"A REAL Bug's Life" Review

[Firenkyo]

This recently came out on Disney+, and I was really excited to see a series solely about bugs! I'm pretty mixed about it, so here are my thoughts.
Good
- Bugs!
- Nice footage
- Some less popular bugs were featured
- Some nice connections to integrated pest management and coexisting with harmless bugs

Bad
- Awkward/bad humor (in my opinion)
- HEAVY species bias (4/5 episodes had ants as a main feature)
- Bad CGI
- Hard to immerse yourself
- Kinda took a more fantastical approach like setting up a "storyline" for some bugs (nothing blatantly unrealistic, but like come on guys we know this isn't the same ant)
- Only 5 episodes

Overall, I wasn't the biggest fan of it unfortunately. I think my biggest issue was how annoying I found the narration (I just don't like Awkwafina in most roles she plays) and how it didn't really go over anything new (ENOUGH ANTS!!!!). I'd recommend it if you're not really that into bugs and want to see some cool guys in action! I was just hoping for a more diverse cast of bugs (I'm so sad they just did a brief segment on antlions and didn't make them one of the focuses of an episode) and to see something that I hadn't seen before.

 

[KAInotophobia]

thank you so much for this lol

i keep seeing ads about it but was pretty hesitant because the actual movie wasn’t that good imo and wasn’t sure what this would be about.

but I totally agree on the ants! i swear every documentary or show on bugs ALWAYS focuses on ants like their an endangered species

 

[Firenkyo]

thank you so much for this lol

i keep seeing ads about it but was pretty hesitant because the actual movie wasn’t that good imo and wasn’t sure what this would be about.

but I totally agree on the ants! i swear every documentary or show on bugs ALWAYS focuses on ants like their an endangered species

Like yeah yeah I guess they're the most relatable/interesting to the general population but there's SO much diversity in bugs!
When it wasn't ants, it was bees (thankfully not honeybees though). Plus some of the more 'well-known' bugs like dung beetles, mantises, monarch butterflies, and cockroaches. I wanted to see more niche bugs!

 

[OrchidMantis]

What would be the top 5 or 10 bugs you think someone should make a movie about?

 

[Firenkyo]

What would be the top 5 or 10 bugs you think someone should make a movie about?

Hmmmmmmmmm

1. Fig wasp
- They're so cool! And I love figs!
2. Antlion
- Their larval stage is shown a lot, but not their adult one, which would be cool to see in a documentary.
3. Glow worms!
- I didn't even know they were real until like 5 years ago. Their hunting habits are cool and they look alien.
4. Vinegaroon
- Not an insect, but close enough. They're adorable and can spray acid!
5. Giant Water Bugs/Toebiters
- One of the few insects that display parental care! And even more interestingly, it's the males that "care" for the babies (they mostly just carry the eggs around).
6. Cicadas!
- Especially with brood X coming up, it would be cool to see the different dormancy periods different species go through, and what happens when multiple broods line up.
7. Assassin bugs!
- Especially that species that makes armor out of dead ants. Cool
8. Robber flies
- Predatory insects that don't get enough recognition!
9. Dragonflies
- Especially their nymphal aquatic stage! I'd like to see more footage of them hunting underwater
10. Some sort of butterfly that's not a Monarch
- Or maybe a moth? I like watching the growth from caterpillar to adult

 

[Orin]

Like yeah yeah I guess they're the most relatable/interesting to the general population but there's SO much diversity in bugs!
When it wasn't ants, it was bees (thankfully not honeybees though). Plus some of the more 'well-known' bugs like dung beetles, mantises, monarch butterflies, and cockroaches. I wanted to see more niche bugs!

Wasn't the movie mostly about ants? I look forward to seeing this but your review may put it near the bottom of my list of things to watch one day.

 

[Firenkyo]

Wasn't the movie mostly about ants? I look forward to seeing this but your review may put it near the bottom of my list of things to watch one day.

That's true! I don't think my time watching it was wasted, I still got to see some cool bugs. The camera footage was pretty good most of the time too.