5 Reasons Why Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever Reviews Are So Mixed

First reactions to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever have been mixed, and here are some of the reasons critics liked and disliked it.

The first reactions to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever have arrived, and here are some reasons why the reviews have been so mixed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now expanding with its Multiverse Saga, with the launch of Phase 5 featuring Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) in Peyton Reed's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Returns in Quantum Mania. Ant-Man's third "single-player" adventure will take him back to the Quantum Realm, where he'll face off against Kang (Jonathan Majors), the legendary main villain of the multiverse, in what may be the MCU's most difficult encounter thus far. the most powerful enemy ever.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever will see Scott, Hope, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Scott's daughter Cassie (Katherine Newton) Accidentally traveling to the Quantum Realm and being trapped in it will reveal some secrets and dark truths, not only from this realm, but also from Janet's past. There, they'll meet Kang, a time-traveling multiverse antagonist who must never be freed from the Quantum Realm. As of this writing, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever has received mixed reviews, and here are some reasons why.

1 Jonathan Majors’ Kang Is A Great MCU Villain

Most Rated An element in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever is Jonathan Majors' Kang. While Majors had already debuted in the TV series Loki as a variant of Kang known as "The Remaining Ones" (last seen with a statue of Kang), Quantumania is the official introduction to Kang the Conqueror and it's an exciting first an adventure. The rest are a bit more interesting, Kang the Conqueror is the opposite, and Majors made sure to make those differences very clear, bringing in a charismatic, calculating, and ultimately terrifying villain who managed to steal Ant-Man's spotlight , as good or bad.

While some critics felt that Majors' stellar performance as Kang the Conqueror was a positive not only for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever but also for future multiverse sagas, others felt that Kang Kurt was overshadowed, especially by Quantumania finally capturing Ant-Man's potential, while others felt that Kang was underutilized and not given enough time to show what he was really capable of. However, Kang still has the rest of the Multiverse Saga to show off his powers, so as a character introduction, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania succeeds.

Collider

“For what it's worth, as the set-up for where this universe is going, Quantumania is largely a success, as it's hard to walk away from this and not focus primarily on what Majors is doing. But it's easy to forget that this wasn't his story, that this was supposed to be about Scott, his family, and his loved ones. 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.”

2 Quantumania Succeeds In Setting Up The MCU’s Future

The MCU has expanded into a connected universe, and now every movie should link to past movies and help build the MCU's future, even slightly. Since Quantumania finally explored the Quantum Realm and introduced Kang, Ant-Man's new movie was teased as the key to establishing the rest of the multiverse saga...and it is. Whether or not he's underused, if Quantum Mania doesn't show his full power, the fact is that Ant-Man 3 successfully sets up Kang and his future adventures. After watching Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever, viewers will learn about Kang, the villain to be defeated in Phases 5 and 6, and where the film's heroes stand in their quest to save the world. Kang's universe in Avengers: Dynasty Kang and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Screen Rant

As such, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a must-see for Marvel fans, not only because it's a genuinely entertaining addition to the MCU, but because it's important to the overarching story of Phase 5 and the Multiverse Saga. That said, though there are aspects of Quantumania that are best enjoyed by those who have seen the previous Ant-Man movies, they aren't necessarily required viewing to understand this film. As with many MCU movies, Quantumania is most rewarding to those who have invested in the franchise, but is enjoyable enough even for casual viewers.

3 Quantumania Lacks The Fun & Humor Of Past Ant-Man Movies

Due to its background and villains, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever inevitably undergoes a shift in tone. The first two Ant-Man movies were overly comedic, and while they started off alright, the Ant-Man and The Wasp jokes and humor was not popular with audiences and was some of the most criticized elements of the film. While Quantum Fever did have moments of comedy (it's an Ant-Man movie, after all), critics pointed out that it lacked the fun and humor of its predecessor, which ultimately hurt Lang, who is known for his comedies.

