In der Gewalt der Riesenameisen

A fake land-seller : Joan Collins attempts to sell bogus real state to a group of innocent buyers : John David Carson , Robert Lansing , Jacqueline Scott , Pamela Shoop, Robert Pine at a location that is being run over by mutant giant ants contamined by radioactive waste. After ingesting an unknown radioactive substance , ants become huge and threatening the occupants of the remote Everglades in Florida . For they shall inherit the earth..sooner than you think ! . It's no picnic ! ..

Routine and regular monster movie about habitual issue concerning a group of nuclear , enormous , unfriendly ants stalking a real state dealer and prospective buyers of undeveloped oceanfront property. This is a cheap , humdrum version rendition of the H. G. Wells novel by suffering from lousy interpretations and an embarrassing lack of imagination. Fakey special effects might have been decent in the Sixties or Seventies , but they just don't cut it today. This is the follow-up to "Food of the Gods" 1976 also directed by Bert I Gordon with Marjoe Gortner, Ida Lupino, Pamela Franklin , Ralph Meeker . The motion picture was written , produced and directed by Bert I Gordon and he made the special effects effects too, in his usual primitive and traditional style . Bett realized various Sci-Fi , Fantasy and monsters movies , such as: " Cyclops , Food of the gods , Viillage of the Giants, Magic Sword , Picture Mammy Dead , Big Bet , and Witching, the Necromancy" . This is not nice enough even to be deemed a camp movie , as H. G Wells's story is trashed in this ordinary movie , in fact he must somersault in his grave every time somebody sees this below average rendition of one of his more thrilling stories. Rating : 4/10. Below average .

Bert Gordon gave this film a good shot - and the results were not altogether bad. It was pretty well cast, too. What really kills it is the cinematography and some of the staging. The ant attacks are just not convincing and the special effects are horrid (especially the boat blowing up). The leads do an OK job, but the script just had tons of dead air and there's not much good dialogue. The bit where Margaret Ellis (played well by Jacqueline Scott) reminisces in the boat about her being fired after 20 years of working for the same boss is nicely delivered, but falls painfully flat. Things perk up a bit when Albert Salmi comes in as the sheriff. I guess Joan Collins' character got what she deserved in the end, but she doesn't seem like a truly evil person. Some sense of fulfillment is reached in the end when the two couples (seemingly in love) manage to escape. Still, a good drive-in flick and the whole set-up of the "real estate sales outings" seemed to be popular in the late 70s/early 80s when the market was really starting to boom. I guess I like this flick because four of the actors (Jacqueline Scott, Albert Salmi, Robert Lansing, Irene Tedrow) starred in episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and this movie certainly has elements of that great TV series. Bert Gordon's daughter, Susan, also starred in a "Zone" episode.

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?

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".

I absolutely love this movie and would highly recommend if you're looking for something fun to watch! There are only two or three clips of ants that are consistently overlaid and recycled and it just gets funnier every time. Not sure if this is quite what H. G. Wells saw in his mind, but so happy it exsists!