**** out of ****

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 1999)

In my view, some of the best movies are those that show the viewer something from a never before seen world/existence. This could be our world, just seen from a different perspective, or it could be an entirely new world, that we never even conceived could exist (like in one of my favorite films, "Dark City"). Antz falls into the first category.
The very first shot sets the tone of the film, when we see the shadowy outlines of what appear to be skyscrapers in the horizon, only to discover that they are merely blades of grass. After a terrific introduction to the lead character/ant Z, played by Woody Allen (in his best role to date that I have seen), the viewer is given a first look at the ant colony. It is here that one sees the extremes to which the filmmakers have taken their technological advances.
The creators took something as simple as an ant hill, and created an awe-inspiring visual tour-de-force. Many people argue that "A Bugs Life" was the superior film when it came out, but this opening shot tops anything you see in that film (not that that movie isn't fantastic as well). The first half of Antz takes place inside of this world, with one exception (the termite war, which I'll go into later) but in the second half, the animators top themselves by taking Z and another ant, Princess Bala, out into our world.
It is here that the film becomes, in essence, a computer animated, and vastly superior remake of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." Blades of grass tower over the ants, and drops of water can be fatal. Eventually, they find themselves at a picnic (a fitting place for two ants to end up), and Z speaks one of my 2 favorite lines (I won't ruin it, but it involves the plastic wrapping around a sandwich). Unfortunately, the biggest problem I had with the movie occurred during this, otherwise great scene. Towering above the ants are various, giant forms of product placement, such as cans of Pepsi and Mountain Dew. At this point, it feels like the movie has turned into a commercial.
The climax to this scene involves the two ants stuck by gum to the bottom of a shoe. Z's line right before they are released from the gum is the other of my 2 favorite lines. The delivery is hilarious.
In fact, the whole movie is hilarious. As I stated earlier, there is a battle sequence between the ants and some termites (with the song "The Ants Go Marching Home Again" triumphantly playing in the background) that, as expected, was truly fantastic. The final conversation during this scene, between Z and another ant played be Danny Glover, is very unexpected, but highly humorous. It was a terrific way to end the most intense part of the film (for a kid's movie).
In short, this is not a film for everyone. Many children will be bored, and I have talked to many people who did not have the same reaction I did. However, as far as I am concerned, this was one of the best films of 1998, and I was very upset when I found out it didn't get any Academy Award nominations. But then again, many terrific films were ignored, while many mediocre films were heaped with nominations.
After seeing a movie like this, I can only imagine what ground-breaking films we have to look forward to. I only hope they can pull more off that are as good as this.