After ending Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a bang in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel is back with their next big movie. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania signals a turning point for the enormous superhero franchise: it serves as both the start of Phase 5, and the first real introduction to the MCU’s next big bad guy, Kang the Conqueror (played by Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors).
Needless to say, expectations are pretty high for this one. Will it be another smash hit like Wakanda Forever, which has quickly become the most streamed Marvel movie on Disney+, or a dud like Thor: Love and Thunder?
Quantumania isn’t out for another couple of weeks so the jury will remain out for a while, but the first impressions from critics have started rolling in after the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night. And the word seems to be pretty good for Ant-Man 3! Here’s a quick round-up:
PHASE 5 HAS BEGUN! The new #AntMan movie is like a psychedelic rollercoaster full of frightening & hilarious oddities, plus one VERY menacing Kang. Big STAR WARS vibes meet the MCU at its freakiest & most inventive. MODOK is a riot, but Jonathan Majors conquers. Loved the ride! pic.twitter.com/gdJqHld3rT
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) February 7, 2023
I was fortunate to see Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania tonight! Jonathan Majors’ performance as Kang has me stoked for what’s coming next in Marvel Phase 5, and for anything Majors chooses to do. His acting choices are terrifyingly precise. Marvel is lucky to work with him.
— Erik Voss (@eavoss) February 7, 2023
#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania is the best of the trilogy. Higher stakes, dangers & repercussions. Its also got one the best MCU villains in #Kang. As soon as #JonathanMayors comes in, its his show. Kang is a scary lean-mean multiverse big baddie. Also, 2 cool post credits scenes. pic.twitter.com/t1V8HP2dsO
— Fico Cangiano (@FicoCangiano) February 7, 2023
#Quantumania is definitely Marvel’s weirdest movie yet…but that’s a good thing! It leans hard into the sci-fi side of the MCU, taking lots of wild swings.
— Daniel Howat (@howatdk) February 7, 2023
Not everything lands, but it’s funny, inventive, and a good time. An enjoyable, bizarro ride into the quantum realm. pic.twitter.com/OvRotfAEQR
Had a blast with #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania Paul Rudd has never been better & Jonathan Majors effortlessly conquers every second of screen-time he gets, BUT the real star of the film is Jeff Loveness’ script: a reminder of how beautifully strange & mysterious the MCU still is. pic.twitter.com/MYoL6WPlmU
— Dempsey Pillot (@DempseyPillot) February 7, 2023
I saw #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania last night. It was like Star Wars meets the MCU. It's very different than the first 2 Ant-Man films but Paul Rudd as Scott Lang always shines through. However it was Jonathan Majors who absolutely stole the show. We're in Kang's world now
— Tia Fabi #AmericanGods (@TC_Stark) February 7, 2023
#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania is basically Peyton Reed’s unproduced Star Wars film, but you know, with Ant-Man.
— Adam Lance Garcia (@AdamLanceGarcia) February 7, 2023
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is “like Star Wars meets the MCU”
As you can see, most of these initial impressions are all pretty positive. That’s somewhat par for the course with this type of premiere — people rarely walk out and rag on a movie they were invited to see at a special event — but there are still insights to be gleaned from these first review snippets. In particular, Jonathan Majors is getting a lot of praise for his portrayal of Kang. This was a really important introduction for Marvel, since Kang will feature as basically the next Thanos-level threat for the MCU. From the sounds of things, Majors and Marvel nailed it.
Another interesting bit I’m hearing about Ant-Man 3 is that it’s a lot lighter on the jokes than its predecessors. The Ant-Man movies have always leaned heavily on humor as Scott Lang and his misfit band of allies go on heists and stuff. But from the sound of things, Quantumania will be much weirder, darker, and more epic than any adventure Ant-Man has yet to take on the big screen.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/the Wasp, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, Kathryn Newton as Scott’s daughter Cassie, and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. The movie hits theaters on February 17.
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