Fun, but no wit or style

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 1999)

A battle is being waged on the frontier of technology. Oh yes, the computer generated film swing is in full effect, bringing the joys and ecstacy of worlds fantastic. But why oh why must script and story suffer at the hands of silicon?
"A Bug's Life" is a simple tale of Flik, an ant with a passion for invention. Obviously this makes him a hit with his fellow colonists, who fear new ways, and therefore dismiss the ideas as sheer madness. And following a diastrous incident involving the fearsome grasshoppers, Flik is sent to find help in defending the ants against the grasshoppers when they return for their offering. And instead of warriors, he finds and recruits a group of recently fired circus acts, including a caterpillar who can't wait to be a butterfly, a labybird who is often mistaken for a girl, and a pair of woodlouse who speak not a word of English. And so, Flik returns with the troop to fight the enemy. Of course, nothing runs smoothly, and with the Princess Atta on the watch, it's gonna be tough.
"A Bug's Life" is by no means a bad film: there's plenty to keep the kids entertained, and it's fun to watch as the story unfolds. But where's the humour we came to expect from the likes of "Toy Story" or the similarly themed "Antz"? The script is predictable and bland with no twists. And the characters remain two dimensional in their 3D universe. Fun for kids, but little of interest for those who relished the multi-layed humour of "Toy Story".