Blu-ray Review – Empire of the Ants (1977)

      Empire of the Ants, 1977.

      Directed by Bert I. Gordon.

      Featuring Joan Collins, Robert Lansing, John David Carson, Robert Pine, Brooke Palance.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Fraudster Marilyn Fryser endeavors to sell fake real estate schemes in a region besieged by enormous ants.

      Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) is a property developer keen to remind her team who controls the finances and makes the decisions. She is attempting to market plots of land in an upcoming Florida development and has arranged a boat trip to showcase her offerings to potential buyers. However, some unscrupulous dealers have dumped barrels of radioactive waste into the sea, which has washed ashore and contaminated a colony of ants, transforming them into monstrous giants that start attacking the investor group. Additionally, the queen ant emits pheromones to manipulate the local ants into sourcing sugar from the nearby sugar plant. It’s as chaotic as it sounds…

      Empire of the Ants is a delightfully absurd film, embodying the type of ridiculousness that emerged after Jaws, where creatures became enormous and deadly. In truth, the film harkens back to the 1950s sci-fi horrors of Cold War-era America, where any radioactive substance could turn ordinary life into monstrous chaos. Though loosely inspired by the H.G. Wells story of the same name, the film diverges significantly, as in the original, the ants were intelligent rather than gigantic.

      Honestly, these ants aren’t particularly giant either; the special effects consist mostly of standard-sized ants that have been enlarged, rear-projected, or superimposed onto set photographs, alongside the use of forced perspectives. However, they are intended to appear enormous within the context of the film. For close-ups, the effects team devised large ant puppets and models to interact with actors from the fringe of the screen, resulting in hilarity for all the wrong reasons. Watching Joan Collins strive to appear as if her performance isn’t solely for a paycheck is amusing—each time she gets splashed with swamp water, you can nearly visualize her mentally counting to ten to maintain her composure.

      We encounter a cast of characters on the island for a day of complimentary champagne while resisting the urge to entrust Joan Collins with their life savings, yet we never really delve into their backgrounds. There's an elderly couple whose fate is predictable, and another older couple filled with complaints who are just after a free experience. The narrative’s predictability is evident to anyone familiar with creature features, and even newcomers can discern the archetypes based on the cast, who aren’t exactly presented as young, heroic figures.

      Nevertheless, despite the ridiculousness, Empire of the Ants is thoroughly entertaining if you accept it as a lighthearted monster film. In the context of the 1970s, themes of shady dealings and corruption permeate the story, alongside the looming threat of chemical warfare. If you wish to interpret these elements as social commentary, you may, but that might be a stretch. Director Bert I. Gordon, also known as Mr. B.I.G., was seasoned in low-budget giant monster films, and given that Empire of the Ants came later in his career, it’s more likely he aimed merely to display bizarre special effects in a film that, if nothing else, offers some laughs.

      Despite its lowbrow reputation, Empire of the Ants is available on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment as part of their Eureka Classics line. To be honest, when discussing monster movies from the 1970s—which should definitely be part of the conversation—Empire of the Ants stands out as a memorable title, not just for its effects but also because, despite its absurdity, Bert I. Gordon managed to create a cohesive film from minimal resources. Featuring appreciations from author/critic Kim Newman and filmmaker Chris Cooke, Empire of the Ants deserves its place in the Eureka Classics lineup, just remember to approach it with a sense of humor.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Chris Ward