Antz Review
by "David E. Smith" (dave AT bureau42 DOT ml DOT org)November 8th, 1998
Antz (1998) - voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken
"Antz" is the Secret roll-on of movies - strong enough for an adult, but pH balanced for kids. It's full of computer-generated eye candy, obviously targeted toward the "buy me a bunch of toys" set, but the humor (and occasional mild profanity) are meant for their parents.
Neurotic New Yorker Woody Allen provides the voice of Z, a neurotic worker ant. Unhappy with his lot in life, his world is shattered when the lovely Princess Bala (Sharon Stone) goes slumming in a bar where worker ants go after a hard day of digging. Predictably, Z falls madly in love, but the best scheme he can think of to see her again is to switch places with a soldier ant for a day.
Then General Mandible (Gene Hackman) declares war, in an elaborate plot to overthrow the caste system and assassinate the queen ant (Anne Bancroft). Thrown into the goriest massacre this side of "Saving Private Ryan," Z eventually sets on a quest for the mythical Insectopia, all to win Bala's heart.
"Antz" is just "your basic boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy changes underlying social structure" movie, according to Z. And that's just the kind of humor many children won't understand. Fortunately, screenwriters Todd Alcott, Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz realize who their audience is. Liberated from his body, Allen's one-of-a-kind anxiety seems fresher than ever.
Working within the limitations of computer-generated insects, the characters are wonderfully expressive. They all look pretty much the same, except the good-natured soldier ant voiced by Sylvester Stallone - for better or worse, he looks like Stallone. And the supporting cast is a veritable Hollywood "Who's Who" - Christopher Walken, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin and Jennifer Lopez all lend their voices to "Antz," with each lending his or her distinctive character to the characters.
The visual effects are little short of stunning. Imagine thousands of ants combining to form a giant wrecking ball, or storming across a field to combat the termite menace. The effects carry well for the big to the small - you can almost see the actor's facial expressions on the computer-generated bugs.
"Antz" might not be the most appropriate movie for the children that its ads are trying to suck in. But if you go with your family, you can have some interesting discussions on "Community vs. Individuality" and a lot of good laughs.
...dave
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