Customer Reviews

Antz

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like this CD. The music is lively and fun to listen to outside of the movie context. However, I was disappointed because some of the great musical moments in the movie are not on the CD. The end credits, the popular songs (like "I can see clearly now.") are not there, and the reference to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" that you can hear during the magnifying glass sequence is not present on the soundtrack.

One of the best animated film scores in recent years by relative newcomers Harry Gregson-Williams (The Replacement Killers, The Borrowers) and John Powell (Face/Off). Contrary to what a previous customer wrote, Hans Zimmer didn't compose a single note of this fabulous score. Zimmer was merely the album's executive producer, but his influence is clear. Especially enjoyable are the jaunty and exciting first two tracks, the ethereal WASPs' Theme (in Track 15) and the thrilling music to the shoe scene (Track 16). Another encouraging thing is that all of the music on this album is actually IN the movie, so this isn't just another one of those "music inspired by" albums we've been seeing so many of recently. Now, if we could only get a "Godzilla" score album...

For the movie Antz, Dreamworks assigned two composers from Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures team to score the film. One might think it odd that a group known mainly for action music would be good at scoring an animated film (Zimmer himself excepted, to scored both The Lion King and Prince of Egypt previous to this). However, John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams prove they have what it takes to make the animation come to life through music.

The score starts off right away with a wonderful jazzy piano theme representing Z. Then on to track 2, The Colony, we have 'The Colony', a piece I can listen to over and over. It's a great smaba-like piece with a melody that's - get this - whistled. The tune is wonderful and memorable. Both the above themes are interspirsed throughout the score in many incarnations

There are plenty of other highlights to this score. '6:15 Time to Dance' is especially notible, as it starts off with a very stately and mudane version of the song 'Guantanamela', and about halfway through goes into a fast, full force version that I really really love, andthen backs down again. 'The Ants go Marching to War' contains new lyrics to the ant version of 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home', and ends with a great battle music. And speaking of battle music, the score is littered with lots of it, and it really shines over most Media Ventures scores because it's played by a full orchestra.

Overall, Antz is the score that just keeps going. It's got everything I like about a good score -- wonderful melodies, a great variety of fast and slow music, colorful orchestrations, and new ways of manipulating music that makes it unique. I highly recommend this score to anyone.

It seems a modern trend of soundtracks is to have long, slow, depreesing, agonizing, slow pieces for strings... Not so with Antz. Here we have music with real melody lines.. Active music, with a diverse number of themes in it, wild percussion. They even dare to have jazz arrangements of the themes.. Its great stuff.

With Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell teaming up scoring a film, great things usually happen and this is a great example of that. Antz is a fun and exciting score that is a joy to listen to because when it is good, it is really good. Several different themes are present throughout. One is found in "Z's Theme" which features lush string playing with some harmonicas and percussion. Another theme is found in "Princess Bala", which features the woodwind section of the orchestra. Another theme that can be found is a military style theme that is present in "General Mandible" and "Mandible and Cutter Plot". Some tunes that get up and make you want to dance like a moron are found in "The Colony" and "6:15 Time To Dance". The version of "Guantanamera" is dull and boring so don't pay much attention to it, unless you like it of course. The old civil war marching tune "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is parodied in the track "The Antz Go Marching To War" which is actually a great track and a highlight of the album. 3 excellent action cues are present including "The Magnifying Glass", "The Big Shoe", and the thrilling "Z To The Rescue". An all around great score that Dreamworks does an excellent job of doing. The sound on the album is outstanding and the orchestral performance is dynamite. Kudos to Gregson-Williams and Powell and their partnership, which is becoming one of the best in film music.

Having the movie based on a colony of ants, one would expect a more mechanical, crazy sounding score. Suprisingly, you get a more rythmic, electronic score with some very catchy tunes. The themes in the score are all great in their own ways. Z's theme is a laid-back, and calm. The colony theme is rythmic, crazy, and one of the catchiest themes I've ever heard. General Mandible's theme sounds, well, military-like and is played by some exotic instrument. Bala's theme is short but also serves its purpose. The score has a lot of energetic moments in the score and never loses that energy, even at the explosive ending. Not being a big fan of electronic/orchestral scores, I found this one to be great and enjoyed the electronic, Latin style in the score. I highly recommend this score if you like happy, energetic, catchy music. Its sound is unique and is a highly underrated score.

This is a great soundtrack. The theme for the movie is nicely balanced throughout. The most interesting thing for me was to find something common between this soundtrack and 'Joe versus the volcano' starrig Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks; and that's the ants march to war track used also in 'Joe versus the volcano' when Joe is going to jump into the volcano. Can any one tell me what the song, or instrumental (the ants march)is called? I have been looking for the soundtrack of 'Joe versus the volcano' and I just can't find it. So if anyone knows about this soundtrack also tell me.

Thank you

Mohsen

Anyone would be forgiven for dismissing this film from its looks as another kid's film, enjoyable but forgettable. But that would be an incredible mistake. The soundtrack is an absolute pleasure to listen, with catchy tunes and even spine-tingling action music. For someone who looks to movies such as The Rock, The Peacemaker and Gladiator for entertaining soundtrack music, this album was a surprise indeed.

A stand-out track would have to be The Colony. Its frenetic and instantly memorable tune is lively and very enjoyable. It captures the spirit of thousands of individuals such as an ants (or antz?) nest. However, my favourite track would have to be the next one - General Mandible. This track almost feels like it belongs in a much more serious movie - one with someone like Mandible's voice, Gene Hackman, in a more traditional full role. The music is fantastic, portraying a strong individual, full of military might and power.

Of course, being a movie directed at kids, it has fun tracks. Notable tracks include The Bar and the hilarious Guantanamera/6:15 Time To Dance. This latter track shows the difference between the monotonous life as an ant and the spirit showed by Z.

This movie is not only surprising that it can be enjoyed by adults as well as kids, but the scoring is great and the soundtrack has earnt a valued place in my collection.

I went to go see the movie, not quite sure what to expect. By the time the track "The Colony" came on, I started laughing. It was so incredible, very lively, bouncy, really gives you an insight to the whole film. Probably my two favorite tracks are "The Colony" and "General Mandible", the latter (for some reason) making me think of a jungle predator...very cunning and dangerous. A MUST for anyone!

I admit it, whenever I saw the CD of "Antz" for the first time, I was so sure that it would be an awful score. But, this CD is single-handidly one of my favorites. My favorite theme on this soundtrack is "Z's Theme", a very comforting and relaxing theme. Let me tell you this much, if you enjoy an easy-on-the-ear enjoyable score then buy this soundtrack, you will not be sorry