Shockingly Awesome!

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2015)

Antz was the second computer animated film after Toy Story as well as the first from Dreamworks. It is one of those controversial pictures for being very parallel to another movie--A Bug's Life. While A Bug's Life is a nicer family movie, Antz is an edgier ugly movie. After not watching this in nearly 17 years, I decided to check it out after seeing a list of movie copycats. I do not like CGI movies thinking they are clichéd, but Antz is definitely one of the few exceptions.
Take one look at Antz and it is evident that it is a edgier than A Bug's Life. But I was shocked to see just how insane it was. Thinking it was going to be a movie for 10-year-olds, there was brutal violence, alcohol abuse, and actual profanity. An ant is drinking at a bar and I thought it was a little bit odd for a kid movie, then Sylvester Stallone's character actually says "bitchin'." After he says that, I was suckered in and thirsting for more.
In Woody Allen's only animated role, he plays a little factory ant named Z who tries to find importance in his life. He falls in love with a Princess and switches place with his soldier friend (Stallone) in an upcoming battle with termites to impress her. Right away, the writing is witty and genius; easily the best writing I've heard in a movie like this, not because of any swearing. The battle is intense and creepy to some. Death is also played about pretty wild. A sole survivor, he returns and kidnaps the Princess. Her fiancé, General Mandible (Hackman) wants to destroy all factory workers, but Z's act of individualism sparks a revolution. Right after watching this, I saw Gene Siskel ranked it as the 7th best movie of 1998. I would also rank it 7th best of the year. It really is that good.
4/4