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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!

Shortly before seeing this film, I saw Bert I. Gordon's other giant killer animal flick, The Food of the Gods, and on the basis of these two films, I've discovered two things about a director I previously knew nothing about; first of all, he obviously enjoys making films about giant animals, and secondly; he has very little in the way of directorial talent. My main complaint with The Food of the Gods, in spite of the fact that I knew it was going to be a somewhat less than brilliant film, was the fact that it was boring - unforgivable since it's about giant animals! The plot we have here is very similar to the earlier film, as a bunch of people travel to a secluded place and end up being attacked by animals which are larger than normal. This time, the group is lead by the scheming Joan Collins, who leads a bunch of property buyers to Florida on the promise of some bargain property. The property turns to be fake, Joan Collins a fraud and that barrel of toxic waste washed up on the beach has given the ants a growth spurt!

The obvious films to compare to this one are fellow giant ant movies such as the classic 'Them' and the interesting, but fairly boring Sci-Fi Phase IV, and this film isn't as good as either as those. The special effects are important in a film like this, and they're even worse than those seen in The Food of the Gods. The ants are just enlarged shots of real ants superimposed onto the screen, along with a couple of puppets to fill the gaps. As you can probably imagine, this doesn't look good; and it's hard to be convinced by a film with effects like these - cheap or not! The film stars Joan Collins, and she reaffirms what a shame it is that she went crazy with the plastic surgery as the pre-surgery Joan Collins is actually quite hot! The plot itself is nothing exciting - just your average monster flick stuff - running from the monsters, fighting the monsters etc. There's also a subplot involving the ants' pheromones that doesn't come off well at all. Overall, Empire of the Ants just misses the 'fun bad film' mark and ends up just being a bad film! It's not completely terrible - and it's better than The Food of the Gods - but I still don't recommend it!

Mr. BIG(Bert I. Gordon) does it again! He creates a truly bad science fiction film with amazingly poor special effects and some of the schlockiest character acting performances and dialogue around. Supposedly based on a story by H. G. Well's, The Empire of the Ants is about how a group of people go to one of those shin-digs put on by real estate folks hoping you will buy some of their resort property after drinking some of their third-rate drinks and eating some of their crummy snacks. Joan Collins is running the show, hoping to sell all the people who came by boat to her real estate project a lot. Seems she is not a wholly reputable businesswoman, yet she has no knowledge of the fact that giant ants that grew from a leaking can of nuclear waste have taken over the resort and begin feeding on her guests, first in pairs. In one of the more ridiculous scenes in the film, giant ants run on the dock, jump on the boat, attack one of the crew, and then cause the skipper, hardily played by Robert Lansing, to set fire to the ship and leave the survivors no recourse but to trek back by foot. The journey back causes lots of death and destruction. The most ridiculous scene in the film has an aged couple hiding in a cabin and then coming out to see these giant ants all over the hut and on the ground standing. I almost fell over laughing at the awful special effects! Finally, the remaining few reach a town that secretly has been taken over by giant ants that spray a mist over people and make them do their bidding. The second half of the film breaks any possibility that you take the film seriously. The first half, although filled with many a ridiculous moment, at least has some suspense and gives the actors a little screen time to show that some of them actually know how to act. The second half is a hodge podge of poor script-writing, bad character acting, and some more real cheesy special effects. The film is another testament to Mr. BIG's ability to create some of the campiest, bad sci-fi around. Despite all this negativity, the film is a load of unintended laughs!

Based very loosely on the short story "Empire of the Ants" by H. G. Wells, the film involves a group of prospective land buyers led by a land developer, pitted against giant, mutated ants.

This was one of Bert Gordon's final films, and from a technical standpoint it is among his best. The production value looks much higher than his earlier work, and the star power of the cast is evident. The ants, while still relying on a few cheap effects, are overall pretty effective -- though why must they be screeching the entire time? But really, what makes this only a "good" film rather than a "really good" film is the length. This is clearly a 60 or 70-minute film stretched out to 90 minutes, and that allows for the ultimate sin to creep in: boredom.

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.

One of the worst, most pointless movies ever made. Worth watching only for the shot of "giant" ants climbing around on a small photo intended to represent a large building. Possibly the worst special effects shot I've ever seen--and I've seen *Plan 9 From Outer Space*.

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".

