The newest movie in the MCU, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” showcases the exciting next chapter of the universe, while failing the titular character.

Taking place after the Battle for Earth depicted in “Avengers: Endgame,” the movie follows the Ant-Man cast exploring the depths of the Quantum realm. Within the Quantum realm, they meet Kang the Conqueror, who is the controlling power in the realm.

The Quantum realm itself sets this movie apart from the usual Marvel fare. Instead of the usual New York setting, the realm is home to deserts, wastelands, and technologically advanced cities. 

Many creatures live in the realm, such as sentient robots, blob creatures, and living broccoli.  All of these factors come together to make the Quantum realm have a Star Wars-like otherworldly feeling to it.

That said, moments in this movie look rather off-putting visually. Moments in the desert looked very obviously fake. When the cast is falling into the Quantum realm, it looks like they are just falling on a green screen. One of the film’s villains, MODOK, is a giant floating head and it looks awful.

There are also parts where it looks extremely well made. Kang’s empirical city looks fantastic. The creature designs are well-varied and look incredible. There is a scene with multiple Ant-Mans on screen at once and it looks incredible. This does leave the visuals looking inconsistent.

With this movie introducing a whole new world to the MCU, it creates a lot of new characters. However, most of them do not have enough screen time to leave a lasting impression. Bill Murray is in this movie, for one scene, and is not seen again.

A similar issue is present with the Ant-Man cast. Scott starts off the movie by constantly mentioning how he saved the world and annoys his family. By the end, he is still doing that. His character does not grow at all. 

Hank, Cassie, and Hope all suffer from not having much to do in the plot. Janet is only really present to deliver exposition. 

The standout among this cast is Jonathan Major’s Kang the Conqueror. In every scene he is in, he controls the screen, showcasing how menacing a villain he can be. His fight against Scott shows how brutal he can be. 

With him being the next big threat against the Marvel Universe. This movie shows that he will be a captivating villain for the next few years.

This movie feels more like the set-up for the next big arc of Marvel movies than a standalone movie. While an interesting watch, it never felt like an Ant-Man movie and instead, a Kang movie. 

It got me excited to see what is next for Kang, while disappointed that more was not done with Ant-Man himself.