© Reuters. Fans in costume at the premiere of the movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp” in Los Angeles June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
By Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, and his allies return to the big screen on Friday, years after his first appearance in 2015’s “Ant-Man” as well as other Marvel and Disney films. 2018 sequel, “Ant-Man and the Wasp”.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is the first film in the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The feature film takes the superhero and his resizing powers to the quantum realm, a subatomic world where he encounters new challenges.
Directed by “The Mandalorian” star Peyton Reed, the film stars Paul Rudd as Scott/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/The Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. The character’s third solo film adds Jonathan Majors as the new antagonist, Kang the Conqueror.
Lilly’s face lit up when asked about her first time seeing the film set in a circular film studio with high-definition panels, a technology known as Volume.
“When we were on Volume, suddenly there were thousands of LED screens building the world for us, creating the characters for us,” she said.
Reality dissolved and brought her into the fantasy world many kids grew up reading about in Marvel comics, she noted.
The Volume technology used to bring the set to life is like an LED screen that wraps around an entire soundstage where any environment can be projected, Rudd said.
“It was the most elaborate and unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen, and it helps because it feels real, especially with something like this where the environment is so specific and imaginative and unfamiliar.”
The artists of Disney (NYSE:) assembled new environments, creatures, buildings and an entire story and internal logic to bring the quantum realm to life.
Despite the attractive technology, most critics gave the film mediocre reviews, resulting in a 55% “Rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross)