It may be early in the year, but it’s not too early for upcoming Marvel movies to start filing into a theater near you. The latest superpowered offering of the MCU, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, is the first of this year to return audiences to the world of the Avengers and the various forces that pose a threat to the multiverse. And judging by what critics are saying in the reviews for director Peyton Reed’s big Paul Rudd-led threequel, the reactions are as varied as the variants of any given Marvel character throughout the dimensional divide.
CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg chipped into these early reactions through CinemaBlend’s official review. Our MCU expert wasn’t too pleased with this latest romp, marking the 31st Marvel film since 2008’s Iron Man. Summing it all up in the closing to his evaluation, here’s how Eisenberg’s 2 star review encapsulated the movie’s problems:
…it’s a film that mightily struggles in pretty much every important area, and it raises some serious concerns about what’s on the way from the MCU in the months and years to come.
The long game is something that’s not only caught our reviewer’s eye, but also that of The Guardian’s Ellen E. Jones. Her viewpoint on Ant-Man 3 specifically highlighted the absence of fan favorite characters like Randall Park’s Agent Jimmy Woo and Michael Peña’s Luis as a downside to this standalone franchise’s return. Weighing that against the obvious teases for what’s to come in Phase 5, Jones reflected on the result thusly:
The MCU marches inexorably onwards, through “phases” and “sagas”, but what’s the point if there’s no time to pause, reflect and enjoy a joke with old friends?
It’s certainly not all bad news when it comes to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, and it’s not surprising that Jonathan Majors is getting some praise for his performance as the next big bad in the MCU. Ever since his appearance in the Loki Season 1 finale, Majors' comic heavy has been anticipated as a potential gateway to all sorts of heroics and villainy in Marvel's future.
With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marking Scott Lang's fifth cinematic foray, here's how the rest of his appearances fared upon opening in theaters:
Ant-Man (2015) - $57,225,526 / 83%
Captain America: Civil War (2016) - $179,139,142 / 90%
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2019) - $75,812,205 / 87%
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - $357,115,007 / 94%
Kang the Conqueror is starting to be more of a presence in the Marvel rogues’ gallery, and that seems to be one of the strengths in this return to the Quantum Realm. Frank Scheck from THR shared that very sentiment, along with some extra praise for what this Ant-Man installment does well:
For better or worse, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the most overtly sci-fi film in the series, and on that level, it succeeds very well.… But it’s Majors who brings real 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.
As mentioned before, talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe almost always calls into mind the overall game plan. Returning to that concern is the review of Lauren Coates at AwardsWatch, whose negative skewing feelings directly called out the drawbacks of this movie trying to fit into a larger picture:
Even a star as bright as Majors’ can’t shine bright enough to eclipse just how unapologetically transitional and transactional Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is.
If comparing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to its own cinematic brethren wasn’t enough, another Disney saga seems to be inspiring some not so excited reactions. Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior himself, invoked that other cultural monolith in the Mouse House stable, closing out our roundup of reactions with this pointed remark:
Quantumania is the closest thing to Marvel’s Star Wars, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
Critical reactions such as these probably won’t move the needle too much on who will show up to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. With a projected $90 - $128 million opening, this sci-fi family drama is set to land amid the mid-field of debuts in the Marvel Studios canon. Given the time of year we’re currently in, and with the only real competition being pictures like Magic Mike’s Last Dance, this first weekend will be a cakewalk. Though with all of the internet buzz surrounding next week’s debut of Cocaine Bear and its wild true story, that frame in particular is going to be interesting to observe.
For now, the world should get ready to get small as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania takes a fantastic voyage into theaters, starting with early Thursday showings. For those of you that want to brush up on what’s happened before in the Ant-Man saga, as well as the rest of the MCU, a Disney+ subscription has all the adventures you’ll need to get current.