How you view the comedy of the Ant-Man films is up to each viewer, while many enjoyed the light-hearted tone of the first two films, others got bored of it (similar to Thor) and wanted Quantum Mania to be darker and more serious, due to It's fitting for themes and characters it deals with. Quantumania's sense of humor can make or break depending on each viewer's personal experience, but the movie seems to fail in its transition from comedy to drama.

Time Out

“Rudd’s charm is dimmed by largely stripping him of comedy bits and there’s no fun to be had with Ant-Man’s changes in size. There’s too much man, not enough ant.”

Slant Magazine

“The goofy little adventures that Ant-Man gets himself into in those films aren’t dependent on intertextuality with a dozen other films, allowing their visual playfulness—namely in regard to the shrinking and blowing up of objects—to be enjoyable for its own sake. But with Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it’s as if the suits at Marvel wondered what would happen if they not only made the film the flagship entry of yet another “phase” in the MCU, but ditched nearly everything that was remotely unique about the first two Ant-Man films.”

4 Quantumania’s Script Lacks Emotional Arc

It has been pointed out that another weakness of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever is the story's lack of an emotional arc, which wouldn't have been a huge problem if the movie hadn't set some emotional elements along with Scott A profound moment with Cassie. Ant-Man trailer and Wasp: Quantumania focuses on the relationship between Scott and Cassie, with the former apparently making a deal with Kang for his daughter's safety, so it's disappointing that the final product doesn't pay off and doesn't have a strong emotional arc of power.

Viewers last saw Scott and Cassie five years after Scott's escape from the Quantum Realm, reunited after Thanos snap and the Mad Titan's defeat and Iron Man's funeral, so they have a lot to catch up on. Add to that the fact that Scott had already lost valuable time with Cassie when he went to prison, and Cassie is now a teenager, and Scott and Cassie's relationship has a lot of potential emotionally— —Unfortunately, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania doesn't seem to capture all of these settings. ^CBR

Most of the negative reviews for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever pointed to the script as what hurt the final product, one of the main reasons being that there was too much going on, there wasn't enough time to process everything, and the characters didn't Well developed, the end of the story feels rushed. Quantumania sets up a lot of things (such as Scott and Cassie making up for lost time) are resolved and developed within the time frame of the film, but time constraints do not allow these to pay off, there is not enough time to enjoy and process the most important moments of the story, while other minutes later, the characters Important details in personal stories are simply forgotten. Quantumania's script seems to be as saturated as Quantum Realm itself, leaving the rest of the Multiverse Saga at some point with more questions to answer and loose threads to untangle.

“What's ultimately the most frustrating element of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the script. The movie fails to present a strong emotional arc. There's plenty of promising setup in the film's first act, with Scott and Cassie's relationship troubles quietly mirroring the lingering drama between the Pyms. There's potential for Scott to seek out the years he'd lost without his daughter, a bittersweet desire he shares with Jan. But none of that is paid anything beyond minor lip service as the film progresses and leans heavily into the sci-fi-tinted adventures within the Quantum Realm.”

5 Quantumania’s Story Is Saturated & Feels Rushed

Murphy's Multiverse

/Film

“Unfortunately, regardless of the many promisingly poignant seeds planted as potential talking points early in the movie, much of what could have become a weighted payoff seems to dissipate by the time of the film’s conclusion. This can probably be attributed to Quantumania‘s high-speed script, which barely gives even its most tragic moments room to breathe. Cassie is a character who cares deeply about humanity, and many of her concerns are raised briefly and then never subsequently addressed. Michelle Pfieffer‘s Janet van Dyne is finally given something tangible to do but is vastly overshadowed by the rise of Kang and pacing that feels eager for the plot to end.”

Like most MCU films since Phase 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever struggles to keep up with the expansive MCU as it has to connect to previous films and set up the Multiverse Saga future, but at least, it seems to be succeeding in the latter. Quantumania is dealing with similar criticism to previous Ant-Man films, and even though its tone and focus have changed, ultimately, general audience reactions will be key in determining whether Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania becomes a hit. MCU or whether it will join the lackluster release list.

“Still, most characters are underutilized, underdeveloped, or set into contrived circumstances. Major plot moments and character developments feel undercooked, and there are relevant moments where the story logic is lacking.”

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