In 2018, Avengers: Infinity War took the Marvel Cinematic Universe to one of its most memorable and darkest alleys. The film was the beginning of the end of the ‘Infinity Saga’, finally bringing Thanos to the forefront as the Avengers’ formidable antagonist. Infinity War was epic, funny, emotional, and haunting all at the same time.
The ultimate team-up film brought Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers teaming up with other classic Marvel characters such as the Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther to defeat Thanos. However, despite all the star power, wonderful writing, and performances, the film seems to have ranked below another MCU film that was released in the same year.
Is Ant-Man and the Wasp Better Than Avengers: Infinity War?
If one sees the ranks of all the films produced under the MCU on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, they would find Avengers: Infinity War at number 15. The Robert Downey Jr., starrer comes up behind some of the MCU’s best such as Black Panther, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. There are also some questionable choices among the films that have been ranked above, such as Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.
However, just one spot above Avengers: Infinity War is the Paul Rudd starrer Ant-Man and the Wasp, the second installment of the Ant-Man series. It has a score of 87% while Infinity War scores just below with a 85%. Both Ant-Man and the Wasp and Infinity War were released in the same year, the former coming out just three months after the latter.
Infinity War was the ultimate team-up film starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chadwick Boseman, and Josh Brolin as Thanos. Ant-Man and the Wasp was more of a solo film, centered only around Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and his group of characters. It ties up to the ending of Infinity War in a post-credit scene that sets in motion the events of Avengers: Endgame.
While the presence of star power and audience interest does not make one film objectively better than the other, the implications of Infinity War on the MCU as a whole are a lot more than the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp. This positioning can only be chalked up to the unique system of rating Rotten Tomatoes uses in their rankings.
How Does The Rotten Tomatoes Score Work?
The two percent difference between Robert Downey Jr.’s Avengers: Infinity War and Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and the Wasp seems to have sealed the fate of the former’s position in the MCU. This is mostly due to the rating system of Rotten Tomatoes, which is calculated by a scale called the Tomatometer.
The Tomatometer aggregates positive reviews against negative reviews and gives an average score. If the score is more than 60%, then the film is certified to be ‘fresh’, and if it’s less than 60%, then it is deemed to be ‘rotten’. The scale starts taking an average once five reviews are made on a film.
However, it is not just the number of positive reviews that increases the score but also the quality of the reviewer. The aggregator website has an approved list of verified reviewers and their reviews weigh in on the total score in a film. These ‘Top Critics’ as they are called, have the power to determine whether a film is ‘rotten’ or ‘fresh’, regardless of the general consensus.
It is obvious that something like this is the reason why Paul Rudd’s film is rated above one of the MCU’s biggest films. Of course, as a casual viewer, any of the two films can be better than the other, or in fact, both can be brushed away as inconsequential films. However, for the true-blue MCU fans, the film marked the beginning of the end for Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and does hold a special place.
Source: The Digital Fix
