Very rarely is a superhero blockbuster widely praised for running exactly the amount of time it needs to. They’re either too short and feel rushed, or too long and feel as though they’re dragging their heels. We’ll find out which side of the divide Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lands on in just a few weeks, but we do know that it’ll be the title hero’s lengthiest adventure yet.
The aforementioned problem has already reared its head across several of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most recent projects, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder cramming so much into under two hours that neither stopped to catch a breath, while Eternals and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were a touch too luxuriant at points.
Hopefully Peyton Reed’s third stint behind the camera will hit that sweet spot, seeing as it’s been confirmed by Fandango to run for a brisk – but not too brisk – 125 minutes. For comparison, Ant-Man was over and done with 117 minutes, with sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp adding on an extra 60 seconds and no more.
That being said, seeing as the story dives deep into the Quantum Realm, presumably rounds out Scott Lang’s trilogy, kicks off Phase Five, begins the build to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars in earnest, all while introducing Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror and setting him up as the MCU’s newest big bad, is a shade over two hours enough time to accomplish all of that and hopefully so much more.
We’ll just have to wait and see, which thankfully comes sooner rather than later, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania coming to theaters on February 17.
