Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Antz Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 14, 2018

Antz is perhaps best known as the "lesser" of the two animated "insect" films that released in fall of 1998, just weeks before Disney/Pixar's superior A Bug's Life. Not just twin-themed and releasing films like Deep Impact and Armageddon but rather the subject of a lengthy and well-documented battle between the studios releasing them, the films competed in a marketplace that was (and remains) hot to the idea of anything digitally animated. The Pixar film would go on to earn more than double Antz at the box office and by most subjective accounts is considered the superior film. Antz is the darker film, visually and thematically, but it boasts a tremendous voice cast -- one of the best ever assembled -- and certainly has its story and structural strong points. It's a worthwhile endeavor but does play second fiddle to the superior A Bug's Life.

An ant colony is a finely tuned machine. Every ant has its purpose -- soldier or worker, for the most part -- but some of them aren’t happy with their lot in life. Z’s (voiced by Woody Allen) outlook on life is so poor that he’s in therapy. He’s tired of droning on within the strict structure of his daily routine, and he has no choice in the matter. One night, his spirits are renewed when the colony’s princess, Bala (voiced by Sharon Stone), dances with him. Z is in love and trades places with his best friend, a hulking soldier ant named Weaver (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), in order to join the ranks of soldiers who are assembling to meet with the princess. Little does he know that she is seeing them off to battle in a war that has been orchestrated by the cunning and devious General Mandible (voiced by Gene Hackman) who is plotting an overthrow of the colony’s queen (voiced by Anne Bancroft). Z is the sole survivor of the fierce battle against a nearby termite colony. He’s hailed as a hero throughout his colony, but when it’s discovered that he is a worker rather than a soldier, he stages a false kidnapping of the princess and escapes the colony. Can the two find love on the run, or will true intentions be revealed, leaving Z even further in the depths of depression? Meanwhile, in Z’s absence and in his name, the colony begins a revolt against the status quo.

Antz explores life underground within an ant colony where there's a hunger for change. At the top, a malicious, selfish general wants to seize control while a nobody of a drone dreams of doing something more with his life than laboring all day for no reward other than remaining in the relative safety and comfort of his home. The film strives to parallel the human condition within the more rigid structure of the ant colony, with subtle explorations of political hierarchies and the working class. The film folds in stories of love, loss, war, adventure, and revolution. It does many things well but few of them spectacularly, at least on the dramatic front. The story unfolds less in a tone appropriate for children -- considering both its darker animation and its deeper, more intense themes -- and seems geared more at adults. It won't alienate children, but the lack of more colorful animation, accessible storylines, and diverse characters might leave little ones more frustrated than fulfilled. The movie pushes very dark at one point when Z, who has miraculously survived a terrible battle, finds his friend's severed head, which still has life in it and encourages him to break away from the rigid structure, expectations, and social and individual restrictions placed upon the common ant. It's probably too much for the youngest of viewers; A Bug's Life handles its darker themes with more expertise and finesse when the bugs in that film face their bullies in the form of the demanding (and outnumbered, the bugs realize) grasshoppers. Here, it's internal strife, inside an individual and within the greater colony, rather than external threats, that really drive the story.

Perhaps only adding to the more adult-oriented draw is the film's casting of almost exclusively seasoned actors, not hot-shot youngsters, to voice the characters. The film boasts a hall-of-fame caliber voice cast which includes venerable names like Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Sylvester Stallone, Danny Glover, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, and Dan Aykroyd. It's a challenge to come up with another animated film with so much talent accumulated behind the microphone. The digital animators have also constructed the characters to resemble the voice actors, adding a layer of complimentary distinction and weight to the performances, with the eyes and facial structures in particular instantly recognizable in conjunction with the voices.

Antz Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Antz constructs a modestly attractive 1080p transfer for its Blu-ray debut, though the presentation is certainly limited by the movie's somewhat dour construction. The image is not of the typical bright, cheery digital animation style, lacking rich, abundant color in practically every shot. Down in the ant colony, colors are variations of earthy, and even greenery isn't particularly robust therein. On the surface, when Z and Bala reach Insectopia, the presentation finds its most abundant colors in the form of various human items, like cans of cola. Greenery is a little more rich with better light illuminating it, but the softer shades and absence of rich, dynamic coloring remains. Black levels and shadow detail are not perfect but hold mostly firm for the duration. The image does maintain a fairly filmic texturing. Grain is retained for the duration, which is fairly light and nicely complimentary, though it is accompanied by frequent, but light and largely unobtrusive, print wear in the form of pops and splotches. The picture is a little soft. Detailing is honest, if not a little underwhelming. The digital animation here isn't particularly complex. Basic insect textures, the earthen backgrounds in the colony, and vegetation above-ground enjoy good, though not thorough, definition. The picture often appears a bit flat and soft as a rule. Mild aliasing is visible across a few shots but excess compression artifacts are not particularly bothersome.

Antz Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is active and enjoyable but, like the video, doesn't quite approach perfection. Music isn't triumphant but it is well spaced and nicely detailed, lacking a little finer-point clarity and a more engaging low end compliment. The track is at its best during action scenes. The "ant wrecking ball" swoops through the stage with some impressive weight and depth, and some of the more chaotic scenes in the film's second half further boast some quality activity that benefits from wide-area spacing and, usually, good, responsive bass. A few scenes could stand to add at the bottom end, such as the magnifying glass attack midway through the film. The track is capable of precisely defining environment and space as well, such as when Z runs off towards the back-right corner of the listening area around the 19-minute mark and at several other junctures in which the track offers nice diffusion that recreates the cavernous locales around the colony interior, including well defined reverberation throughout the colony when the general addresses the workers in chapter 11. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized with natural front-center placement.

Antz Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Antz contains a commentary track and a few featurettes. No DVD copy is included, but this release does ship with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code and an embossed slipcover.

• Production Featurette (480i, 4:28): The filmmakers discuss the movie's world perspective, the voice cast talks up working on the film, and the narrator and filmmakers recap the characters and plot.
• Basics of Computer Animation (480i, 11:13): The film's co-directors, Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, guide viewers through the movie's construction methodology, beginning with storyboards and moving on through the process to the final feature.
• Antz Facial Animation (480i, 1:14): A very brief overview of how the characters' facial features are constructed in the computer in layers.
• Character Design (480i, 10:35): A more thorough look through design evolution with a number of early concept drawings appearing on screen.
• Audio Commentrary: Directors Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson deliver a comprehensive, well spoken, and enjoyable run-through of the story, animation work, voice casting and work, score, fun facts from the production and the real ant world, and much more.

Antz Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Antz has been a long time coming on Blu-ray, one of the last DreamWorks holdouts to finally arrive on the 1080p format (releasing alongside The Prince of Egypt, though fans are still waiting for Over the Hedge). The film releases with the studio's switchover to distribution via Universal, which has dumped pretty much anything and everything DreamWorks animation onto the format, most of which are rereleases rather than new to Blu-ray titles. The studio has done a fair job bringing this hit film to Blu-ray, featuring solid, if not a bit unspectacular, video; good, not great, lossless audio; and a handful of extras. Worth a look.