Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania [Blu-ray]

Very well made’

Peyton Reed’s 2023 film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” is the third entry in the Ant-Man franchise and the 31st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This threequel revisits Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope Pym (Evangeline Lilly), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” with Scott having played a key role in undoing the Snappening and saving the universe. Riding high, he soon finds that his daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton, the third actor to portray the character), is in trouble resembling his own past. Despite her criminal tendencies, it turns out she has an aptitude for the Pym Tech and has found a way to survey the Quantum Realm without directly going there. As anyone knowledgeable about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle can explain, she ends up having a direct impact leading to all of the main characters being drawn into the quantum realm.There, they find that Janet never revealed exactly what she experienced while trapped in the realm. She met a traveler named Kang (Jonathan Majors) and discovered truths about him. Scott and Cassie initially meet some rebels led by Veb (David Dastmalchian), Jentorra (Katy O’Brian), and Quaz (William Jackson Harper), but are captured by Kang’s forces and M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll, returning to the franchise since portraying Darren Cross in the first film). Meanwhile, Janet Hope, and Hank travel to find their wayward companions through contacts with Lord Krylar (Bill Murray). The story builds to a search for a McGuffin and various double-crosses, resulting in a giant battle royale as befits the MCU following “Endgame.” Kang’s reveal and villainy are all the more powerful given recent news about Majors’ own actions with those who trusted him.Reed’s film not only revisits plot threads from the previous two Ant-Man films, but also ties into events from the first season of the “Loki” television series as well as “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” laying the groundwork for Phase 5 in the MCU and the Multiverse Saga. He also features some nice cameos from Randall Park as FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (appeared in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and “WandaVision”) as well as an end-credit scene that further connects to MCU TV shows and the Multiverse.The film is a lot of fun in the goofy, pulp sci-fi way of the classic “Ant-Man” comics. At times, the effects are somewhat middling compared to previous MCU films, but the overall story and tone are great for fans of the character. Bonus features on this Blu-ray include an examination of the lead actors’ character development, a look at the film’s villains, audio commentary, a very short gag reel, and two deleted scenes.

I really don’t get the criticism of “Ant-man and The Wasp: Quantumania”. It’s as clever and fun as the previous two films. Yes, the scope is bigger with a world changing conflict that ties directly into the latest phase of the Marvel franchise.Life is good for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). He’s written a bestselling book, was employee of the month at Baskin & Robbins and gets mistaken for Spider-Man. His daughter Cassie has developed a device that can map the quantum realm. Bad news for Scott, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne get sucked into that realm when something goes wrong. They meet the big baddie for the next Marvel phase-Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).The thing that I’ve always appreciated about the Ant-Man films is that they don’t take themselves too seriously. They are perfect palate cleansers for the more serious and ambitious films. So the latest film nicely mixes the humor along with a larger-than-usual scale.The 4K and Blu-Ray release looks pretty darn good. The HDR for the 4K adds nice nuances to the color but be aware the 4K is darker than the Blu-Ray. Nice detail and the CGI looks terrific throughout. Audio sounds great although Disney really needs to a better job with their 5.1 and 7.1-the bass isn’t quite as strong as I’d hoped. The Atmos presentation is fine.Some cool extras are included.A solid commentary track from the director and writer, two deleted scenes (I hsve the feeling there were more but they were largely unfinished and, as a result, not included). A gag reel is included along with a featurette that addresses the difference in tone of this film compared to the previous ones.With this film and “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3”, Marvel appears to have reclaimed some of its mojo back. Let’s hope they can keep it.