorable fight scenes. Though overall the poorly done ones greatly outweigh the somewhat imaginative ones. All you are left with is a bad taste in your mouth

I would say one of the strongest parts of this movie is Jonathan Majors’ portrayal of Kang the Conqueror. He makes this somewhat outlandish villain seem so real and menacing at the same time. It’s a joy to just watch him, and it seems this villain will rise to become more than Thanos could have ever been. Though I can’t say that for the entire cast. Paul Rudd does a great job with his character of Scott Lang just as he has for the last 10 years he’s been playing the character. Hank, Janet, and Hope’s actors have had nothing to do this entire movie so I don’t blame their performances because they weren’t given anything to do. Though the one actress that I will say has done a very poor job is Kathryn Newton as Cassie. I never really get a feel for her being an actual character. She just seems like she is just talking to Paul Rudd, and never feels like his daughter. This lack of chemistry between the two actors makes Cassie Lang one of the weakest parts of this movie.

I know this is early to say, but this is probably been one of the worst movies I’ve seen all year. The use of such abysmal CGI, forgettable acting, and a poorly done story make this movie a perfect fit for your garbage bin. Even though there are some stand-out moments in the plot

 and even some standout actors, they can’t hold this movie up. If you wanna watch anything Marvel, I would look at some of their old movies because their new ones are so lackluster.