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The first reactions for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have arrived – and, unsurprisingly, it sounds like another win for Marvel Studios.
Ant Man 3, which kicks off Marvel Phase 5 on Feb. 17, had its world premiere last night (Feb. 6). And as the social media embargo lifts on the next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, critics and influencers have been pouring their thoughts on how good (or not so good) it is.
Erik Davis of Fandango was one of the first to give his opinion on this Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Given the Star Wars-style aesthetic and epic sci-fi vibes of the film, it should come as no surprise that Davis compared Marvel’s latest feature to Lucasfilm’s storied franchise (among others):
PHASE 5 HAS STARTED! The new #AntMan movie is like a psychedelic roller coaster full of terrifying and hilarious oddities, plus a VERY menacing Kang. Major STAR WARS vibes meet the MCU at its most bizarre and inventive. MODOK is a riot, but Jonathan Majors is victorious. Loved the ride! pic.twitter.com/gdJqHld3rTFebruary 7, 2023
Davis suggests that Jonathan Majors’ Kang seems to be stealing the show in his second MCU outing (Majors played one of Kang’s variants, He Who Remains, in Loki season 1). And it seems a lot of other people agree – Buzzfeed’s Nora Dominick calls him “a force” and that Majors “brings Kang complexity with a single glance”:
Jonathan Majors is a force in #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania. He is compelling, hair-raising and already delivers a top performance. I love the complexity he brings to Kang with literally a single glance. MCU really won with this casting pic.twitter.com/4W8VCLGFBvFebruary 7, 2023
From the DisInsider Dempsey Pillot (opens in new tab)Variety Tazz Jangcay (opens in new tab)and CineXpress’ Fico Cangiano (opens in new tab) all reserved praise for Majors’ Kang, calling him “bad ass” and all Ant Man 3 is “his show” once he hits the big screen.
There was enough love for it Quantumania‘s leading man – Paul Rudd, aka Scott Lang/Ant-Man – too. The hashtag shows Hunter Bolding (opens in new tab) described Scott as “heroic”, while CBR’s Ashley Saunders praises Rudd for being “as sweet as ever”:
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP QUANTUMANIA is a VISUAL PARTY packed with SURPRISES (big and small). A WILD RIDE from start to finish. Jonathan Majors CONQUERS as Kang, the Dynasty is here. Paul Rudd is as sweet as ever & 2 scenes with Post Credit!#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania #Quantumania pic.twitter.com/oHJwrKtwy3February 7, 2023
Nerds of Color’s Michael Lee also praised how director Peyton Reed handled Marvel’s first Phase 5 film, with a special shout-out to his work on The Mandalorian for helping shape the visual design and overall production of the film:
Peyton Reed’s time directing The Mandalorian episodes really shows. Not just in his use of the volume, but also in the production and character designs. It’s out of this world! #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania #AntManAndTheWaspFebruary 7, 2023
Doubling down on the Star Wars equations, Gizmodo’s Germain Lussier described Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as “the best Star Wars movie since 2018”, adding that it feels “a little un-Marvel” in its world-building and that Michelle Pfeiffer “steals” the show:
The best Star Wars movie since 2018 is #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania. It’s a massive sci-fi adventure with beautiful world building that hardly feels un-wonderful in how much world building there is. But it has humor, heart, Kang completely rules and Michelle Pfeiffer steals it. pic.twitter.com/vRO2Poko2sFebruary 7, 2023
There was an odd response that wasn’t universally positive, mind you. Kristian Harloff of The Big Thing said “I don’t think it’s going to work for everyone” and that “it’s a bit chaotic towards the end”, but married that critique with how it uniquely “Star Wars, Fifth Element, Dune and Strange combines”. World”:
So #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania is going strong as the great epic Sci Fi movie. Mix of Star Wars, Fifth Element, Dune + Strange World. I don’t think it will work for everyone, but I really dug this tone. It’s a bit chaotic towards the end, but it wraps up nicely. Kang rules.February 7, 2023
Finally the podcast duo The Movie Daniel Baptista (opens in new tab) and Anthony Gagliardi were less impressed than other moviegoers. Baptista called it “solid but overly ambitious” and “lacked the comedic charm throughout”. Gagliardi went even further, suggesting that it’s “plagued with filler” and “misses the mark” completely (ouch). However, Gagliardi agreed with everyone about Majors’ “cunning and ruthless” performance as Kang:
#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania should have ushered in Phase 5 with a bang, but it misses the point. The story is plagued with filler material, though adequate, but lacks depth. However, Majors delivers an excellent performance as the cunning and ruthless #Kang. I wish it had left an impression. pic.twitter.com/2PFB2lMWOgFebruary 7, 2023
Before you get overly excited by the comments above (most of them, anyway), remember: critics and influencers who liked it Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are now more likely to express their opinion than those who did not enjoy it. So while it seems that the Ant man threequel is another home run for Marvel, best to wait for those major spoiler-free reviews to come out ahead of its February 17 launch.
While you wait Ant Man 3 reviews to go live, there’s plenty of Marvel content for you to read. Check out our first Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania official trailer breakdown. When you’re done with that, read our roundup of the best reactions to MODOK’s MCU iteration, one of Ant Man 3secondary villains.
Read more? See where Ant-Man’s first two solo films feature in our ranked piece on Marvel movies. Or find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order, or which MCU movies made it to our list of the best Disney Plus movies.