Bee Movie Review: It Bugged Me

We start out with a story about someone who doesn't quite fit into his world. Barry doesn't like the idea of having some mind-numbing job for the rest of his life. He wants something more, and that's something we can all relate to. This has all the makings of a decent story. Sure, we've heard this story before, but there's no reason why you can't put another spin on it.

The movie goes off on a tangent when Barry discovers the human world. He becomes infatuated with a human named Vanessa, then sues humans for "stealing" honey. And a whole bunch of other weird stuff happens, including an ecological disaster caused by this chain of events.

The movie ends up with conflicting messages. I'm not really sure what it's trying to say. At first it seems to be a story about individuality and being true to yourself. Then it ends up celebrating the beeish way of life, which was apparently in perfect balance before the lawsuit threw everything out of whack.

Is Bee Movie trying to say that we need to embrace our roles and realize that even the smallest job has value? Is it trying to say that it's bad for people to want be something more, to push for changes in society? Or is it saying that it's a good thing to pursue your dreams, provided you don't do it stupidly? Do interspecies relationships ever work out?

Bee Movie has such a convoluted plot and goes in so many different directions that the story caves in on itself. It would have been a much more satisfying film if it left out the lawsuit storyline and focused exclusively on the bees' world.

Speaking of the bee world, I couldn't get into it because it didn't feel beeish enough.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for anthropomorphic bees. They have to be human enough for us to empathize with. I can accept a world where bees talk, have four limbs, and wear little shoes and sweaters. But they need to be more than human caricatures running around with wings and yellow makeup.

The hive was a big problem. It doesn't feel like a hive. It looks too much like a human city. The bees drive cars. The bees talk on antennae-cellphones. Rather than finding it cute, the too-human elements spoiled the fantasy for me.

This is probably the biggest problem of all: None of the characters are especially likable or memorable. The characters just don't shine. After I watched Bee Movie, I couldn't even remember Barry's name.

Mooseblood the mosquito is an exception. He has the most personality and the funniest lines. It's just too bad he doesn't get more screen time.

Jerry Seinfeld provides the voice for Barry Benson. Unfortunately, Seinfeld's "wise guy" persona dominates Barry. The bee comes across as a Seinfeld caricature. There are moments when Barry is almost likable, but most of the time he's either lackluster or annoying.