Empire of the Ants

Empire of the Ants (1977) ** (out of 4) Mr. Big delivers another "big bug movie" with this one dealing with ants. Joan Collins plays a real estate con woman who takes a group of people to the future sight of a "great" beach front property. What they don't know is that a company has been pouring toxic waste in the ocean and unfortunately for them one barrel has found its way on shore and cute little ants have gotten into it. Soon these little creatures are now huge and eating humans. EMPIRE OF THE ANTS got the green light, I'm sure, because Gordon's previous film THE FOOD OF THE GODS turned out to be a decent hit. You really could have called this thing THE FOOD OF THE GODS PART II because they're quite similar but then again both are quite similar to the type of "big" movies Gordon was making in the previous two decades. There's certainly nothing new or original here but if you enjoy Gordon's films then I really see no reason why you won't enjoy this one. As you'd expect, the special effects are quite laughable with Gordon using the same technique in 1977 that he was much earlier in his career. Often times it seems as if the ants are walking in thin air and at other times you can obviously see the rear projection. Most films would be dead in the water with such bad effects but I think it adds some charm because of how serious Gordon treats them. Most directors would know these effects are bad and try to downplay them or hide them but not Gordon. He shows these bad effects with his head held high and it at least gives the viewer some entertainment. Collins and the rest of the cast do what they can with the material they're given but the humans certainly aren't the high point of the film. I think the film would have benefited from being at least ten-minutes shorter as things really start to drag during the final act.

...is just one of the many silly scenes featured in this laughable 'sci-fi' entry in the notorious late 1970's where Joan Collins squares off against a gigantic queen ant positioned inside a master control station inside a sugar warehouse. Robert Lansing and John David Carson also star in "EMPIRE OF THE ANTS", a remarkable production financed by the now-defunct Orion Pictures (responsible for releasing many blaxploitation films in the 1970's) that features giant mutated ants attacking a boatload of prospective real estate buyers and a township of residents who become hypnotized by none other than the queen ant herself. The high-light of "EMPIRE OF THE ANTS" are not the ants themselves, but Joan Collins and the notorious performance given by her in this hilarious movie where she successfully gives true meaning to the words, 'camp classic'. She portrays a sleazy real estate saleswoman who leads a group of misfits on a sale junket to a remote island that is unknowingly to her controlled by mutated ants that have been exposed to a drum of toxic waste. Once the group reach the island, it doesn't take long before the cliche's kick in, such as the strange rustling in the bushes where a curious victim will investigate the noise, or the mysterious aspect of the missing 'helping hands' who have disappeared from the job. Furthermore, none of the film's characters have been developed so that you will sympathize or care for their outcome. When the ants make their appearance, hilarity and laughter will ensue as you witness some unique special effects that will most certainly take their place in cinematic history. Of the ants that you get to see from far away, it is basically stock footage of ants within an 'ant farm' that has been spliced onto the film of the movie. Of the ants that you get to see close up, they are basically huge papier mache puppets that could be mistaken as extras from an episode of "DOCTOR WHO" that ensure nothing less than unintentional laughter. Seeing victims meeting their demise, such as the old couple who take shelter inside a remote out-house, only to venture back outside to discover lots of giant ants swarming the place is nothing short of hysterical. Especially the looks on their faces as they witness the horror, I got the impression that the old man just wanted to say to his wife, "Oh... well hmmm... looks like this is it my dear!" My favorite 'death scene' was the woman in the green pants suit who just stood there as the ant with a hundred eyes inches towards her and she repeatedly screams, "MA-MA!" like some sort of big baby. Seeing Joan Collins doing her best 'bitch' impression as she snaps catty one-liners and runs around screaming with her hands in the air as she sees footage of an ant standing completely still and doing nothing will make you laugh hysterically. The ending of the film that shows her demise is misunderstood. She doesn't actually get 'eaten' by the ants. From what I saw, she was dealt a few blows by the queen ant that thrashed at her a few times as it died, but it appeared to me that she died from nothing more than inhaling the 'smoke' or pheromes released by the queen ant and she suffered asphyxiation. Furthermore, why would these ants actually eat people when they've gone to the trouble of hypnotizing a whole town just so they can get them to process a sugar refinery for them? The answer is really no big deal. No one watching this movie is actually looking for facts and truth. It's an hour and a half of non-stop hilarity and that is exactly what I got. Besides, "EMPIRE OF THE ANTS" is so notoriously bad, MGM (responsible for releasing the movie on DVD) even marketed this movie as being Joan Collins' career foible! My Rating - 6 out of 10.

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.

source: Empire of the Ants

Trailer—Empire of the Ants

Empire of the Ants

Empire of the Ants is one of the more campy and unintentionally funny nature runs amok films of the 70's. People surveying land on an island suddenly have a run in with a colony of radio active giant ants! Bert I. Gordon is mostly known for his hokey B movies for AIP pictures, this being one of the funniest. Naturally the special FX for these giant creatures are laughably bad and the acting is less-than impressive to say the least. The fact that melodramatic Joan Collins is the star of the film doesn't help matters either! But Empire of the Ants is one of those golden B flicks that are so bad that they have a cheesy kind of entertaining value. It really lands itself in the category of so-bad-it's-good! While Empire of the Ants certainly isn't for the serious viewer, it's gold to us B fans and one can't deny that it leaves an impression! ** 1/2 out of ****

Last week, I commented FOOD OF THE GODS, directed by the same Bert I Gordon, and also adapted from a HG Wells' novel. This film is very close on the scheme and message to the previous. A monster and disaster film n the same time. Good stuff from Gordon, compared with his first features, in the fifties. He had here greater budgets. It's not a great film, it is full of predictable things, but it remains fun, entertaining, worth watching for horror sci-fi movies. In the same year, you also had KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS; same kind of cheap but effective stuff.

Boy, my boy. Laughable 'sci-fi' that is a hoot. The enticing Joan Collins plays a shady real estate agent along with a boat load of prospective property buyers attacked by giant mutant ants. The queen ant is housed inside a sugar plant/warehouse where she hypnotizes the residents of the small, remote island community. The special effects are probably up to par for the mid 70's. But this thing is so silly it hurts. Not the best effort from a talented cast that includes Albert Salmi, Jacqueline Scott, Robert Lansing, Robert Pine and John David Carson.

"Empire of the Ants" is an astoundingly silly film in the ecokill subgenre.This adaptation of H.G.Wells' novel features a fun 70's B-movie cast menaced by cheesy-looking giant ants.It is pure trashy fun,so don't take this movie seriously.Director Bert I.Gordon went on to make such films as "The Food of the Gods","Satan's Princess","Burned at the Stake".Recommended if you like cheesy horror movies!