First Ant-Man and the Wasp reviews tease a welcome Avengers Infinity War palate cleanser

Marvel has lifted the embargo on Ant-Man and the Wasp reviews more than a week before its US release, and as anticipated from the early social media reactions, the film continues Marvel’s critical dominance.

The film currently has a 90% score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, just ahead of Doctor Strange’s 89% rating and just behind Captain America: Civil War’s 91% score. As always, expect the numbers to go down as more reviews come in. Currently the site has 60 reviews listed for the film.

The critical consensus reads, “A lighter, brighter superhero movie powered by the effortless charisma of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, Ant-Man and The Wasp offers a much-needed MCU palate cleanser.”

Marvel’s previous film, the record-breaking Avengers: Infinity War, debuted to an 86% rating and settled on 83%. You can compare Ant-Man and the Wasp to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe here. The first Ant-Man movie, released in 2015, scored 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Several critics noted that Ant-Man and the Wasp has refreshingly lower stakes as compared to the universe-destroying plot of Infinity War. The film is set before the events of the third Avengers film and will answer fans’ long-held questions about Ant-Man’s whereabouts during the Avengers’ battle with Thanos.

Ant-Man continues Marvel’s critical dominance.

The film is also expected to introduce fans to the Quantum Realm, a limbo zone which could come into play when the surviving members of the team attempt to rescue their fallen friends in Avengers 4, as has been rumoured.

While the reviews haven’t been glowing, they’ve been mostly satisfied with returning director Peyton Reed’s command on action and humour.

“Rudd is such a friendly, likable presence; he sets this movie’s pace, while Lilly’s fiercely committed Hope/Wasp acts as the perfect counterweight. Rudd’s scenes with Lilly and with Fortson make the movie matter in human terms,” the Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips wrote in his positive review. Although the Village Voice’s Bilge Ebiri wondered, “It’s disjointed, and cluttered, but it’s also entertaining in spurts. Is that enough? Just about, and not quite.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp is scheduled for a July 13 release in India.

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