Reviews in Retrograde: Antz

Critical Outcast isn't my first attempt at a website, I had a few stutter steps in the late 1990's and early 2000's. These attempts generated a whole bunch of poorly written, often very short and spoilerific reviews. I recently stumbled upon them in my archives and thought you may be interested in seeing some of these early attempts at writing. They are as they were then, I make no apologies for how bad or how short they are. Feel free to have at them with reckless abandon! I present to you: Reviews in Retrograde.



Z is a worker ant that doesn't fit in. He longs for a life that strays from his monotonous routine. One night in a bar he dances with a female that turns out to be the princess. In order to see her again, he switches places with one of his friends that is a soldier. Little does Z know that he will be sent into battle and start the adventure of his life. Z struggles to get the princess, defeat the evil general, and find his own identity.

A triumph in animation from a studio other than Disney. This film is a treat to watch. The sights are truly unbelievable, a whole new world is opened up to us in this computer generated realm.
The movie is about a lowly worker ant named Z, and voiced by Woody Allen. Z is an ant full of problems who dreams of being something more than a worker. One day he finally gets his wish, as the princess decides to slum it up at the bar where she gets a chance dance with Z. When Z finds out who she is, he tries to find a way to see her again. He finds that way by switching places with his warrior friend, voiced by Sly Stallone. Little does he know he is on a suicide run against a bunch of termites. Well to skip ahead a bit, we find Z running for his life with the princess on his way to find Insectopia. Along the way they meet strange bugs and uncover a plot to kill the ant population. In the end Z proves that thinking outside the lines is a good thing and saves the day.

This movie is a triumph in entertainment, a cartoon for the kiddies with smart writing for the adults in the crowd. There is just the right mix of childish jokes and smart storytelling, that you can't help but like it.

Fine family entertainment, it has something for the whole family, and it's not Disney!