Ant-Man and the Wasp

"Not only does Infinity War’s devastating cliffhanger deserve to linger for a while, but Marvel moviegoers are due a respite from cataclysm and tragedy for a minute. Enter director Peyton Reed and goofily heroic Paul Rudd for another Ant-Man, again coming at the exact perfect moment for a hugely entertaining, self-contained scientific scramble."

"When Marvel gets goofy, it usually gets fun. Twenty titles into the comic-book brand’s sprawling cinematic universe, many of its most memorable movies have abandoned superhero seriousness and intermittent sly wisecracks for more amusing and even silly fare. The fish-out-of-water, gods-versus-humans antics of the Thor films led to Thor: Ragnarok’s feast of irreverent wonders. The rag-tag space-opera of Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel offered a brighter, bouncier alternative to the increasingly bleak Avengers flicks. Rebooting the web-slinger for the third time in two decades, Spider-Man: Homecoming smartly displayed the exuberance and awkwardness you’d expect when a teenager gets bitten by a radioactive arachnid."

"The payoffs aren't plot points but the gags, which somehow defuse the tension without turning the picture into camp."

"Ant-Man and the Wasp has a pleasingly breakneck, now-you-see-it-now-you-don't surreal glee. It's a cunningly swift and delightful comedy of scale."

"It seems pretty nice. Would that we could wrestle the rest of the world down to that same agreeable scale."

"A blast of pure popcorn fun, and something of a palate cleanser after the weightier likes of Black Panther and Infinity War."

"A chilled glass of lemonade after the peaty top-shelf of Infinity War."

"The thrill of the film is watching Ant-Man and the Wasp team up and raise hell together."

"A welcome return to a more grounded superhero movie that positively overflows with charm and wit."

"You might wish the whole movie had found a way to go quantum; you'll certainly long for more Pfeiffer, who has too few scenes but invests each of them with her usual luminosity."

"This latest entry in the unstoppable Marvel Studios takeover of the world is probably the most amusing film the company has made since the Kevin Feige reign began a decade ago."

"There's no getting away from the fact that Ant-Man And The Wasp, as fun as it is, lacks the sheer, mind-blowing heft of Infinity War... In this new era of Marvel over-achievement, it really does feel like a lesser work."