Synopsis:
An individualistic ant named 'Z' tries to break free from his totalitarian society whilst trying to win the affection of the Princess. But when the egomaniac General Mandible seeks to wipe-out half the colony 'Z' must return to save the Princess, Queen, and the rest of his two-million strong family.
It was time today for a
blast from the past! It just so happened that Antz was on and I had a
choice between that and writing down quotes for an essay. I mean I
got it done but it was sure as hell difficult when such a good film
was on. That's right, I said it, a good film. I've noticed over time
that this film often gets bashed (although apparently not by people
who get paid to review films) simply because of the time it was
released. Funnily enough its prime criticism is it being a rip off of
Pixar's A Bugs Life, despite
Antz being released a
month beforehand. It seems that Pixar and Dreamworks were feuding
fiercely at this time and there's a bit of bad blood here because of
Pixar pitching an ant movie beforehand. I can imagine most people
would side with the animation juggernaut that is Pixar.
Although
I've got to say A Bug's Life
is probably the better piece overall, Antz
is certainly a stand alone film which holds many differences and the
two really shouldn't be constantly compared to and matched. Aside
from the leads contrary nature and yearning for the princess of the
colony, Antz differs
completely.
Antz
is in my opinion a far more grown up film. Obviously this is PG where
the film which must not be named
is a U. This was a clever way to go as it separates itself from its
competition. It also appeals to the adults more because of the higher
rating and they kind of push the boundaries a bit, which is risky
when Toy Story, a film so successful, didn't push any parent panic
buttons (not that it needed to). I forgot it had a couple swearwords
in it, “Bitch” for example, which actually made me say “Oop..”
out loud because so often this film is classed as child's film. I
could only imagine what my mother would have said. Obviously I'm not
going to be offended by this and it's exactly what made this film a
good relatable piece for an older audience. It's also much more
gruesome and less cartoony than it's rivals at the time.
I
remember the battle with the termite army being quite chilling when I
was younger. Dreamworks really pulled no punches with the graphic
nature of the piece as the ants get torn apart by their larger
opponents, not too mention getting burned to death by acid that
spurts from the for heads of the termites. The scene then closes with
Z trying to reassure his fatally wounded friend that he's going to be
okay which is quite n adult situation. It really does go the distance
and do you want to know the best bit, the termites aren't the bad
guys. It isn't an outside force that's the enemy but the conflict
resides within the colony itself. A good choice in my opinion, makes
the narrative and fight much more personal. It's like the betrayal of
an entire family, a family two-million strong too.
I've
got say that the animation lets it down a little bit. It
unfortunately looks a little dated. Had it not had to follow Toy
Story and proceed A
Bugs Life there wouldn't have
been an issue but at the end of the day... it did. Although there are
golden moments where I can't believe it was even possible to produce
that convincing aesthetic back then, the majority of time spent in
the tunnels and colony is dark and gloomy. And not in the sense where
it's supposed to relate to the mood of the colony, but simply it's a
little too dark and gloomy. The textures aren't particularly
appealing and seem slightly amateur. A few segments of termite acid
and water pouring also felt slightly unbelievable and didn't fit.
Thankfully
you don't tend to really care as the voice work is fantastic! Woody
Allen was the perfect lead for playing our neurotic, depressed hero
and a strong cast behind really help hold the piece together. The
script is funny and witty and an absolute treat for anyone.
Overview:
A
great STAND ALONE film which holds its own next to Pixar and is a
great example of why Dreamworks is the only company that can stand
toe-to-toe with Pixar. Although let down slightly by the aesthetic,
the story and performances pull it through to create an engaging and
lasting story.
Rating:
★★★★
No comments:
Post a Comment