A Bugs LifeA Bugs Life
If you can remember a few years back a ground breaking film was realized, it was the first completely computer animated film to be made, and it was brilliant. Toy Story was its name. And, at last it's here, the long awaited follow up to Pixars' highly enjoyable Toy Story. And Antz is …. sorry, I mean A Bugs Life, is a very entertaining film, but it is not Toy Story, nothing will ever be Toy Story. So lets just judge this on its own merit.
It's the story of one ant in a colony of a few million that is feeling a little bit down because no one seems to be taking him or his wacky inventions very seriously. Inventions, which would increase the productivity by, God knows how much. But the colony have done things their own way for generations and why should they listen to one clumsy ant. Why? Because Flick (voiced by Dave Foley) is the main protagonist of the story and he has to be the one that is right at the end of the day. That's why.
Now every year the colony spends half of the harvesting season gathering an offering of food for the nasty grasshoppers and the other half gathering food for themselves so that they can survive the winter. But just as the grasshoppers are about to feast, everything goes horribly wrong and the colony find themselves up a specific creak without a paddle. Flick gets the blame and the adventure starts there.
This film is very entertaining for kids and for those of us who still have a mental age of 12. So I enjoyed myself immensely. It got everything to keep us quite for 90 minutes comedy, adventure, romance, music and beautiful images…..
Okay, okay, I'm breaking. Shator said to me after watching the film that I couldn't write a review without comparing it to Antz and I said I could. Then he said I couldn't and I said I could. Again he said I couldn't and I said I could. Then he knocked my two front teeth out and immediately I packed my mouth with ice and whimpered like a girl all the way to the dentist.
But I'm rambling a bit I think.
I am pathetic, a sheep and worst of all I am not an individual, I must compare the two, they are just so damn alike.(deep breath) Both of the heroes in each film are frowned upon by their fellow workers, both have a crush on the Princess ,both are exiled for their homes, in both of the stories there is really big baddie who is going to do a really bad thing to the ants, in both of them, the exiled hero comes back to save the day and MY GOD THEY ARE BOTH ABOUT ANTS. There Shator, are you happy now, all compared up for you…..Someday, when you are not looking I'll….finish this review.
But there are so many things I this film that makes it so much fun. Personally, I found all of the characters in the circus were so funny, there were times when I even laughed out loud, and I only do that when something is really funny, or when I am just trying to embarrass whoever is sitting with me. I loved the big caterpillar, image the words "Someday, I will be a beautiful butterfly" being said in a thick German accent, very good.
And the nasty bad grasshopper "Hopper" (voiced by Kevin Spacey) is really cool. In these type of films you really need a truly villainous bad guy, and Hopper is perfect. Spacey gives him a great nastiness and he looks like he eats cute ants for breakfast. A great job was done on him.
Where I have to give this film real credit, is for the animation. It is excellent. I thought it was better the Antz in this aspect. This film has so much going on on the screen at any one time, it amazing . The best example of this was when Flick went the city, it is impossible to watch everything going on because there is so much happening. And I think it is because of this that A Bugs Life will be a big video seller.
So, if you bored and need some happy entertainment, go and see this film. And what ever you do, do not leave once the credits start to roll or you miss the best part. And if you are wondering what I mean, then you will just have to go to find out, it definitely is worth it.
