Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is second lowest-rated MCU film ever, first reviews call it 'unfunny', 'flat'

The first reviews of Marvel’s upcoming film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are in, and they are not too kind to the superhero extravaganza. The film kicks off the Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and hence, a lot rests on its shoulders. But the first reviews indicate that the storytelling may be off the mark. Already, its score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes is one of the worst ever in the history of the franchise.

As of Wednesday evening, Ant-Man 3’s Rotten Tomatoes score is 52% based on 140 reviews. No MCU film has scored this low except 2021’s Eternals, which had a rotten score of 47%. A score lower than 60% on the site is considered ‘rotten’ and above it ‘fresh’. All MCU films except these two have been rated fresh with titles like Avengers: Endgame (94%), Black Panther (96%), Thor: Ragnarok (93%), and Iron Man (94%) rating exceptionally high.

The reviewers have criticised the film’s plot, flat jokes, and lack of any stakes but praised how it sets up the new villain – Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Writing for San Francisco Chronicle, Mick Laselle said, “Ant-Man isn’t an example of bad comedy. It’s bad drama, bad science fiction, and a waste of everyone in it.” Mashable’s Kristy Puchko wrote in their review: “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a chaotic, woefully unfunny mess that has forgotten why its hero was such fun.”

Many critics called it the worst Marvel film so far. “Quantumania is somehow heavy without feeling substantial, almost desperate in its dourness. Even scattered with occasional wisecracks, it makes Eternals feel positively breezy by comparison,” Rolling Stone’s David Fear wrote in their review. The CGI, which has been Marvel’s strength for years, has also come under the scanner here. Whynow’s Maria Lattila wrote, “Visually, the film is messy and flat; the CGI is shockingly poor and the action looks muddled.”

Some critics did review the film positively, praising the performances of the cast. Critic Jim Schembri called it “essentially an animated film where the cast performed most of their roles in front of green screens... a good film to chew gum to.”

Directed by Peyton Reed, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors,  Bill Murray,  Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas. The film will release in theatres on February 17.