The most anticipated Marvel film of the year is “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which stars Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, the MCU’s next villain before the release of two “Avengers” films in 2025 and 2026. The third installment of the Ant-Man franchise may be a hit with audiences, but critics are on the other side of the argument and give bad reviews about it.
Box Office Success
The newest movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe opened last week in theatres all over the world and immediately became a box-office success. Audiences are eager to see the next installment in the saga given that Quantumania has already generated close to $360 million globally after only a few days. After more than 5,000 reviews from average people, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a respectable 84 percent. People hailed it as “very enjoyable,” “excellent visual effects,” and “a strong Marvel movie,” particularly to kick off Phase Five for the MCU.
Critics Bad Reviews
Nevertheless, if you glance at the critics’ rating, it is currently lying at a dismal 47% and gets very bad reviews. One should know that this is one case where there has been a significant divide between the critics and the audience. You could assume that this always happens with comic book movies, but at least for the MCU, the ratings are frequently closer than you might expect, and sometimes critics will even give Marvel movies a better rating than the general public.
In the film, Cassie Lang, played by Kathryn Newton, and her father, played by Paul Rudd, Scott Lang, enter the Quantum Realm to join a rebellion against Kang.
Film’s Description
The film is described as “fun, but clunky” in Insider’s review, which also notes that the writing “struggles to keep things moving in a way that doesn’t give the audience whiplash.” Majors, as Kang, was complimented by Insider for having an “intimidating presence” and lending the film a “real sense of gravitas.” The Washington Post claims that the third installment of the “Ant-Man” trilogy has lost its charm.
David Fear of Rolling Stone similarly criticized “Quantumania” for feeling too serious and claimed that “Eternals” was funny in contrast.
He stated: “Quantumania weights it that doesn’t feel substantial and is so gloomy it almost seems hopeless. Even when sprinkled with occasional wisecracks, it contrasts with Eternals and feels gloriously airy.”
The San Francisco Chronicle also gives bad reviews and claimed that the movie wastes its cast and isn’t particularly strong in any of the genres.
Mick LaSalle, a critic, stated: “‘Ant-Man’ is hardly an illustration of poor humor. Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily, and the rest of the cast which includes awful drama and bad science fiction were wasted.”
Bad Reviews of Experts
Most of the more than 300 experts who have provided their opinions on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania doesn’t find the film enjoyable. While some people praised the movie, others criticized it and give bad reviews for “lacking heart” and not having a compelling plot. The greatest strength of the movie, according to Wendy Ide of the Observer, is Jonathan Majors’ portrayal of Kang the Conqueror. His performance, with its velvet-soft line deliveries and unfathomable, endless wrath, serves as the movie’s magnetic center.
Adam Olinger, a YouTube critic, added: “In some alternate universes, the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is enjoyable. It is not the one.”
And for the Galveston Daily News’ Dustin Chase, he said: “Nothing more than a desperate money grab for Marvel, overplaying an already weak secondary character, to pass the time till the next phase.”
Final Thoughts
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently present with 2021’s Eternals with a critics score of 47%. Some commentators praised the Phase Four picture for departing from the typical Marvel formulaic structure. Less emphasis was on massive special effects in Eternals and more was placed on character exploration and growth. Similar to Ant-Man, critics attacked it and dubbed it bland, boring, and without the oomph to elicit applause from audiences. Given that Eternals is now out of theatres, the rating on Rotten Tomatoes is unlikely to improve much. But, Quantumania has only recently arrived in theatres, so the official score may either decline to become the MCU film with the worst and bad reviews in history or rebound. The following MCU movie is the slightly surreal Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by new DCU chief James Gunn. We’ll see if critics favor that one a little bit more than Quantumania here when it comes out on May 5.