Antboy (2013)

I recently found several kid-oriented superhero dvds at the Dollar Tree and decided to pick them up.  

Synopsis 

Based on a Danish juvenile fiction series, Antboy is the story of young Pele, who's bitten by a genetically modified ant and gains superpowers. He teams up with his classmates, comic obsessed Wilhelm and rebel Ida to save Ida's sister (and Pele's crush), Amanda. 

Review

As you can probably guessed from the synopsis, this movie is a a lot like a kid friendly, low budget version of Spider-Man. In some ways it is, but in others it definitely feels like its own thing. For one the target audience and age of the protagonist definitely makes this one feel different than something like Raimi's Spider-Man, even if it definitely mimics it at times.

The acting isn't amazing, but the young cast do an entertaining job. The audio seems a bit off, but that's because the film is dubbed.  Pele is definitely Peter Parker. His friend Wilhem does a great job as hero support. There's a great bit about him helping Pele figure out what powers he has. This is a sillier, more childlike version of what we saw in Shazam. The characters Ida and Amanda are interesting, because they are stand-ins for Mary Jane and Harry Osborne, since their dad owns a genetic research company and the love interest role played. The main villain of the movie made me think of my pal across the Pond, Tim. Who's Antboy's primary antagonist? Why it's the Flea! He's out of place in the movie, honestly. He's a really dark character for a kids movie. 

This is a fun little flick. Not going to say you need to rush out and wach it, but if you like family friendly flicks or have kids, you could go with much worse. It definitely knows what it is and actually references Spider-Man, X-Men, Ant Man, and some other superheroes. This movie is the first of a trilogy and I'll review the other two soon. 

In Your Game

Antboy

Small Humanoid (Human), Lawful Good

Armor Class: 15

Hit Points: 50

Speed: 30 ft., Climb 30 ft.

Challenge: 3

STR:  20 (+5), DEX: 20 (+5), CON: 18 (+4), 

INT: 11 (+0), WIS: 10 (+0), CHA: 13 (+1)

Saving Throws:  Dex +7

Skills: Athletics +6, Perception +2

Damage Resistance: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing

Senses: Blindsight 10 ft.,  Passive Perception: 12

Languages: English

Unique Traits:

Powerful Bite: Antboy's bite ignores the damage threshold of inanimate objects. 

Spider Climb: Antboy can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. 

Ant Strength: Antboy can carry/lift twice the weight of a normal creature of his size. He can also wield heavy weapons with one hand.

Super Scent: Antboy has advantage on all Perception rolls involving smell.

Acidic Urine: Antboy's urine is highly acidic. It does 1d4 points of Acid damage a turn and ignores the damage threshold of inanimate objects.

Actions:

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit 6 (1d4+4) piercing damage.

Punch: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) bludgeoning damage.