Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: Bert I. Gordon
Starring: Joan Collins, Robert Lansing, Pamela Shoop, John David Carson, Jacqueline Scott, Robert Pine
You can't accuse cult filmmaker Bert I. Gordon of failing to live up to his initials. "Mr. B.I.G." was known for b-movies in which everyday creatures were blown up to gigantic proportions, usually by some sort of radioactive interference (his films surely influenced Marvel supremo Stan Lee). In the 1950s and '60s he gave us giant humans in Village of the Giants, The Amazing Colossal Man and War of the Colossal Beast; giant locusts in Beginning of the End; and a giant spider in Earth vs the Spider. In 1976, spurred on by the craze for "animal attacks" thrillers that kicked off in the wake of Jaws, Gordon returned to his stock in trade and gave us giant rats in The Food of the Gods. That movie was adapted from a HG Wells story, though it had very little resemblance to it source.
The following year Gordon returned to the Wells well for an equally loose adaptation of the author's tale Empire of the Ants. Relocating the action from South America to Florida, Gordon's film mines the 1970s public's fears regarding toxic waste dumping with a plot that involves giant ants created when a barrel of radioactive waste dumped into the ocean washes up on a Florida beach. Said beach just happens to be close to a land development overseen by dodgy property developer Marilyn (Joan Collins), who has arranged for prospective clients to take a tour of the land.
Gordon and co-writer Jack Turley draw heavily on then popular TV shows like Fantasy Island and The Love Boat by introducing the sort of polyester-clad characters that populate such shows. Immediately marked out as the character we most want to see get eaten by a giant ant is Larry (Robert Pine), a handsy creep who eyes up horny singleton Coreen (Pamela Susan Shoop) despite being in the company of his long-suffering wife Christine (Brooke Palance). After escaping Larry's clutches, Coreen immediately begins hitting on the newly divorced Joe (John David Carson). Margaret (Jacqueline Scott) sets her sights on hooking up with Dan (Robert Lansing), the gruff captain of the boat that brought the guests to their doom. Elsewhere is a pair of older couples who are essentially ant fodder, and Charlie (Edward Power), an employee of Marilyn's who also appears to be her sex slave.
When the giant ants emerge, the group finds itself stranded, herded like cattle by the highly intelligent creatures. Through a series of bad decisions they're picked off one by one in scenes of actors trashing about under papier-mâché ant legs. Gordon returns to the technique of his '50s monster movies, that of combining close-ups of real ants with his actors through process shots. The technique was never very convincing in black and white, even less so in full colour. But that's all part of the goofy charm of Gordon's movies, and there's fun to be had watching someone like Collins slum it by acting opposite a giant ant while covered in swamp sludge.
Late on the movie takes a turn into Body Snatchers territory when it is revealed that the Queen ant is using her pheromones to turn the region's human population into mindless workers. This portion of the film is far more interesting than the played out giant insect action that gets us here, and it's a shame the movie couldn't have spent more time exploring this idea. The sweaty Albert Salmi is ideally cast as the stereotypical small town sheriff who can't be trusted, with the archetype given a neat sci-fi twist. Unlike the other townsfolk, the sheriff appears to still be in full control of his mental faculties. What's scariest about Empire of the Ants is its recognition that there are men like this who will happily betray their people, and they're usually found dressed in a uniform.
Empire of the Ants is on UK/ROI bluray from Eureka Entertainment from June 22nd.