The first major Marvel entry for 2023 is finally here, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s premiere concluding as critics give out the first reactions to the trilogy ending film.
Quantumania continues on from three major plot threads of previous phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the Loki season one’s cliffhanger, Avengers: Endgame’s time jump, and of course Scott Lang’s ongoing family issues. The dysfunctional super family are shot into the Quantum Realm, and early reviews are full of praise universally for Jonathan Majors’ Kang.
Rotten Tomatoes reviewer Erik Davis praise the film and its Star Wars vibes, with dubbing it a “psychedelic rollercoaster” as he shone a light on Majors performance. Several more in attendance likened it to Star Wars, as well as having some serious pulp Journey to the Center of the Earth vibes.
The praise for Majors as the villainous Kang feel hardly surprising after how much he was featured in marketing material, especially with his star only rising in all aspects. Majors looks to be making sure there’s no hangover from the excellence of Josh Brolin’s Thanos in the previous Infinity Saga.
No spoilers, but all mentions of its post-credits scene have involved the phrase “changes everything”, which should help really set the stakes for the Multiverse Saga we’ve only just become accustom to. In terms of kickstarting Phase Five, Quantumania’s first reactions paint is as an excellent starting off point.
Praise has also been directed around the MCU’s first superhero family, with the van Dyne/Pym and Lang households all working together. Scratches a very certain itch some will have with the void of news surrounding Fantastic Four.
As for the much-anticipated MODOK debut, opinions will vary quite a bit judging by the first responses to the film. Marvel diehards have won, but at what cost?
Worth noting with every premiere event is the first reactions tend to be positive straight away, even 2015’s Fantastic Four got decent first impressions from audiences. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will fully release in cinemas from Feb. 17.
