Antz Dir Eric Darnell & Tim Johnson PG 90mins WHO would have thought that an animated movie about a colony of ants could attract one of the most impressive film casts of the past few years?

Woody Allen stars as Ant Z, a typically neurotic, non-conformist ant with ideas above his station. His best friend and voice of sobriety is big soldier ant Weaver, played by Sylvester Stallone. The love of his life is Princess Bala, a typical New York rich-bitch but with a heart of gold voiced by Sharon Stone. Gene Hackman and Christopher Walken play General Mandible and Cutter respectively - two ants with their own murderous designs on the colony. And there are parts for Jennifer Lopez, Anne Bancroft, Danny Glover and Dan Ackroyd. A better cast could not really be imagined.

If all that heralds something of quality, then the movie itself does not disappoint. The computer-generated animation is faultless. The first sight of the inside of the ants' nest is a jaw-dropping moment; it really is spectacular.

Great fun can be had guessing which ant is played by whom before they open their mouths because their little faces have been fashioned around those of the actors playing them. Sylvester Stallone, for example, is unmissable. A fellow reviewer even remarked on how old Anne Bancroft is looking. Anyone who felt guilty about fancying Betty Rubble will feel a whole lot better after hearing that.

All this is mere window dressing if the actual story and script doesn't measure up. Surprise surprise then, that it does. Woody Allen opens the film, talking to his psychiatrist about the problems of being the middle ant in a family of five million; "You get abandoned," he whines. Meanwhile we see a skyscape of grass that looks like New York city. All it needs is Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue playing over the top and it could be the Allen film Manhattan for ants.

Allen fans will not be disappointed. If he didn't have an uncredited hand in writing the script, I would be surprised. When he and Weaver are propping up the bar, Z refuses a a swig of aphid beer saying: "Call me crazy, but I have a thing about drinking from the anus of another creature." It's pure Woody Allen. Later he even sings a jazz-based love song, bringing to mind his musical Everyone Says I Love You.

Film buffs should also look out for Christopher Walken recreating his interrogation scene from True Romance, and the moves Z and Bala execute on the dance floor to Guantanamera.

Can Antz be faulted? Erm, no, it can't. The plot is simple enough for kids to enjoy, but with more than enough for adults to chew. To be fair, anyone under the age of 15 will probably miss half of it. But I defy anyone over not to enjoy it. Jeremy Austin

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.