Review: Antz (1998)

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Antz

Rating

Director

Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson

Screenplay

Todd Alcott, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

Length

1h 23m

Starring

Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Jennifer Lopez, John Mahoney, Paul Mazursky, Grant Shaud, Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Christopher Walken

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

An ant tries to make a difference in a colony of tradition.

Review

Can one person make a difference?

“Antz” is the first computer animated motion picture from upstart Dreamworks. The animation while very accurate in an Antzian kind of way doesn’t hold muster when it gets to the real world where pools of water seem more buoyant than they should be.

Z-4195 (Voiced by Woody Allen) is one insignificant ant in a larger society. He so wants to be his own person, but always seems to be put upon and put down by everyone else for thinking he can be an individual.

One evening at a bar, the queen’s (Anne Bancroft) daughter, Bala (Sharon Stone), decides to mix among the people as an escape from her boring life. She decides she wants to dance and chooses the only ant not dancing: Z.

They get into the dancing lines where Z entices her into getting out of the routine and not dancing like everyone else is. She leaves during a bar brawl and Z, who seems to have fallen in love, is greatly saddened and tries to figure out what he can do to get back with her.

He concocts a plan to trade places with his friend, Weaver (Sylvester Stallone), and march in the parade in front of the princess. In the sea of soldier’s, she cannot possibly identify one small ant, but he thinks she’s waving at him and becomes over confident.

While in formation, he meets another warrior, Barbados (Danny Glover), who treats him as an equal despite him being much scrawnier. After the royalty have left the room, the head of the military, General Mandible (Gene Hackman) announces that they are going to go out and fight the dreaded termites.

His trusted advisor, Colonel Cutter (Christopher Walken) stands by his side approvingly while he knows for certain that the mission is one of suicide and that there are much greater plans in the works.

On the battlefield, Z runs around terrified while the other brave soldier’s fight ferociously. There may be hundreds of soldiers to the very few termites, but the termites are much larger and spit acid. He is lucky enough to fall through a hole in the ground and have a dead termite land on him for after the battle is over, he emerges and after bidding farewell to his fallen brethren he returns to the colony and is proclaimed a hero.

Princess Bala who, after a struggle with her memory, recognizes him as the kid from the bar…a worker, not a soldier, foils his plan. Z wants to talk to Bala so badly that he tries to take her away, but cannot because of the military brass present, so he uses her as a shield to get away. When they tumble through a garbage shoot, they are thrust into the wild unknown where their true trek begins.

Allen plays his usual neurotic self and Stallone plays his usual, all brawn and no brains self. All in all, none of the players play against type, which is rather disconcerting considering animation is the best vehicle to go against type.

The plot is rather pedestrian, but is still quite enjoyable. The film is geared more toward adults than it is to children, but kids will find plenty to enjoy in this tiny fable.

“Antz” is a fun movie for adults and for children, but occasionally lacks originality. The animation is definitely fine, but still nothing compared to what Disney can and has done.