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270 reviews in total

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29 out of 34 people found the following review useful:
Watch this and enjoy it. Kids optional., 17 February 1999
Author: Motoko from London, England

The trouble with making a children's film has always been to keep the kids happy but avoid making Mum and Dad fall asleep. Disney have always stuck to a solid "one cute song for every acidic aside" ratio which meant that the over-15's got Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy doing a stripped down routine whilst the 10 year olds got pretty pictures, cute animals and plenty of slapstick. This is what has made the House of Mouse the dominant toon makers but their mastery is under attack from Dreamworks SKG. While Walt & Co. delivered Mulan, Mr. Spielberg gave us Prince of Egypt and though Disney won, narrowly, the next round isn't going to be so easy.

Antz is brilliant. Don't let anybody tell you differently. We've got stunning visuals, great jokes, some brilliant scenes and some very likeable characters. What we have is a very smart film. Maybe too smart. The jokes are funny if you're old enough to get them. The sight of a neurotic ant lying on a therapist's leaf complaining about his anxious childhood is hilarious. Especially when the biggest neurotic in the world, Woody Allen, is delivering the lines. His timing, throughout the entire film, is exquisite and the script takes advantage of this at every opportunity i.e.:

Mandible: I like an ant that laughs in the face of death.

Z: Actually I stand behind Death and make belittling comments at its back.

It reads like one of Woody's early, funny films (sorry, but I couldn't resist it) and the rest of the cast are good too but that's because the script takes advantage of their history. Weaver acts like Stallone, Cutter acts like Walken and Barbatus acts like Glover. Anybody that's seen one of their films instantly recognises the voice behind the ant because of how they speak and act. They also bypass the sing-along route and insert a grisly battle sequence similar to Starship Troopers. The adults in the audience will love it. Children may be a little underwhelmed.

How many kids have seen an Allen, Stallone or Walken film? Not many I expect. How many kids have seen Troopers or Metropolis, (which is a big inspiration for the visuals)? Very few. There are a lot of jokes they just won't get. They may enjoy the pretty pictures but there's a distinct lack of cuddly animals, obvious slapstick or happy tunes. Boredom may set in and there may be a few cries during the battle sequence so be ready. Another downside is a slightly weak villain. Hackman does well with what he has but it's not much and truly cool bad guys like James Woods' Hades run circles round him.

Despite that Antz is a blast. As funny and enjoyable for adults as a child-orientated flick could be. It's not the best toon but it's a definite step forward. Maybe Disney have finally met their match.

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21 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Antz isn't as perfect and smooth as a Disney film. Great!, 3 October 2004

Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium

I'm probably a weird guy, but I really appreciate a good animated movie even though I'm no longer a kid (I'm 26 years old). What I liked about this one is the great animation, the nice story, the humor...

I haven't seen A Bug's Life yet, which makes it impossible for me to compare both of course, but I really liked the style used in Antz. Usually a Disney production gives me the feeling I'm watching a movie which was intended for kids only (although A Bug's Life was created by the Pixar studio's, which gives me a bit of hope), while Dreamworks understood that adults too can appreciate this kind of movies, if only they take care of the style and the story. Most of Disney's animated movies are just too smooth, too perfect for me, and to be honest the songs almost make me sick.

The style in Antz is much grittier. It isn't as perfect and smooth as a Disney production and the message is a lot stronger. The film is probably exciting for little children, thanks to the humor, fantastic images and action, but the underlying subtext and social commentary on humans make this movie different from Disney's moralizing films. However, the different message isn't the only difference between Disney and Dreamworks. I don't think Disney ever risked to use very well known scenes from other movies in their own films. In Antz you can find some excellent scenes which refer to movies like Metropolis, Starship Troopers,...

Some people have some critics on this movie because it doesn't show how a real anthill is organized, how strong ants really are, that ants don't look for a partner, ... Let me tell this to these people: I respect you're way of thinking but I think you should have watched a documentary instead of an animated movie. I sure hope you understand there is still a big difference between a documentary, based on scientific research, meant to teach people and a movie like Antz, who's only purpose is to entertain people. Personally I liked the movie for what it was and I give it an 8/10.

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16 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
so lifelike, so didactic, 18 December 1998

Author: leandros from Istanbul

It's probably the first time Woody Allen is so much like himself when he isn't at all. Ant Z, a neurotic, fatalistic, depressive, sorry ant with a record low level of self-esteem transforms into a (part-time) content, revolutionary hero of his utterly totalitarian and fascistic colony ever imaginable. Apart from the incredibly precise animation and "logical" fantasy, one feels a bit distracted with the subliminal messages the picture tries to impose. While it would be easy to reduce the moral to the frequently recited motto: "think for yourself once!", there are too many of them to ignore. This definitely is not a kid's flick, it is meant for and appreciated by adults, with many philosophical, psychological and social references and conflicts. One big "bravo!" to Dreamworks. I think they have achieved the point where adults can actually enjoy animation movies while believing the whole stuff. These insects are surely going to bite some Disney bugs.

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11 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Yes, for kids., 14 January 2001

Author: Jonah Falcon (jonahnynla@mindspring.com) from New York, NY

You know, there was a time in which we didn't candy coat stories for children. The Evil Queen in Snow White, for one, was forced to wear red-hot slippers and dance to her death. Even in older Disney films like "Bambi", the serious issue of death is broached.

Now, no one dies. It's too serious.

Horsehocky.

One of the best moments I had watching "Antz" in a theater was listening to a mother explain why Barbatus died. Guess what? Death is a natural part of life -- and to refute it exists is plain wrong. Or, as in the recent Disney flick "Hercules", Hades, the God of Death is portrayed as evil. (What, are people supposed to be immortal?)

