With the release of Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in theaters, audiences have finally gotten to see more of Scott Lang, his Ant-Family, and his latest adversary, Kang the Conqueror.
It will likely be years before fans get to see them all appear again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they will likely do so to face the Kang in a rematch in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Fortunately, there are plenty of similar sci-fi films that should hold people over until Ant-Man and company’s next adventure.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Normally, people wouldn’t liken the alien Quantum Realm to Jurassic Park, but Spielberg’s sci-fi masterpiece shares Quantumania‘s core premise of regular people being thrust into a weird and wonderful world filled with dangerous creatures. But instead of dinosaurs, the third Ant-Man film shows Scott and his allies fighting against dino-sized amoebas and giant jellyfish that look like suns.
Despite their darker moments, both films share a family-friendly tone with their more comedic moments. And just as Quantumania focuses on the father/daughter relationship between Scott and Cassie, Jurassic Park follows the paternal role Dr. Alan Grant takes in protecting young Lex and Tim from the park’s prehistoric predators.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
This sci-fi classic follows a group of astronauts who crash land on a planet where intelligent apes rule as the dominant species, while humans live as primitive creatures who are either hunted, enslaved, lobotomized, or experimented on by their overlords. Like Jurassic Park, Planet of the Apes shares the basic concept of normal people ending up in a bizarre world and fighting for their lives against its inhabitants.
However, the latter film shares Quantamania’s social commentary on war and class divisions, with Kang and his followers being the rich elite oppressing the lower class and hunting the Freedom Fighters. They also explore humanity’s destiny for self-destruction, as Scott’s journey ends with him questioning if he doomed his world by killing Kang.
Tron (1982)
Like Quantumania, Tron follows protagonist Flynn when he is forcibly sent to the digital world inside ENCOM’s mainframe computer after trying to hack into it. He finds this cyberspace is filled with sentient programs who are all being ruled by an oppressive force similar to Kang. The villain in question takes the form of ENCOM’s rogue AI, the film’s Control Program (who bears a striking resemblance to Quantumania’s other antagonist, MODOK), and his right-hand man, Sark.
Though the film’s CGI looks quite dated today, Tron’s visual effects were still revolutionary in their time, and the potential they displayed in computer animation helped make sci-fi films like Quantumania what they are today. The impact this film had on the industry makes it worth watching for any fan of the genre.
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Fantastic Voyage follows a submarine crew who shrink themselves down to microscopic size to destroy a clot in a dying scientist’s brain and save his life. The similarities this film has to Quantumania are obvious, as both stories feature the protagonists becoming miniaturized and exploring a strange, new world. But the former film ventures into the wonders and perils inside the human body, and the visual effects used to bring them to life are still a sight to behold decades later.
Chances are that readers have seen this classic movie referenced before, as it has been parodied several times in animated shows like Futurama, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and Archer. It’s hard to imagine this film not influencing at least one film in the Ant-Man franchise, so fans of the latter should familiarize themselves with this iconic adventure.
Star Wars (1977)
The film that Quantumania most compares to is arguably this definitive sci-fi classic. Like George Lucas’s film, it shows Scott and his group teaming up with a group of rebels fighting to free the citizens of the Quantum Realm from Kang’s tyranny, who are made up of many strange-looking creatures similar to the aliens in Star Wars. It’s also worth pointing out that the Freedom Fighters have a telepath similar to Jedi, and Scott crash lands in the Quantum Realm in a suit that makes him look like C-3PO.
On top of that, Kang the Conqueror has made himself out to be the MCU’s version of Darth Vader. Both villains are tyrants who have telekinetic powers, a high-tech army of faceless soldiers, a penchant for torture, and have either dominated or destroyed countless worlds across the stars. These two stories reach an explosive climax with a massive battle featuring plenty of blasters and spaceships outside the villain’s fortress for all audiences to enjoy.
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