The Ant-Man franchise is like many of the MCU phases: The first one was standard but serviceable fare. The sequel expanded on what made the first one great. This third entry has creativity but also takes a step back.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang, who’s now a famous author and a recognizable celebrity everywhere he goes. (The “Welcome Back, Kotter” theme plays every time he walks down the street.)
Evangeline Lilly is also back as his girlfriend, Hope, who’s now in charge of her father’s company. Scott’s daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) spends her time as an activist getting in and out of jail. She’s a chip off the old block like her ex-con dad.
The story picks up when the three of them visit Hope’s parents, her dad Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and her mom Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer). During the visit, Cassie reveals she’s been working on a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm. Janet believes it to be dangerous after she was once trapped inside the Realm for 30 years. When Janet tries to shut off the device, all five of them are pulled into the Quantum Realm. There, they discover a city filled with strange creatures rebelling against their tyrannical leader. (Some would look right at home in either Star Wars or Avatar.)
They try to get some help from Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) but to no avail. Murray’s role is mostly forgettable and amounts to nothing more than an extended cameo.
Jonathan Majors stars as Kang the Conqueror, the leader of the Realm who once befriended Janet and now wants to escape so he can get his powers back. This inevitably leads to a confrontation between him and Ant-Man as Kang holds Cassie for ransom.
There’s a lot here for fans to appreciate, and some of the visuals are made with some degree of imagination, but others are no more impressive than other things the MCU has cooked up.
That’s how I felt about a lot of Quantumania.
There are some nifty surprises, including a character from the first film who reemerges and hints about the future of the Ant-Man universe. Still, this film doesn’t have the emotional weight it wants to have.
Quantumania lacks the coolness of the first film, and there’s no breezy, zippy pace like the sequel. If anything, it plays like some of the more recent entries in the MCU: It’s there to set up even bigger ideas that will hopefully be more engrossing.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for violence/action and language)
