Movie review

Phase 5 of the MCU kicks off in big fashion with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

When last we left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was at the end of the shared grieving process that was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While that film contained at least one character from other Marvel properties and introduced a possible new recurring character, it was mostly a pause in the grand overall storyline of the MCU.

Now it’s back to regularly-scheduled programming with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which – at long last – collides the movie and TV sides of the MCU as the beginning of its Phase 5. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is now a local folk hero in San Francisco, as his exploits with the Avengers as Ant-Man make him popular wherever he goes. His life is good with his girlfriend Hope/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), along with mentor Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his wife Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer).

All of that and more is thrown into peril when an experiment with quantum mechanics by Cassie winds up sucking all five of them into the quantum realm. There they discover a vast world full of innumerable strange flora and fauna, one where pretty much everybody is afraid of a man named Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). A confrontation between Kang and the main group is inevitable, as each hopes to find a way to make it back to the “real world” on Earth.

Directed once again by Peyton Reed and written by first-time feature screenwriter Jeff Loveness, the film accomplishes the feat of staying true to the goofiness of the previous Ant-Man films while still providing lots of great action and moving the overall story forward. The inventiveness of the characters – and the people/voices playing them – is constantly entertaining, whether or not you’re familiar with the comic book stories from which they originate.

Despite the story taking place almost entirely in a location necessitating an overwhelming amount of CGI, the imagery holds up throughout. Perhaps it’s because everything except the humans is computer-generated, but the graphics never “feel” fake, which makes all the difference in accepting the story at face value. Even better, the main showdowns feature the actual actors facing off instead of ones where the CGI does all the work.

Also helping matters is the (re)introduction of Kang, previously seen in the Disney+ series Loki. As played by Majors, he is menacing in all the best ways, charismatic enough to be appealing but mean enough to want to see his demise. And Majors doesn’t try to overplay his hand; instead of hamming it up, he uses subtle facial expressions and hand gestures to show that Kang doesn’t need to do much to exert his power.

Each of the main actors are once again a delight to watch. Rudd is the ideal everyman, even when doing superheroic things. Lilly is a great counterpart, complementing Rudd while showing her own strengths. Douglas and Pfeiffer are not just along for the ride, using their Oscar-nominated acting skills to class up the Marvel film. Newton, now the third version of Cassie, is a great addition to the cast and fits in very well.

The first of three MCU movies in 2023, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania bodes well for Marvel's plans for the future. There can be a lot of fatigue going through the seemingly never-ending superhero saga, but if they continue to be of this quality, fans will keep flocking back to movie theaters.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens in theaters on February 17.

Photo by Jay Maidment

Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Paul Rudd Quantumania film movies

Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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