Gordon’s script twaddles along for nearly an hour when it could have been doing something far more compelling.
In 1977, hot off the relative success of 1976’s The Food of the Gods, American International Pictures and writer/director Bert I. Gordon (aka “Mr. Big”) unleashed Empire of the Ants. Using the same general formula for which Gordon was known, a cadre of veteran (if not necessarily household name) actors was assembled and given a thread-bare script involving threatening giant monsters, in this case, insects.
As was The Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants is loosely based on a story by H.G. Wells. And by loosely, I mean sharing very little other than the title. In Gordon’s version, real estate scam artist Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) has invited a group of potential customers to tour her bogus beachfront development on an island in Florida. Unbeknownst to Fryser, a barrel of radioactive waste has washed up on shore and been ingested by ants. As a result, the ants have grown to gigantic proportions and apparently developed a taste for human flesh.
In a better film, the first 30 minutes would be called character development. Here, it’s just filler as we’re given disposable backstories on most of the cast. Does it matter that Joe (John David Carson) has just gotten out of a failed marriage? Is it integral to the plot that Margaret (Jacqueline Scott) has been fired from her job of 20 years? Nope. Aside from possibly explaining why each of these characters clingily pairs up with a member of the opposite sex, there’s no discernible reason other than padding the running time. I won’t even attempt to make sense of the inclusion of an attempted rape scene involving Robert Pine and Pamela Shoop’s characters.
For the next 30 to 40 minutes, the ants pick off Marilyn’s customers in standard B-movie, “monsters on the loose” fashion. The ants also destroy the boat that got everyone to the island, so the group is forced to traverse the jungle looking for a way out. What they find on the other side of the island is a better plot and, dare I say, a foundation for a better movie. Unfortunately, in the context of the first hour, it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Yes, I know that complaining about logic gaps in a movie about giant ants is ridiculous. However, this shift so jarring that it made me wonder why it wasn’t the main story-line in the first place.
My biggest gripe is that there’s an interesting idea buried in the last half that begs for more development. Gordon’s script twaddles along for nearly an hour when it could have been doing something far more compelling. That’s not to say that the last part of the movie is incredible but it manages to elicit a genuine sense of humor and camaraderie among the characters that the first half is sorely lacking.
As it is, Empire of the Ants is a B-movie and, if you’re looking for a master class in acting, special effects or, well, anything, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. For fans of pure schlock, there’s a goldmine of gaffes, guffaws, and abysmal ant puppetry that is worth the price of admission.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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