Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best for Ages: 7+
Ages 3 - 7: Yellow
Ages 8 - 12: Green
Ages 13 - 17: Green
Violence Amount: Green
Violence Portrayal: Green
Fear: Yellow
Illegal / Harmful: Green
Language: Yellow
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green
Review:
10-year-old Lucas Nickle as the new kid in the neighborhood
is pushed around and bullied. Lucas takes out his frustration
on the anthill in his yard--the bullies are bigger than
him and he is bigger than the ants. But the wizard ant,
Zoc (Nicolas Cage), has just discovered a magic potion to
make the destroyers (humans) as small as the ants and Lucas
is reduced in size. Now he must learn to live like an ant.
Hova (Julia Roberts) is his mentor in the ways of ants.
She teaches him that ants always work together, look out
for one another, and think of others before themselves.
These are concepts that Lucas needs to learn very badly.
Unfortunately while he was still human sized, Lucas inadvertently
hired an exterminator, Paul Giamatti, to get rid of the
ants. The problem is that now he is one of them. Will he
be able to save the ants and himself before they are exterminated?
Will he learn to stand up to the bullies? Lucas spends some
very amusing times with the ants. There is some mild potty
humor and action violence but overall the values learned
outweigh the rude humor. I would recommend this movie to
children 7 and older. Why does Lucas feel better when he
takes his anger out on the ants? How does he learn to be
empathetic?
Linda
Thomas is a native Minnesotan. She graduated from
the University of Minnesota with a double major
in sociology and psychology. Married with a family,
she has remained in the Minneapolis area.
Linda has been a lover of movies since she
was a small child. This love of film eventually
brought her to the point in life where she is
now, a film critic. She was featured on WCCO
radio for three years on the “Dark in the
Morning” show with Dark Star.
In December of 2001, Linda became the film
critic for the syndicated “Ruth Koscielak
Show”.
Linda sees over 150 movies a year and has
had the opportunity to interview a number of
directors and actors when they are in town.
She has also appeared on a public access show
called the "Cinema Judge" and has
ventured into writing for "Cinestar"
magazine in September 2002. The Twin Cities
movie magazine is available, for free, at most
local Blockbuster's and local movie cheaters.
As one of the few female reviewers in the Twin
Cities area, she brings a unique point of view
to her reviews. Linda has raised two children,
a boy and a girl, and knows what they like in
movies and what is appropriate. Hopefully, her
reviews will help your family in choosing where
to next spend your movie-going dollar.
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Linda
Thomas is a native Minnesotan. She graduated from
the University of Minnesota with a double major
in sociology and psychology. Married with a family,
she has remained in the Minneapolis area.
