‘Bee Movie’ doesn’t live up to the buzz

In theaters

BEE MOVIE, directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, written by Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder and Andy Robin, 100 minutes, rated PG.

If the new computer-animated film “Bee Movie” had been directed by a queen bee rather than by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, it likely would have been tighter, more productive and had a sense of purpose. The film’s worker bees – in this case, the animators and writers – also might have been more focused on creating a great movie, rather than the average one they’ve given us here.

Unfortunately, too much of “Bee Movie” seems as if it was driven by drones. After an aggressive marketing campaign that naturally highlighted the movie’s high points, the film initially seemed a shoo-in for Academy Awards consideration. Yet “Bee Movie” is a film that likely played out better on the page than it does onscreen.

At least that’s true for its first half. The movie is the pet project of Jerry Seinfeld, who worked for years on the film, apparently polishing it to the point that he rubbed its edges smooth. Some of the dialogue does snap and there are a few good laughs, but they come after a labored first half, from which the film struggles to recover.

Set in New Hive City, the movie follows one Barry B. Benson (voice of Seinfeld), a bee fresh out of college who is inspired to change the world by ending human consumption of honey. For Barry, the idea that humans are robbing hives blind and working bees to death is a good reason to rebel. His idea is to get the humans out of the honey business and allow some downtime for the bumbles.

Helping him in that task is Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), a florist with boyfriend troubles who agrees to help Barry in his quest to sue the human race for enslavement and thievery. Eventually, they wind up in court, and it’s here, in the film’s second half, that it finally leaps to life.

This is due in great part to the human race’s hefty lawyer Layton T. Montgomery (John Goodman, excellent), who is given to marvelous bouts of histrionics, and also to the fallout that springs from the trial, which is dire. After all, what is the world to do if Barry actually wins his case? Has anyone considered the ramifications? Bees already are in dangerously short supply. If they stop pollinating flowers and plants, wouldn’t a worldwide collapse ensue, with all vegetation dying?

That’s a serious subject to explore, but in a cartoon that would rather squeeze the life out of every bee pun it can get its hands on, the big monster in this movie isn’t the human race, but those humans who failed to make a compelling film.

Grade: C

Holiday DVD Gift Guide, Part 1

Though we’re two weeks away from the official start of the holiday shopping season, many already have their shopping bag on – and they’re ready to go. A recent groundswell of e-mails suggest an early need for recommended options on DVD. While our yearly DVD gift guide will run in December as it always does, the good news is that right now there are plenty of newer releases well worth a spot on your holiday shopping list.

Chief among them are several choice releases from the British Broadcasting Corp., starting with the high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD releases of “Galapagos” ($28.99), a beautifully photographed documentary that reveals the richness of those islands’ niches, and Merchant-Ivory’s “A Room with a View” ($28.99), which solidified the duo’s reputation with eight Academy Award nominations.

Other fine offerings from the BBC include the excellent “Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days” ($49.98), the ingenious detective series (with a magician’s twist), “Jonathan Creek: Season Two” ($34.98), the collection of nature documentaries in “BBC Atlas of the Natural World: Africa and Europe ($59.98) as well as the quirky “Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection” ($79.98), with Robert Carlyle nicely cast as a beleaguered Scottish police constable making the most of it in an eccentric small town.

For drama, the big daddy of them all is HBO’s recent release of “The Sopranos: Season Six, Part Two” ($99.98), which ended the series with a controversial final shot that some loved and others bemoaned (don’t listen to the latter – it’s a perfect ending). This is the show’s second appearance on HD DVD and Blu-ray ($129.95) and there, in high-definition, it looks smashing, which is fitting given the violence of the content.

For those in the high-definition camp, recommended titles on HD DVD and Blu-ray include Warner’s releases of the fine Westerns “Wyatt Earp” and “The Wild Bunch” ($28.99 each) as well as the quintessential red-neck horror drama, “Deliverance” ($28.99), and “Ocean’s Trilogy” ($79.98), which collects the popular “Ocean’s” franchise in one crisp set. Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” ($39.98), with Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, is now available only on Blu-ray, while “Carlito’s Way” with Al Pacino, and its sequel, “Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power” ($29.98 each), without Al Pacino, are available only on HD DVD.

Several solid (and affordable) television offerings are worth noting, including the terrific “Ugly Betty: Season One” ($59.98), “Suspense: The Lost Episodes, Collection 2” ($29.98), “Cities of the Underworld: Complete Season One” ($44.95), “Dresden Files: Season One” ($39.98), “Route 66: Season One, Vol. One” ($29.98), “Smallville: Complete Sixth Season” ($59.98) and “Metalocalypse: Season One” ($29.98).

Finally, since nobody likes an unhappy child during the holiday season – unless, of course, it’s a cruel sibling with esteem issues – these titles come highly recommended for tots: Scholastic’s huge boxed set, “Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics” ($99.95), which is an unbeatable value; Disney’s 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of “The Jungle Book” ($29.99); “Knuffle Bunny: More Great Childhood Adventure Stories” ($29.99); “Loonatics Unleashed: Complete Second Season” ($19.98) and “Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Vol. 5” ($26.98), which includes 30 classic Warner cartoons and finds the inimitable Mel Blanc doing some of his best work.

So, there you have it. Shop ’til you drop.

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.