CRITIC-IN-A-HURRY: Diego Rosales
For us, one of the only two saving graces of the newly opened Mall of Asia (MoA) is its IMAX Theater (the other is the bay promenade at the back.) Because we live in the northern part of Metro Manila, traveling to the MoA becomes an option only when we want satisfy our curiosity over the much-ballyhooed IMAX experience which, like what its hype trumpeted, both extraordinary and immersive – like being sucked into the eight-story-high screen itself. When we watched "Superman Returns" there, we could see the pores of Kevin Spacey’s face alarmingly magnified. The ultra-sharp visuals are further enhanced by the purest of digital surround sound. The selected 3D scenes in "Superman" were also cool and spectacular; it would have been more fun had Bryan Singer converted the entire film into 3D.
This week, we review the digitally animated feature "The Ant Bully" which, incidentally, will be shown at IMAX Theater entirely in 3D. While we’ve only seen the movie in its two-dimensional version, we purposely kept an eye on the filmmakers’ attempts to maximize the visuals’ potentials once it gets transferred in three dimensions onscreen.
"The Ant Bully"
Directed by John A. Davis
Rating: 7/10
A charming little tale that’s best suited for preteens, or for the childlike in all of us, "The Ant Bully" is already visually amazing in its conventional 2D form, we can’t wait to see it in IMAX3D.
The story dramatizes the transformation of 10-year-old Lucas from an anthill-destroying kid into an antcolony-saving hero when he gets shrunk literally into insect-size and made to live in the miniature world of bugs. The animation exploits the microscopic milieu to the latter’s eye-popping possibilities, taking us in a wondrous visual journey into inner space. The ants’ colonial justice chamber, for one, is a triumph in design splendor, made even more royally exuberant by the dramatic entrance of the other worldly drawn Queen Ant. The flight of the beetle fleet towards the end is reminiscent of the classic helicopter sequence in "Apocalypse Now," complete with a score that echoes Wagner’s "Flight of the Valkyries." (Now, that will look awesome in IMAX 3D!) Occasional excursions into dark humor such as this keep the movie from being a strictly kiddie affair. Heck, there’s even some hint of an endorsement of Marxism. Try explaining that one to the children.
The animators also pay utmost attention to depicting lifelike human expression. Lucas’ facial reactions are uncannily real, something that past CG-animated movies only tried to approximate (which explains why most of the genre’s characters have been non-humans).
The vocal performances also rise above expectations, particularly Zack Tyler Eisen who breathes life to Lucas with an affecting sensitivity. Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Paul Giamatti deliver alternately endearing and hilarious takes on their characters.
But while the movie satisfies in most levels, it never really breaks any new ground. Compared to the recent "Cars," this is merely, well, an ant.
(For comments, please email critic_in_a_hurry@yahoo.com)
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