---
title: "Ant-Man and the Wasp: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/ant-man-and-the-wasp/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/ant-man-and-the-wasp"
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 24
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): what the critics said

Critics' score 72 from 24 reviews: 20 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative.

Most critics like it, and like it for staying small. The praise clusters on the comedy: Paul Rudd’s low-key affability, Michael Peña’s supporting turn, and size-shifting gags and chases that make visual sense. Several reviews call it a palate cleanser after heavier Marvel entries, and Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp is repeatedly credited with carrying the action. A handful find it faster, funnier and more confident than the first film.

The reservations cluster on stakes and staying power. Even admirers concede the plot is a tangle of technobabble, the villain forgettable and the whole thing hard to recall a week later. The dissent is small but pointed: The New Yorker finds the plot dull and dutiful, too tethered to the wider series, while Time Out misses the first film’s irreverence and counts too many flat jokes. Den of Geek calls it competent assembly-line work without flair. Otherwise the spread is narrow; most land on good rather than better.

## Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

A cunningly swift and delightful comedy of scale that's faster, funnier, and more confident than the original. The director invests every moment with personality through one-liners, effects, and combat that make visual sense.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review-paul-rudd-evangeline-lilly-1202858263/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2018. 

The critic calls it a hilarious, delightful and lovable Marvel entertainment with strong comedy from Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the more combat-oriented Wasp.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/02/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review-buzzing-micro-caper-with-a-sting-in-its-tail)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating ★★★★. 19 July 2018. 

The film's self-deprecating tone and Paul Rudd's low-key humour give it a winning quirkiness and balance between silly and serious. Standout comic moments include the truth-serum monologue and mind-meld scenes in a bright, breezy and engaging spectacle.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/ant-man-and-the-wasp-a-refreshingly-different-and-delightful-spectacle/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

The critic calls it probably the most amusing Marvel film since Kevin Feige's reign began, an enjoyably goofy low-stakes respite. He singles out the size-changing gags and comic riffs for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ant-man-wasp-review-1123413/)

## The Telegraph

Rating 4/5. 

The critic finds it pleasingly small-scale and personal compared to other MCU films, with clean storytelling, fun chases, and Lilly earning equal billing through strong action sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ant-man-wasp-review-marvels-small-scale-superheroes-next-door/)

## The Times — Kevin Maher

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2018. 

The critic hails it as a frothy, self-lacerating screwball comedy that luxuriates in its preposterousness and serves as a welcome palate cleanser among Marvel blockbusters.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/film-review-ant-man-and-the-wasp-dn6899209)

## Film Comment — Michael Sragow

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2018. 

The critic praises Peyton Reed for keeping the size-shifting gags and family-oriented charm on a relatable human scale, with Paul Rudd's everyman energy and inventive comedy bits standing out.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/deep-focus-ant-man-wasp/)

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

The critic praises the sequel for staying true to its small-scale, character-driven roots and ebullient tone amid MCU crossovers. He highlights the dynamic fight scenes using size-shifting and the optimistic vision of heroism.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ant-man-and-the-wasp/)

## Empire — Dan Jolin

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

The film is a fun but comparatively minor and light-hitting MCU entry that lacks the scale and ambition of recent Marvel films like Infinity War. It delivers brisk family-focused caper entertainment with strong action sequences featuring the Wasp.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ant-man-wasp-review/)

## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2018. 

This is a charming, self-parodic high-summer romp that shrinks the MCU's scope to family matters and laughs rather than cosmic stakes. It succeeds as slick, diverting entertainment thanks to the leads' chemistry and inventive silliness.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review-marvels-smallest-superhero-gets-big-laughs-a3903116.html)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

A bright, cheery tonic from the Marvel superhero factory with deliberately low stakes and enormous charm. The zippy action scenes and trippy visual bursts are highlights, along with the complex Ghost character whose struggle stays with you.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-ant-man-and-the-wasp-review-20180627-story.html)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

The sequel is winningly modest and breezy with a refreshing lack of pretension, delivering heart and humour through its likeable cast rather than awe. It benefits from sharper rapport among the leads and strong supporting turns like Michael Peña's.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/5130411.article)

## Sight and Sound — Adam Nayman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 

The sequel keeps the story and spectacle small with jocular modesty, treating the convoluted plot as pro forma annoyance. Paul Rudd's sceptical, confused yet committed performance provides the purest movie-star charisma.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/ant-man-wasp-review-miniaturised-marvel-caper-wins-zing)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 July 2018. 

An engaging goof that resists bludgeoning with bigness and settles for good vibes and jokes. The director handles the material with a light touch, embracing the absurdity and making action sequences seamless with the playfulness.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/movies/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review-marvel-paul-rudd.html)

## Total Film

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

It delivers the kind of slick, entertaining MCU fare viewers have come to expect. The review highlights its reliable mix of action, humour and character moments in a lighter post-Infinity War palate cleanser.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/)

## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong

Rating 3/3/3. 29 July 2018. 

Peyton Reed excels at comedy thanks to the strong ensemble, especially Paul Rudd and Michael Peña, but the film is hardly gripping with low stakes and too much technobabble. It is fun in the moment but forgettable overall, feeling like filler.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/ant-man-and-the-wasp)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2018. 

The sequel stays closely tethered to the Marvel series with methodical plot steps that feel like mandatory routines rather than freestyle inventions. It draws its premise from other MCU entries and replaces the first film's loopiness with a dull and dutiful plot.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/ant-man-and-the-wasp-should-have-been-the-godfather-part-ii-of-superhero-movies)

## Time Out — Andrew Frisicano

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

The sequel strains to be fun but lacks the first film's helter-skelter irreverence, with too many flat jokes and low-stakes villains. It feels like all in pursuit of an MCU masterplan rather than a memorable standalone adventure.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ant-man-and-the-wasp)

## Polygon

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp is the funniest and slickest Marvel movie yet, excelling as a sci-fi action comedy with inventive shrinking gags and strong ensemble dynamics. It balances light emotional threads with absurd humor without the tonal issues of the first film.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/27/17508562/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review-paul-rudd-evangeline-lilly)

## The Playlist — Rodrigo Perez

Rating B+. 27 June 2018. 

The critic finds it a delightful, charming small-scale Marvel adventure that improves on the original, with strong emphasis on family themes and humor, though plotting can be disorderly.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ant-man-wasp-review-20180627/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2018. 

The critic views the film as the MCU at its zippiest and silliest, a breezy and fun sequel that serves as light relief after heavier entries. They single out the visually trippy sub-atomic sequences and the cast's game handling of the wacky antics and familial moments for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/ant-man-and-the-wasp-film-review-paul-rudd-michelle-pfeiffer-mcu/)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating B. 5 July 2018. 

The film is a lightweight, low-stakes caper that embraces its own goofiness without taking itself seriously. It succeeds as a fun, charming MCU entry focused on family bonds and inventive shrinking antics rather than world-ending threats.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/)

## /Film — Josh Spiegel

Rating 7.5/10. 27 June 2018. 

The critic praises it as a fun, funny, low-key palate cleanser with light tone and humor, better than the first, but notes lack of Michelle Pfeiffer and a forgettable antagonist.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/559219/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/)

## Den of Geek — David Crow

Rating 2.5/5. 5 July 2018. 

The critic views it as a blandly innocuous and generic sequel that follows Marvel's assembly-line formula competently but lacks flair or strong laughs. Paul Rudd's affability and Michael Peña's comic relief provide the main highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ant-man-and-the-wasp.md