Review Roundup For Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania

Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going big with its tiniest heroes, as Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania opens in theaters on February 17. The stakes are higher than ever for Scott Lang, and with Kang the Conqueror making his triumphant debut in the MCU, the third Ant-Man film has loads of narrative weight to bear on its shoulders as it paves the way for the future of Marvel movies.

Directed once again by Peyton Reed and reuniting Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas, and Michele Pfeiffer, early reviews for Quantumania paint the film as being typical of the Marvel formula: big special effects scenes, a charismatic villain in the form of Jonathan Majors' Kang, and lots of foreshadowing in the background that help create a safe but generic MCU movie.

"In our reality, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania is the most generic Marvel movie imaginable, smoothing over every edge that might alienate viewers until anything of substance has been expunged," Phil Owen wrote in GameSpot's Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania review. "That's not to say it's an unpleasant experience. It's not. Rather, it's the kind of movie you'll completely forget within a couple of days because there's nothing really worth remembering."

You can see more of what critics had to say below, or alternatively, you can head to GameSpot's sister site Metacritic for a quick breakdown on the critical reception for Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania.

GameSpot - 5/10

Quantumania is no gem. It's not really funny, the action is generic, the storytelling is subpar, the visuals are standard CGI stuff, and the performances are just fine aside from Majors. It's not a bad movie, per se, which is on some level probably a credit to the Marvel machine. But it definitely isn't a good one, and certainly not what Marvel needed to jumpstart a new phase in the MCU and give it a North Star to move towards. -- Phil Owen [Full review]

IGN - 7/10

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has just enough entertaining moments and a heartfelt family story, plus knockout performances in Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne and Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, to make up for its more underdeveloped aspects. The exploration of its central themes, new characters, and the Quantum Realm itself only goes skin deep, leaving it feeling high on spectacle but low on substance. Even so, Quantumania works as a culmination of the Ant-Man series, a way to start things in motion for Phase 5, and a promising roadmap of where the Multiverse Saga is going. -- Joshua Yehl [Full review]

Collider - 67/100

There's a fascinating world to explore here, and Ant-Man finally gets close to the full realization of the potential of his character and this concept, but it all, unfortunately, gets overtaken by the Conquerer. Quantumania is a promising, but shaky start for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's just a shame it comes at the sake of the little guy. -- Ross Bonaime [Full review]

Variety - 60/100

The script, by former “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Rick and Morty” writer Jeff Loveness, is making up the rules as it goes along, which is why “Quantumania” whisks you through its visually zapping action without generating any real investment in it. In a way, the ultimate investment is offscreen: Will the film successfully launch Phase 5? To even wonder about the answer is to miss that the only real conqueror in “Quantumania” is the MCU. -- Owen Gleiberman [Full review]

Empire - 60/100

If it’s a shame the rest of the film is lacking that, there is at least enough of it to hang on to, and enough goofiness to have a laugh with, including some pretty cool ant shenanigans. Quantumania might be more lightweight than it thinks it is, but it’s got a few surprises up its sleeve, drawing on decades of the comic’s nuttier ideas. The MODOK merch is coming. -- Alex Godfrey [Full review]

Polygon - 42/100

Quantumania ultimately serves neither Ant-Man nor Kang by pitting them against each other, going for big and small at the same time. The thing is, if you’re big from one perspective and small from another, you’re just normal-sized. And that’s the last thing an Ant-Man should be. -- Susana Polo [Full review]