What Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Are Saying About Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania
When Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015, no one really knew what to expect. After all, "Ant-Man" was subject to many creative changes behind the scenes, with the most notable being the departure of original director Edgar Wright. However, "Ant-Man" and its sequel, "Ant-Man and the Wasp," have proven to be exciting additions to the MCU canon, giving fans moments of humorous respite amid the more high-stakes adventures of the overarching franchise. But does "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" live up to expectations?
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" marks the beginning of Phase 5 of the MCU, so the titular crusaders have a lot of weight to carry on his tiny shoulders. The film sees our heroes forced to try and navigate the Quantum Realm, which brings them into contact with strange creatures and their biggest threat to date — Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Early reactions to "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" were mostly positive, with social media users praising Peyton Reed's directing and Rudd's performance. With that in mind, what do the critics have to say about Marvel's latest adventure?
Some critics have pointed out flaws with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania
The general consensus among reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes is that "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania" is enjoyable for the most part; however, as a movie, it's very flawed. Several writers pointed out that the film is too focused on laying the building blocks for Phase 5, which comes at the expense of telling a fully-formed threequel story.
"Quantumania is a promising, but shaky start for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's just a shame it comes at the sake of the little guy," wrote Collider's Ross Bonaime. Meanwhile, Slashfilm's Jeff Ewing noted that the film gets Phase 5 off to a promising start, but it's undercooked in the grand scheme of things. "Altogether the film is an engaging and fun start for the real meat of the Multiverse Saga, it's also one that needs more care and detail to flourish."
For some critics like Jamie Broadnax of Black Girl Nerds, the threequel tries to integrate several genres into its narrative, only to experience an identity crisis as a result. "Tonally this film is different from the other films. A bit uneven, it feels like Jeff Loveness' script wasn't sure what genre this movie wanted to be," she wrote. That said, IGN Movies' Joshua Yehl believes that Marvel's latest blockbuster has more pros than cons. "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has just enough heart, humor, and excellent performances to make up for its more underdeveloped aspects."
What critics are saying about Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror will be the Big Bad of the MCU for the foreseeable future, with his story set to ramp up and conclude in "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and "Avengers: Secret Wars," respectively. Needless to say, there's a lot riding on the franchise's newest formidable foe, and he has big shoes to fill considering that Thanos (Josh Brolin) once wiped out half of the universe with a click of the fingers. The good news, though, is that the new baddie is off to a flying start, according to the critics.
Writing for The Guardian, Ellen E Jones praised Majors' performance and compared the villain to one of the most morally flawed characters in the "Star Wars franchise. "Majors brings the same emotionally intense it-boy energy of Adam Driver in The Force Awakens. Note how his eyes are often watery with empathy for his victims, even as he throttles them."
Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck praised Kang as a highlight of the movie, noting that he brings a real sense of "gravitas" to the proceedings. "While it's not surprising that the actor's imposing physicality perfectly suits his iconic villainous character, he also invests his performance with such an arrestingly quiet stillness and ambivalence that you're on edge every moment he's onscreen." USA Today's Brian Truitt echoed these sentiments, stating that Kang's presence covers up some of the film's flaws. "Majors thankfully rights the ship every time he pops up with his deliciously disconcerting presence."