A Bug's Life (1998)

This is the kind of film you get when you combine groundbreaking technology with a story that’s been told a few too many times. There is nothing wrong with A Bug’s Life, really. In fact, it stands tall as one of the better non-musical films in Disney’s arsenal of family entertainment. And yet, in only Pixar’s second full-length computer-animated film, enough of the freshness we felt in Toy Story seems to have disappeared.

Flik is tired of being a follower, which is difficult for a member of an ant colony. His creativity, inventiveness, and unfortunate clumsiness make him stand out from his peers in a bad way. When his latest invention draws the ire of greedy and hostile grasshoppers, the colony is threatened with extinction. Flik sets off to assemble a team of warriors to defend his colony, but his creativity is put to the test when all he can recruit is a team of misfit circus bugs.

A Bug’s Life has plenty of beautiful animation to its credit. It also boasts a bunch of amusing and colorful characters. The story, however, is weak. A group of misfits band together to accomplish amazing feats? Yeah, I’ve seen about a dozen or more films with the exact same plot, especially with children’s films. Because the whole story structure is recycled, it’s not hard to predict most of how this film plays out.

As many authors will tell you, however, it is not about the destination, but the journey itself. Fortunately, this film has plenty of easily-digested ingredients. What the story lacks in freshness, Pixar makes up for with another dose of visual wonder. Toy Story gave us a look at what our homes look to our toys. A Bug’s Life takes us outside and even closer to the ground. The attention to detail and exaggeration of such micro details reminds me of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It is clear that Pixar was not about to rest on their laurels in this department, which is very encouraging.

Flik and the rest of the ants are pretty bland. The grasshoppers are mindless drones, save for their leader, Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey). He is intimidating at times but is understandably over-the-top with his rage. The real gems are the circus bugs. Each one has their own unique personality and that personality shows through in their physical appearance. While over-anthropomorphizing non-human characters became a problem in several computer-animated films released in the past decade, Pixar does it right here. Characters retain enough of their insect nature to be believable as bugs.

The story may leave you wanting more if you focus on it too much but if you pull back your magnifying glass just a little bit, there is no reason not to enjoy this film. Its quirks and jokes are good fun for all ages. It lacks the wow actor of Toy Story and some later Pixar films, but A Bug’s Life is certainly no sophomore slump.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

Superman Returns (2006)

I am a big fan of Superman: The Movie and I can at least appreciate what its three sequels tried to offer. Therefore, I was very wary of this film. There is a good reason why it took so long to make another Superman movie- it will ultimately be compared to Richard Donner’s outstanding 1978 classic. While Superman Returns is appreciable in its own right, there is just no comparison to be made.

Superman Returns takes a very unique approach to the Superman legacy. Instead of a brand-new origin story film (which worked quite well for the Batman Begins) or picking up where Superman IV left off, Returns completely disregards the events of Superman III and IV. Even though Superman: The Movie took place in the 1970s, Returns plays it off as only being 5 years since Superman II. There’s a very modern setting with very modern dangers.

Superman at some point decided to go back to his home world of Krypton. Finding nothing there, he heads back to Earth. All this time away occurs over a period of five years. Since then, the world has changed. America (and the world) has grown used to not having Superman around to protect them. Lois Lane even wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning article called “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.”

Kal-El is shocked to see that no one really misses him, so he tries to ease his way back into society as Clark Kent. Friendly faces are glad to have Kent back but he’s still shocked at how much things have changed.

But not all things have changed though. Lex Luthor, played very well by Kevin Spacey, is out of jail. Since Superman missed Lex’s trial and wasn’t able to testify against him, Lex got off scott free. He has married a sweet old lady who dies and leaves millions of dollars to him on her deathbed. He uses this money to track down Superman’s abandoned fortress of solitude in the arctic and steals all of the information crystals therein.

While experimenting on the crystals, Luthor discovers that the crystals grow enormously when placed in water. He hatches yet another diabolical real estate scheme- by placing these crystals in the ocean, he can create a massive new continent that will destroy other parts of the world, thus making him the most powerful landowner on Earth. By encasing the crystals in kryptonite, he can ensure that Superman will be powerless to stop him, as his new continent will weaken the Man of Steel.

Superman battles against Lex and a number of other small-time crooks along the way. There are flashy fight sequences and lots of CGI to showcase some of Superman’s power. Seriously though, we did not need a super-slow-motion sequence showing a bullet shattering off of Superman’s eyeball. While it all makes sense to use the CGI to show off the Man of Steel’s skills, it all seems a little unnecessary at the same time.

Superman also has to face his demons with Lois Lane. She’s moved on, had a kid and is engaged to another guy. They sort of patch things up, but it’s left kind of in limbo. Turns out, the kid belongs to Superman and he will likely be just as “talented” as his dad.

Lex Luthor puts up a good fight, but it is Superman we’re talking about here, remember?

Superman Returns is good in that director Bryan Singer didn’t attempt to make the film a carbon copy of the kitschy originals or take it off into a bold new direction. The problem is that by trying to treat the Superman legacy with respect, Singer creates a fairly bland story. Maybe the young actors (Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth) need more time to come into their roles, but something felt off there. There wasn’t the same kind of feel-good chemistry between Lois and Clark as there should have been.

The plot was also kind of flat as well. Yes, Luthor comes up with a way to create all kinds of destruction and Superman thwarts him. It’s time-honored Superman, but it’s not fresh. Superman Returns is watchable and features fresh faces and flashy graphics, but something is missing from the heart and spirit of this film, which is what makes Superman what he is and what makes a Superman movie worthwhile.

RATING: 3 out of 5