Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness is taking on the movie’s mixed reviews with a grain of salt. The MCU threequel received a “B” audience score rating, tying it for the worst in Marvel Studios’ history.
Moreover, Ant-Man 3 also suffered the worst Rotten Tomatoes score in MCU history, gaining a 48% critic approval rating. Despite the negative reviews, Loveness remains proud of his work, especially the writing for Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet Van Dyne.
Defending the Marvel Flick
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Jeff Loveness explained that the criticisms “took me [him] by surprise.” The Marvel writer pointed out that he was “really proud” of his writing for the two characters and thought it was “good stuff.”
“I’m really proud of what I wrote for Jonathan [Majors, who plays the villain Kang the Conqueror] and Michelle Pfeiffer [scientist Janet Pym]. I thought that was good stuff, you know? And so I was just despondent, and I was really sad about it. I’m like, ‘Goddamn! No, [the reviews] are wrong! I’m right! MODOK is great!’”
Jeff Loveness also mentioned that the audience at the showing he went to was laughing during the movie, which made him believe that Ant-Man 3 was accomplishing exactly what he set out to do: be entertaining for the audience.
Loveness acknowledged the mixed criticisms but was still glad to hear that the audience he watched the movie with was enjoying it. He pointed out that we should all “take a step back from this collective fandom that we have and just try to enjoy stuff for ourselves.”
“I think we live in this era where we’re trying to label things so that we can all group ourselves into thoughts on Twitter together. I think we all need to kind of take a step back from this collective fandom that we have and just try to enjoy stuff for ourselves.”
Loveness is not alone in defending Ant-Man 3 from critics, as he previously explained that the movie’s ending is appropriate despite fan complaints. He loved the ending they landed on and felt that if they stranded Ant-Man in the Quantum Realm again, that would be the same thing that happened at the end of the second movie.
What’s Next for Jeff Loveness?
Although some fans may be hesitant to watch Avengers 5 due to Loveness’ involvement, these two movies don’t impact the MCU scribe’s gig entirely. The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes-led franchise is in a league of its own, with audiences still expected to flock to theaters to witness the crossover event.
Loveness’ latest comments have a point, considering that Jonathan Majors and Michelle Pfeiffer had incredible performances in Ant-Man 3. The threequel has a strong audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, currently at 83%, validating the writer’s remarks about his movie-going experience during its opening weekend.
Loveness is known for his comedic background, which, combined with his first taste of MCU action, could eventually redeem himself in Avengers 5. He can showcase his skills as the Avengers: The Kang Dynasty writer.
While it’s easy to assume that Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’s bad reviews may directly affect Loveness’ stint as Avengers 5‘s writer, these are two separate movies. Loveness stands by his work and the entertainment value that Ant-Man 3 provides for its audience.
Loveness has much to offer as a writer, and his comedic background could bring a fresh perspective to the MCU. It remains to be seen how he will fare in Avengers 5, but his work in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania shows that he has the potential to create something great.
Source: The Daily Beast
