I make no secret of the fact that I’m unimpressed by superhero films. They all seem more of the same thing, and the endless sequels do not inspire great hope for the future of filmmaking. But I have to admit that the trailer for Danish superhero film Antboy intrigues me.
First of all, Antboy is not a millionaire by day, masked crusader by night; nor is he a super-soldier, alien, billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, or angsty-teenager. He’s just a little kid, bitten by a very special ant. He’s also Danish, which is a nice change.
Antboy was directed by Ask Hasselbalch and adapted from the books by Kenneth Bøgh Andersen. That doesn’t mean much to American audiences, but the trailer provides a charming glimpse into what we can expect from Antboy – and it is not Kick-Ass.
Actually, in appearance it’s far more like Wes Anderson directing a superhero film. Pelle (Oscar Dietz) becomes Antboy, but is otherwise just a normal little kid with a best friend, a girl he likes (Amalie Kruse Jensen), and bullies he hates. As Pelle learns to be Antboy with the help of his friend Wilhelm (Samuel Ting Graf), he discovers what he can and cannot do: can climb walls, cannot fly. Enter The Flea (Nicolas Bro), a grown-up and Antboy’s archnemesis, and things get interesting.
The film looks like a combination of Spider-Man and Moonrise Kingdom with Danish accents. Based on the trailer, it’s a sweet, charming film that does not go overboard on the violence or the vigilante. We need a few films like that right now.
Antboy will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off on September 9.
Check out the trailer below, along with some stills from the film, and let us know what you think of this Danish entry into the superhero genre in the comments section.
