“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” first reactions set social media abuzz following its Los Angeles premiere, but Marvel’s first Phase 5 installment saw many critics underwhelmed by the story… and delighted to greet Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror.
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily return as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, and Hope van Dyne, aka the Wasp, with a new mission to further explore the Quantum Realm. Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer reprise their respective roles as the van Dyne scientists and original Ant-Man and the Wasp, while Kathryn Newton (“Freaky”) makes her Marvel debut as the older version of Scott’s daughter Cassie.
Yet it’s clear “Quantumania” belongs to ruler Kang, with Majors’ performance marked as a standout turn. Rounding out the cast are David Dastmalchian, William Jackson Harper, Katy O’Brian, and Bill Murray, with Peyton Reed returning to direct. “Ant-Man and the Wasp:
Quantumania hits theaters on his February 17th, but here are the early reactions from critics.
After a frustratingly rough Act 1, #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania finally begins, but it just ends where this story should begin,” critic Courtney Howard tweeted. “External cues are clear and heavy. But the emotional impulses felt lighter (and the gaiety even lighter), which means Jonathan Majors rules.”
Uproxx’s Mike Ryan wrote, “Ant-Man and the Wasp:
QUANTUMANIA… tries to introduce his Marvel newcomer. Jonathan Majors is great as Kang and Michelle Pfeiffer are the main characters for most of the film. They found the perfect major actor for Kang – and there’s going to be a lot of Kang showing up – but I’m not sure Thanos was bad? Meet Kang! “Operation. He’s fun here, but is he a big culprit on multiple projects?”
CNET reporter Sean Keane said, “There’s just too much going on in #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania. It’s hard to connect emotionally to any of them. Jonathan Majors’ Kang is charismatic and He’s a strong villain and visually appealing, but the threat he poses is too abstract.”
Scott Mendelsohn of The Wrap said, “My son changed his mind at the last minute and flew tonight’s Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania. Unfortunately, he had the right idea.”
BuzzFeed writer Nora Dominic wrote, “Jonathan Majors is the force of #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania. It’s mesmerizing, chilling, and already delivering a top-notch performance. I love the complexity he brings to Kang literally at first glance. The MCU really won with this casting.”
Collider’s Steven Weintraub praised Majors, saying “Marvel’s #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania is a strong start to Phase 5. Now I see why it’s called #Quantumania. Jonathan Majors is great as Kang and we’ll see how this all goes There are two post-credits scenes, both very good.”