This movie is not as bad as some reviewers have made it out to be. Professional actors are paid to act and many do that by studying roles and even going so far as to participate in the role if possible. Sometimes it may take a few days, weeks or months. To criticize that effort is just not right. If one does not like a movie because of its genre then so state it.

Empire of the ants is plausible. It takes thousands of ants to keep the hive going and feed the queen so that the drones can mate with the queen ant so she can lay her eggs producing more worker ants and drone ants. As far as growing to huge size a leap of movie faith must be made. All the rest is very plausible. Ants communicate by way of pheromones so the can recognize one another and the trail back to the nest. It's also an excepted fact that ants can carry many times their own weight. As far as spraying a mist on the other ants it is simply the pheromone which the queen ant gives off so she can control the other ants in the nest.

This movie allegorically uses the humans as ants as they provide the sugar which they need to keep the queen ant fed. The.humans return to receive the queens pheromone spray so she may keep them under control. Well our four heros discover what is going on and devise a way to destroy the ants and flee for freedom. A good movie, wheel worth the time to watch.

Whoe! I am a man who isn't quick to point out the bad in something, but this movie is horrid! Horrible, I mean downright horrible special effects and real putrid acting plus the many things that would not possibly ever happen in real life or even imaginary make this one of, if not, the worst movie I have ever seen in my entire life! I stayed up late one night, bored out of my mind, searching the channels and found this movie. Now I like older and even corny movies to a point, but this movie was so bad, that even after the point where the ants attack and figured it would start to get interesting, it was killing me - and I was not even in the movie! I FORCED myself to watch this movie to not only see how much I could stand since I was bored anyway, but to see it entirely so I can be totally correct when I say it is the worst movie to ever see. The part that really, really irked me was when this older couple, knowing darn well that there where killer ants everywhere eating everything in sight, decided while running away from the ants (while the other characters were trying to find a boat and go down the river to escape the ants) they were going to take a different route and go DEEPER in the woods - how idiotic was that! I even said to myself "I wonder how they would escape since the old couple could barely walk much less run even though they always kept within seeing distance of the others". I figured the director would kill them off because it was slowing down an already slow pace to the movie - but not like that! They did not even show the ants eat them! The actors probably died before that scene since they were so old! The sounds of the ants sounded like children screaming and when they showed a close up of the ants grabbing some of the people, it looked more fake than the guy who wore the rubber suit for "Godzilla"! Man, this one was bad! I would only recommend showing this movie to future directors to show what NOT to do in making a movie! Ridiculous!

Like one reviewer says, (and I paraphrase) this is an Arkoff/Nicholson/ Bert I Gordon film, people - lighten up! Did you seriously expect Academy material (not that that means anything) out of a film called "Empire of The Ants?" Yes, the effects are laughable, yes the acting, and especially the reactions to the ants, are hilarious. It's all in good fun. I just love that grainy 70's print and the actors forging ahead despite the ridiculousness of it all. I personally think that credible acting in a film like this is a whole lot harder than a typical 'dramatic' production. I mean, how much harder would it be to get into the 'zone' and understand your motivations with something this silly? An absolute must watch for fans of bad movies. Especially if 70's bad movies really get ya. Similar titles: Squirm, Frogs, Tentacles. Anybody know any more good obscure 70's eco-horror? Please email me.

Joan Collins shows true grit facing down giant radioactive ants in this muddy monster-fest directed, co-written and co-produced by Bert I. Gordon. An island hideaway turns into the ultimate hell for vacationers after ants have grown to enormous proportions, terrorizing the tourists and sending Collins and crew on the run. Despite good photographic effects by cinematographer Reginald Morris--not to mention a touch of class provided by Joan herself--the results are pretty ridiculous. Based on an H.G. Wells story, the film's third act laughably tries sneaking in sort of an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"-type plot twist--and one is nearly inclined to give the picture some extra points for its moxie. It isn't art, but then it doesn't strive to be anything other than a dopey entertainment. As for Collins, she performs with conviction; hopefully she cashed a paycheck somewhat larger than the ants. * from ****

First the good. The special effects were actually not bad. Much better than this movie deserved. The bad. It was like watching a Hanna Barbera cartoon with humans. Just like in cartoons, they do not see what's right in front of them until the camera pulls back to a wide shot. Then, suddenly, the characters can now see the ants! Wow. If they only used a wide angle lens the whole time, then maybe the humans could be saved. But it's a lousy movie so who cares.

