"Superheroes come in all sizes"
"Have you ever longed to be someone else? Someone special. The class clown, or the football star. Someone people thought was cool. Or just even noticed. I know I have. That's me."
— Pelle Nøhrmann
Antboy is a 2013 Danish superhero film directed by Ask Hasselbalch. Writing credits are shared by Anders Ølholm, Kenneth Bøgh Andersen, and Nikolaj Arcel.
Set in Middellund (presumably Midtjylland), Denmark, 12 year old Pelle Nøhrmann (Oscar Dietz) is an ordinary student who nobody notices; he is so ordinary, in fact, that no bully bothers to tease him.
However, that all changed the moment he was bitten by an ant. Soon, he began displaying extraordinary abilities, comparable to the ant that bit him; from the ability to climb walls, to durable teeth that can bite through steel.
Together with Wilhelm Theson (Samuel Ting Graf) and Ida Sommersted (Amalie Kruse Jensen), Pelle must take up the challenge as Antboy and defeat The Flea (Nicolas Bro).
This film provides examples of:
- The Everyman: Pelle Nøhrmann, in the beginning of the film. He describes himself thusly:Pelle Nøhrmann: I'm sure many people like being normal. But I'm pretty tired of it. I'm nothing special. I'm not even the nerd everyone teases. At least he gets some attention. I'm just Pelle. A tiny ant in a tiny anthill. [...] Tiny and insignificant.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Despite possessing extraordinary powers, Pelle isn't interested in being a superhero at first. It is only when Wilhelm was kidnapped by The Flea that he became a true hero.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Peter Sommersted implemented cutbacks to save money for his company, Exofarm. Albert Gaemelkra, who was working on a cure for his mother, was among the first to be laid off. He tried to convince the board to let him stay, but he was kicked out anyway, and as a result, his mother died.The Flea: I tried to threaten the board to let me continue, but Sommersted didn't give a damn. "I'm sending you away with a flea in your ear," he said. And my mother...it was too late for her.''
- The Power of Blood: The Flea's enhanced abilities, though great, unfortunately come from the absorption of blood.The Flea: Be glad you only have to eat sugar to maintain your powers. When I got the power of the flea, I got its insatiable craving...for blood.''