While not appropriate for 4 year olds, I wouldn't think twice about showing it to an 8 year old. Why must movies be dumbed down -- PG means parental GUIDANCE. Any movie that forces you to talk to your kids after a movie is a good one. Don't treat your kids like little morons.

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16 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
A straightforward kid's movie? It ain'tz necessarily so..., 21 December 1998
Author: Constantine Butler (constantine@dial.pipex.com) from Southampton, England

Okay, so it's not War and Peace, but this film is about as dark and meaningful as you could want a big-budget comedy animation to be. The computer animation itself never ceases to be awe-inspiring and more than compensates for the plot holes - I personally did like the style of the characters themselves, although others have disagreed. The casting is perfect, and Woody Allen as Z-4195 the neurotic worker ant complete with impeccable one-liners is at times hilarious. Although the plot falls into predictability, the communist metaphors combined with the basic boy-meets-girl-above-his-station story make this highly enjoyable, and all you could want as a 3D animation suitable for adults. A strong opening blow in the Disney-Dreamworks rivalry swordfight.

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Top class intelligent entertainment, 30 August 2003

Author: BadWebDiver from Perth, Australia

I loved this story. I thought is was a very intelligently entertaining movie:- a good combination of interesting ideas mixed with great visuals and broad comedy.

All the the voice casting was top notch; especially Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, and of course Woody Allen. There was also great version of Neil Finn singing "I Can See Clearly Now"; and the visual design and music score was breath-taking and dynamic. Plus the storyline is more gritty with a darker undercurrent, and would appeal to a more sophisticated audience, which it is good to have. I'm not saying that cute fun stories aren't OK too. In fact IMHO the wider the spectrum of stories we can get the better we'll all be.

I personally think this is slightly ahead of the equally brilliant A BUG'S LIFE; even though both are really top class storytelling. This one wins by about half a feeler.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Animated Film That Will Entertain Adults, 12 December 1999

Author: gbheron from Washington, DC

From what I have read, DreamWorks got the idea of an insect animation film from Disney, rushed to market before the Disney version was released, and that they think this will enable them to compete against Disney in the animated film market? I think some reevaluation is in order.

ANTZ is not bad, far from it. The animation is very well done (to this untrained, unschooled eye) and the voices well-acted (and maybe Woody wasn't so much acting as being Woody). The feel-good plot was well......very Disney. Certainly worth the price of a rental. And I mean this for adults. I can't comment of the movie being too dark and violent for small children, well maybe very small children.

Nothing earth-shaking or leading edge, but good ol' entertainment.

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9 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Fabulous performances by an all star cast with fabulous animation., 13 March 2004

Author: (smccrea@mccreaengineering.com) from Montreal

Antz is a charming romantic comedy that is better appreciated by adults than children. In fact, there are some scenes that may be a bit too violent or gruesome for small children.

All of the actors perform brilliantly with an excellent script even though the plot is a bit trite. All the actors excel in their roles even the usually bland Stallone and Lopez who are more animated in this film than in most of their other roles.

I found the move to be appealing visually. Apart from some of the backgrounds that seem to be hand painted, the animation is superb.

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Alienation of a member from his society may be funny..., 2 December 2002

Author: (ufukotag@hotmail.com) from Ankara, Turkey

It is a cartoon meaning two things: First it shows us a typical cartoon. A cartoon of children..Main character Faces with some fun and this make audience have some fun. However, the cartoon has another face. As can be seen in the book of George Orwell called 1984, there can be a guy distinguished, alienated himself from the society even though the society was established with very strong ties. It is interesting that, there can be another member like himself and they find each other by ignoring some strict rules. As we saw it in 1984, same thing occurs in this cartoon. Being bored of her life, Princess Bala joins to workers entertainment. And the `extreme` life of the couples gets start. As the time passes, strict rules become useless and some liberal ideas spread through the society. Moreover, we see some lovers from different classes. These are some examples of the destruction of a totalitarian society in the cartoon. And we see many fascist rulers like General who wants to create a pure colony in our world. This cartoon is a very good example of this idea. As in the real world this idea collapses at the end. Finally i can add that there is a lot to learn how to make all the members enough satisfied. May be there is no way...

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
What the ....?, 11 October 2007

Author: B1rd from Norfolk, VA

What was this movie trying to be? It has a serious social/political subtext, but its too simplistic and naive of a message to support the whole movie as entertainment for adults. It's got action and goofiness for the kids, but it's a bit scary and dark for young ones. While the double-entendres will go over their heads, there are adult usages of words you won't want your grade schooler repeating. The animation is generally impressive but the characters' faces range from human-like (Weaver/Sly Stallone) to weird and alien-looking (Z/Woody Allen) with a limited range of emotion. The big name casting doesn't work at all. Woody Allen does the same shtick he's been doing for almost 40 years and it's just bizarre to hear him in an animated feature with a plot like this. (At least in his old TV cartoon his character looked like him, but that really didn't work well either.) Sharon Stone is wooden and old-sounding as the young princess. The other characters are shallow clichés of their particular voice-actor's typical movie role (except for Walken, who does a great job of not being one of his usual nutjobs). I guess it was all a novelty at the time. As mentioned in other comments, the story line is a mish-mosh of old plots from much better movies or books. The music is high quality but odd in places. The only humor in the movie is Woody's, so if you don't find his routine especially funny, this will be agony to sit through. Whatever the movie was trying to be, it doesn't work now. It does occur to me, though, that maybe its entertainment value is as a study on early mistakes made during the rebirth of full length animated films aimed at general audiences. Thank goodness Hollywood finally figured it out.

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