Saw it yesterday after work. It was...alright, about as good as the first movie. Surprising for a sequel, it actually felt like a much smaller film (no pun intended), for better and for worse. The first film for example did not need a world-ending threat, and the whole deal with Yellowjacket and Hydra felt a little forced if I'm being honest. A simple heist movie through and through would have worked better with the intimate scale.
The lack of set-pieces this time isn't doing this film any favors however. If you've seen the trailers, the ones with the kitchen fight and the car chase, you seen the only two real action set-pieces in the film. Which, to be perfectly honest, would be fine if they didn't contain most of the clever shrinking/growing moments that make these films stand out for me. Even going into the Quantum Realm feels a bit "been there, done that" when nothing super different happens and the environments are repeats from the first movie. It makes sense, but outside of the implied city in the background (I'm not the only one who saw that right?), it is frankly underwhelming when it is obviously trying to be so much more.
My biggest takeaway from this film, and what firmly yet awkwardly places this film in "alright" status, is The Wasp herself. This movie doesn't really treat Hope becoming The Wasp, and thus the titled female hero to star (well, co-star. Baby steps) in an MCU movie, as that big of a deal. She shows up, fully formed as a hero, and she along with Scott proceed to work together pretty much with no issues. It was clear in the first movie that she had already trained in shrinking and combat, and that she has already been The Wasp for some time in this movie, so there's no endearing "getting used to the powers" scene or informative "this is where she comes into her own for the first time" scene or revelatory "she's got to dig deep and reveal her true potential" scene. As rote as those moments might sound on paper, they can be important for making the hero's accomplishments feel more rewarding and their struggles all the more relatable. There isn't really any teamwork issues with Scott that keep them from working effectively either, no drama over differences in approach to hero-ing, just once they suit up they're a great team. I'm not saying that isn't refreshing in its own way, just that there is very little drama in their superhero relationship when there is a ton in their personal relationship. It would have been nice to see an argument spill over into a fight they were having with Ghost that gets them tripped up, or something. Still, Evangeline Lily is great as Hope and The Wasp and she's a welcome addition to Team Superhero.
Also, Jimmy Woo is a slam dunk character, need to see more of him in these movies.
