Empire of the Ants (1977) Reviews

• How You Going to Keep Them Down on the Ant Farm...After They Have Seen This Film!

  BaronBl00d2002-01-03

  Mr. BIG(Bert I. Gordon) does it again! He creates a truly bad science fiction film with amazingly poor special effects and some of the schlockiest character acting performances and dialogue around. Supposedly based on a story by H. G. Well's, The Empire of the Ants is about how a group of people go to one of those shin-digs put on by real estate folks hoping you will buy some of their resort property after drinking some of their third-rate drinks and eating some of their crummy snacks. Joan Collins is running the show, hoping to sell all the people who came by boat to her real estate project a lot. Seems she is not a wholly reputable businesswoman, yet she has no knowledge of the fact that giant ants that grew from a leaking can of nuclear waste have taken over the resort and begin feeding on her guests, first in pairs. In one of the more ridiculous scenes in the film, giant ants run on the dock, jump on the boat, attack one of the crew, and then cause the skipper, hardily played by Robert Lansing, to set fire to the ship and leave the survivors no recourse but to trek back by foot. The journey back causes lots of death and destruction. The most ridiculous scene in the film has an aged couple hiding in a cabin and then coming out to see these giant ants all over the hut and on the ground standing. I almost fell over laughing at the awful special effects! Finally, the remaining few reach a town that secretly has been taken over by giant ants that spray a mist over people and make them do their bidding. The second half of the film breaks any possibility that you take the film seriously. The first half, although filled with many a ridiculous moment, at least has some suspense and gives the actors a little screen time to show that some of them actually know how to act. The second half is a hodge podge of poor script-writing, bad character acting, and some more real cheesy special effects. The film is another testament to Mr. BIG's ability to create some of the campiest, bad sci-fi around. Despite all this negativity, the film is a load of unintended laughs!

• Worth a look...but nothing to take seriously.

  Aaron13752003-03-07

  This is my favorite giant insect movie. I don't know what it is about this one, but every time I see it on AMC or where ever I have to watch. The effects are bad and the plot isn't the best in the world, but not every movie has to be great to be fun to watch. Usually, in movies of this type the monsters (in this case giant ants) are rarely seen cause they look so bad. In this one, though, they don't care what they look like and they are more than happy to show us this cheesy ants...sometimes the old regular ants projected on the background, while at others really bad puppets. The plot has these people looking at vacation plots...you know timeshare stuff. While touring the facility, some members disappear and then the ants attack. They have to get away from them and go down a river on a boat to do so. This is my favorite part of the movie, going down the river. Lots of the cast are taken out here. Unfortunately, it ends rather weak as they all get to this town that has some sort of connection to the ants, but what? I would have preferred this one to stay with the river and wood scenes rather than the town part of the plot, but overall this movie is good fun.

• Respect the ant, dammit!!

  Coventry2004-12-17

  An eminent intro with a neat voice-over makes us aware that ants actually are as sophisticated as humans (if not more sophisticated). This is the perfect introduction to one of the most grotesque creature-features ever unleashed upon horror cinema. Bert Gordon's Empire of the Ants, ladies and gentlemen! In this story, supposedly adapted from an H.G. Well's tale, the ravishing Joan Collins stars as a fancy estate agent who tries to sell island properties to a bunch of phonies pretending they have money. The joy is barbarically interrupted by a colony of humongous ants! The monstrous bugs have mutated into unearthly beings due to toxic waste (figures…). EofA is often categorized as one the worst 70's shlockfests, partly because it's from the hand of Gordon. But try to look at it as pure fun and cult entertainment that doesn't require brain activity. It's a troop of hairy, over-sized and – especially – cheaply created ants eating people one by one. Nothing more, nothing less. Still, the island location is eerie and the sound effects are more or less decent. Joan Collins, one of my personal favorite actresses, is great as the bitchy broad. The rest of the cast are stereotypes, like the loser turned hero, the old wise guy the egocentric coward (who nearly always dies spectacularly) and the cute babe. I hardly consider the overuse of all these clichés to be obstacles since I never expected to see a masterpiece to begin with. The only real crap elements are the weak dialogs and the complete lack of atmosphere and tension. Empire of the Ants does feature a brilliant, typical B-movie twist near the end, though. But that's just my opinion and I'm sure that most people will find it too stupid for words. Nevertheless, Empire of the Ants is a must-see if you're in to "big bug"-movies. This sub-genre of horror is going through a revival these days and it's essential to watch the influential gems that once started it all. Also recommended: "Tarantula", "The Bees", "Frogs", "Phase IV" (more ants), "Kingdom of the Spiders" and "The Deadly Mantis".

• Love, Pheromone Style

  montagnais232004-08-31

  I guess I'm the only one who noticed the potential "love story" here. Don't believe me? From the beginning it seems very clear that Robert Lansing's Dan Stokely has a thing for the bitchy Marilyn Fryser (played by everyone's favorite bitch, Joan Collins). Check out that elongated "stare" they share on the boat. Then there's Jacqueline Scott's droopy, whiny, bitter, button-obsessed Margaret Ellis. She has a thing for Dan, but Dan tries to brush her off by saying he doesn't need any buttons. The clincher, however, is when Marilyn decides to go it alone through the forest, but is immediately confronted by those annoying picnic pests. Take note how she runs back right into Dan's waiting arms. Note also how he eagerly holds her tight and caresses her. And make one final note at Margaret Ellis's reaction -- you think she was bitter before? That one scene provides more drama and suspense than anything else in the film! For example: Does Margaret really love Dan? Does Dan really love Marilyn? Does Marilyn really want to give up her life as an independent and successful woman for the macho Dan? Will Margaret kill Marilyn so she can sew buttons for Dan? Will Marilyn kill Margaret and steal her buttons so SHE can sew them for Dan? Will Dan say "to hell with the buttons," rip off his shirt and have his way with both women? Or will Dan say "to hell" with both women and offer them up as sacrifices to the ants? Alas, the movie never answers these questions. But wouldn't it be cool if it had?

• It's not THAT bad...

  tom_koopa2009-09-28

  In my opinion the rating on IMDb for this movie is a little harsh. Okay, it's not a masterpiece and the effects are a little hokey. The acting isn't superb, but it isn't garbage either. But you have to look at this film with an open mind. Don't take it too seriously. I think it's a nice adaptation of H.G Well's story. There's good character development and story; and the ants could have been so much worse. Of course they look fake, but it isn't terrible to look at. Ant-vision, cheesy ominous music prior to attacks and a strange ending don't improve the quality of the movie though. All in all, if you like insect-attack movies with a few strange twists and character story, go check this one out. 5 out of 10 ants; ehh stars.