Marvel's Ant-Man And The Wasp: Review Roundup

The first reviews are rolling in for Marvel's newest film as the general release of Ant-Man and the Wasp is fast approaching. The film stars Paul Rudd as Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp, and it follows the physics-defying duo as they embark on a mission to find Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and subvert an intriguing new villain.

The film includes all kinds of other characters besides the two that are named in the title and has been pretty highly anticipated after the success of the first Ant-Man and the questions regarding his absence from Infinity War. So far, the film has a score of 70 on Metacritic which is a solid endorsement, but if you want a better look into the good and the bad from Ant-Man and the Wasp, check out the snipits from the reviews below. Ant-Man and the Wasp is now in theaters, and yes, it does have after-credits scenes.

GameSpot -- No Score

"Like the original Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp is primarily a palette cleanser in the MCU as a whole (the first movie was sandwiched in between the dense Age of Ultron and the dour Civil War). Ant-Man and the Wasp is hilarious, fun, silly, self aware, and creative. Filled with pseudo-science gobbledigook, crazy action, and multiple villains all vying for screen time, it's one of the most comic-booky MCU movies yet. The fates of all our favorite heroes after Avengers: Infinity War may still be up in the air, but in the meantime, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a welcome distraction." -- Michael Rougeau [Full Review]

Den of Geek -- 2.5/5

"Lacking any chance of displaying cinematic flourish or a point-of-view, Peyton Reed’s straightforward effort misses the righteous zeal of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther or the playful cheekiness of James Gunn and Taika Waititi’s Marvel entries. Ant-Man and the Wasp, by comparison, is just there, a flat-looking comedy that’s bereft of too few laughs when juxtaposed with Thor: Ragnarok, even though that film was ostensibly about the apocalypse and this one is supposedly a laugher." -- David Crow [Full Review]

CNET -- No Score

"Ant-Man and The Wasp takes the stakes and scale of a typically colossal Marvel film and brings them down to the most intimate level, focusing on families in this love letter to father-daughter relationships.The 20th Marvel Cinematic Universe film is a light, welcome break from the mess that is reality -- more specifically from thinking about the epic scale of destruction in Avengers: Infinity War. It's a silly, fun comedy, well-timed after the superhero smashes of the last few months, with an easy-to-follow plot (even with multiple foes) and a whole lot of love, making it one of the best MCU sequels." -- Caitlin Petrakovitz and Eric Franklin [Full Review]

ComicBook.com -- No Score

"Most of Marvel's stars and directors recently attended the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp and, unsurprisingly, many of their reactions are incredibly positive.The same goes for James Gunn, writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. After seeing the film at the premiere on Monday night, Gunn took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the work done by his Marvel cohorts. 'Ant-Man and the Wasp is everything you want it to be,' Gunn wrote. 'Hilarious, sweet, moving, & wall-to-wall fun. Killer work @MrPeytonReed! And great performances by @EvangelineLilly, @hannahjk1 & of course @Dastmalchian. I loved it! (Pro tip: see it before Avengers 4!)'" -- Charlie Ridgely [Full Review]

ScreenRant -- 3.5/5

"All in all, Ant-Man and the Wasp represents Marvel Studios at its best. The movie balances exciting action, well-timed humor, and a heartfelt emotional storyline to great effect, letting the heroes shine in their own unique way while also tying the movie into the larger MCU. After the weighty and stuffed team-up that was Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp provides a return to form for Marvel. It operates as a reminder of how well the studio works on a smaller scale, even as fans may be more interested in Marvel's loftier goals of tying together a decade's worth of movies for a grand event." --Molly Freeman [Full Review]

Variety -- No Score

"The director, Peyton Reed, also made the first Ant-Man (2015), but at the time he’d never helmed a special-effects blockbuster before, and his inexperience showed. He jammed comedy, action, and origin-story mythology into a film that had more amiable spirit than craft. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Reed keeps the entire movie — one-liners, Macy’s Parade effects, hand-to-insect-wing combat — spinningly aloft. Always an inspired director of comedy (Down with Love, Bring It On), Reed has learned how to operate the heavy machinery of a Marvel superhero movie yet keep it all light and fast and dizzying." --Owen Gleiberman [Full Review]

IndieWire -- B-

"No matter its uneven variables, Ant-Man and the Wasp remains satisfying in that slick, crowdpleasing sort of way that became Marvel’s hallmark, at least until the shocking finale of Infinity War. That movie upended years of formula with a grim cliffhanger that left audiences reeling. Released just a few weeks later, Ant-Man and the Wasp practically feels like a mea culpa, or at least the opportunity to take a breath. At this point, no studio does a better job of giving the people what they want." --Eric Kohn [Full Review]

Entertainment Tonight -- No Score

"The sequel to 2015's Ant-Man, whether by nature or by design, is as close to the polar opposite of Infinity War as can be: Like something of a palate cleanser, light and a whole lot of fun and on a significantly smaller scale. (As small as one of these massive Marvel movies can get, anyway.) Our eponymous duo is not trying to save the galaxy, or the planet, or even their neighborhood. A simple rescue mission drives this story: Save Janet van Dyne." -- John Boone [Full Review]

Vox -- 3/5

"Ant-Man and the Wasp is an airy, nimble piece of filmmaking: Reed’s confidence to unapologetically embrace weirdness — like imagery of ants playing drums or responding to telepathic commands — gives the franchise its distinctly playful spirit. His stars, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, reprise their roles and further energize Marvel’s most lovable romance. And the action sequences, with their constant, dynamic manipulation of size and scope, are as creative as they are thrilling. The film is bundles of fun, so much so that I found myself wishing it had a bit more to offer than just a good time at the movies."-- Alex Abad-Santos [Full Review]