Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Ant-Man works because Paul Rudd is the most normal guy in the Marvel universe, so naturally this one drops him into a world with zero normal in it. The Quantum Realm looks like someone spilled a lava lamp across a Star Wars cantina, and nearly every frame is murky green-screen soup. Jonathan Majors brings real menace in his early scenes as Kang, a calm, tired man who talks like he’s already won. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet has the best backstory in the movie and keeps it to herself for way too long. The Wasp is in the title, and Evangeline Lilly mostly waits around for her turn. The funniest character is Veb, a jelly blob who is thrilled to have holes. Kathryn Newton’s Cassie wants to save everybody, which is a plan, not a personality. It made $476.1 million worldwide and holds a 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 3.9 because Rudd’s charm can’t shrink a plot this foggy down to size. $37.11 says you eat a bagel this week and quietly apologize to Veb.

What works: Jonathan Majors gives Kang real weight in his early scenes with Michelle Pfeiffer, and Veb is a genuinely funny little creation.

What doesn’t: The Quantum Realm is a blurry wall of effects, the Wasp barely gets a story, and Kang’s plan stays vague to the very end.

Who it’s for: Marvel completists who watch every chapter in order, and anyone who will happily watch Paul Rudd shrug for two hours.