Antz (1998)
Director: Eric Darnell, Lawrence Guterman, Tim Johnson Cast: Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Jennifer Lopez, John Mahoney, Paul Mazursky, Grant Shaud, Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken Screenplay: Todd Alcott, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz Producers: Brad Lewis, Aron Warner, Patty Wooton Runtime: 77 min. US Distribution: DreamWorks Rated G
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
I've never been big on animation, and I'm not sure why. I've seen some good animated films (many of which are Japanese, and have interesting stories in addition to great animation), but I find that my response to most animated films is the same -- it's interesting at first, and then my attention begins to dwindle. I figured that this would not be the case with Antz, because it has super-ultra-high-tech computer animation, and also because it has a great assortment of celebrity voices and a witty script. In addition, the film clocks in under 90 minutes, and so it hardly has time to get boring.
But, for all of its wit and skill, Antz really just reminds me of how self-centered the human race is: this is not a story about ants, but a story about a bunch of miniature humans reacting to an ant-like existence. I have an entomologist friend who said the film's science is well in-place, but that doesn't make me feel better about the fact that we're not watching ants. I know, I know, I could go on and on about the fact that ants don't speak English (puhleez), and that they don't walk upright on four of their six legs, and so forth. I'm not so interested in these little details as I am in the big picture -- I think the film is a clever cop-out. It would have been really interesting if the ants had been more realistically expressed.
Well, I realize I'm subjecting myself to the possibility of getting labeled as a "lame" critic, because I doubt that anyone out there will have a similar opinion of Antz. Don't get me wrong -- it's an enjoyable film, and often very funny. Woody Allen voices the main character, a worker ant named Z. Z is Woody Allen -- he looks and acts the same way Allen acts in all of his films. Z is upset that he's insignificant in the scheme of his colony, but one day meaning is injected into his life when he meets Princess Bala (Sharon Stone). She's engaged to General Mandible (Gene Hackman), and this greatly upsets Z.
However, his friend Weaver (Sylvester Stallone) tells him that he can meet her if he pretends to be in the army. So, Z takes Weaver's place, and accidentally ends up in a war with a bunch of termites. By a stroke of luck, he's the only survivor, and returns to the colony a hero. Soon, however, Mandible realizes that Z is a fake, and Z impulsively kidnaps the Princess and they head outside, in search of Insectopia, where ants can live without the constraints of colony life always keeping them oppressed. Soon, Z becomes a symbol for liberation in the ant colony.
If that sounds like a lot of plot for an 80-minute film, you're not mistaken. That's one of the nice things about Antz, though -- it never dwells on anything long enough to deteriorate into mindless boredom or kiddy-pleasing madness. In fact, the film is aimed equally at kids and adults, so parents taking their children to this film won't be left in the dust (actually, there are a few jokes that will whiz right past the kids' ears). On this level, however, there are issues that bother me about Antz. First of all, the language is not G-material (several of the "lesser" expletives, including "bitch" and "crap," pop up frequently). In addition, the violence is rather extreme: the battle with the termites is disturbingly similar to scenes in Starship Troopers.
But I can't deny the film's wry charm, thanks to the array of familiar voices and a clever script by Todd Alcott and Chris & Paul Weitz. There are some terrific cameos, such as a wonderful scene with a couple of European wasps (voiced by Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin). The film gets off to a slow start, but everything that happens outside the colony is very well-done, both in script and in animation. In the main roles, Allen is likable as Z, while Stone has fun giving her Princess a little bit of sass. Hackman is perfect for the domineering and evil general, while Christopher Walken is on-hand as the General's right-hand man.
I'm quite aware that most readers are likely to dub me as a very silly guy after reading this review, perhaps as the "impossible" critic who wouldn't have liked the film regardless of the circumstances. After all, I liked the film pretty well, and I'm not denying that it's well-made and overall a worthwhile investment for pocket change. But it left me feeling dissatisfied. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was hoping for something that kind of broke away from the expected little-humans-pretending-to-be-animals cliche. If this concept doesn't bother you the way it bothers me, add a full star to my rating and kindly resist the urge to send me flaming hate mail.
**1/2 out of **** (6/10, C+)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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