Vizually Imprezzive "ANTZ" By Homer Yen © 1998
It's tough to be an ant. Laboring constantly can be a real drag, especially when you have to lift ten times your weight. Your career path ultimately leads you to that of a 'soil relocation engineer.' And it's really tough being the middle child of five million. "What about my individual needs," asks Z (voiced by Woody Allen). Sorry, but like all other ants, you're insignificant. Z is determined to find his true place. He knows that he's not destined to be a worker who lives his life moving the earth. But his quest will forever move the colony in whole new direction.
"ANTZ" is a cute and astonishing visual piece of work that shows how Z, with the help of some very unlikely allies, rises from a sea of anonymity and uses his fame to revolutionize the colony. In a chance meeting, he encounters Princess Bala (voiced by Sharon Stone) who inspires him to act freely and to buck the system. He relies on his long-time friend Weaver (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) to help him pursue his fantasy of uniting with the untouchable Princess. He is moved by a heroic warrior ant (voiced by Danny Glover) that encourages him to think for himself. And he is curious to know what lies outside the colony and is determined to find a fabled place called Insectopia where complete freedom awaits. However, his new-found desire for independence causes a stir within the colony and arouses the ire of General Mandible (voiced by Gene Hackman). Mandible is plotting something nefarious, but Z's influence and popularity threatens his success.
For the most part, I enjoyed this movie, but mostly because of the terrific animation. The creators waste no time trying to impress us with the visuals and show us a very modern and thriving metropolis-like colony bustling with activity. Other impressive sequences involve Z trying to hold on to dear life when he hitches a ride on the shoelaces of someone's sneaker. and an incredible epic battle pitting the ants versus enemy termites. The story surrounding megalomaniacal Mandible and his plan was more interesting, however, than Z's quest to find himself. Partially it was because I became increasingly annoyed with Z's Woody Allen-esque banter, which amounted to a lot of self-doubting and mumbling. But this is a story that is fun to watch and brimming with clever ideas about ants and what they can do. If you can spare an hour-and-a-half of your time, march on over and check out this picnic of a film.
Grade: B
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