The movie starts with radioactive wastes being dumped into the ocean and washed ashore onto the Florida coast. A toxic leak turns simple ants into giant monsters. Unscrupulous real estate agent Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) is trying to sell inaccessible coastal swamp land to a boat full of potential suckers. The fake development turns out to the site of the mutant giant ants.

This is supposedly based on the H.G. Wells short story. It is a B-movie all the way through. The physical ants are terribly fake. The in-camera special effects are old fashion. The main problem is the lackluster group, both characters and actors. The second tier names aren't rising to the challenge. They are given bad dialogue and the characters are hopelessly unimpressive. They don't even bother picking up a stick to fight back and are always shocked to suddenly see the ants right next to them. They reach civilization and that's when the story gets stupid.

Empire of the Ants should have been a fun film. It had a good camp horror pedigree with director Bert I. Gordon and cast members like Joan Collins. The plot, which follows people stranded on an island infested with giant ants, also has promise. However, bad writing and pacing ultimately sink this B-grade horror epic.

The single biggest problem with Empire of the Ants is that Joan Collins's character is too annoying for words. Playing a bossy, screechy real estate agent (IMDB standards prevent me from using a more accurate adjective rhyming with itchy), Collins is a pain in the neck not only to her fellow characters, but also to the viewing audience. Although playing witches may be Collins's forte, the writers overdo her dialogue to the point that it becomes headache inducing.

Furthermore, the other characters come across as quite stupid at times. For example, they spend twenty minutes at a beach party held by Collins for prospective land buyers, but never notice the obvious barrels of toxic waste just down the beach from them. Given that they planned to purchase land there, one would think toxic waste would concern them.

These issues could have been overlooked if the film had still managed to be exciting. However, the film's pacing is terrible, with long boring stretches of the characters wandering around in the woods while Joan Collins complains. The ants do not have anywhere near enough screen time, even though they are in the end the true stars of the film.

Although the film gets somewhat more interesting when the characters finally reach civilization, it is far too late to rescue the film. If you want to see a giant monster / giant insect film, take a look at The Food of the Gods or some of Gordon's other seventies output. Although not classic cinema, they are much better than this dreck.

Nowhere as near as bad as I thought it was gonna be. True it's a B movie but that's where some of it's charm lies. Joan Collins plays a property seller and she seems to be a bit of a bitch ( nothing new there then for Joan), but quickly the dream of selling property turns into a nightmare with the appearance of Giant Killer Ants. Fast paced and action packed this is a definite crowd pleaser.

There is a reason why Bert I. Gordon's American-International cheapies were paid more lip service than the works of Ed Wood on the now-defunct Satellite of Love: the man carries the dishonorable title of being one of the most inept directors of low-budget schlock. But whereas stuff like "The Amazing Colossal Man" (a man turned giant by atomic testing) and "Beginning of the End" (Peter Graves vs. giant grasshoppers) had a certain charm reflective of the 1950s' "high- concept/low-budget" brand of sci-fi, "Empire of the Ants" is a bottom-feeder from start to finish, trying desperately to capture the low-grade magic of a bygone era. The only real merit of "Ants" is its nostalgia value--yes, I would watch this as a child and be utterly terrified of those bloodthirsty, radiation-grown buggers; years later, the puppet heads being shaken off-camera are less than impressive (as is Gordon's excessively shaking camera during the attack scenes), as is the stock footage blown up to make the ants tower over our human protagonists. The exposition scenes are painfully awkward, the dialog mostly atrocious, and the performances reflect this (with dismal results). The film is padded out with nonsensical clichés (the old couple who wanders off for no reason; the girl who sprains her ankle; another who gets snagged on a branch) and incredible lapses in logic (why can't our zeroes see or hear a cluster of ants that are mere feet away?), which culminates in a third act that apparently tries to wax philosophical in the vein of H.G. Wells' original story (which I haven't read) but falls flat on its face. "Empire of the Ants" is an interesting epitaph for a genre that has long since passed, but its best possible fate will probably be drunken viewing at your next house party.

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.

Filmmaker Bert I. Gordon certainly found a concept he liked and ran with it, over and over. "Empire of the Ants", a *loose* adaptation of the H.G. Wells story, was his eighth picture to date (at this time) that dealt with a giant menace or menaces. This time, the culprits are ants that grow to mammoth proportions after they've trudged around in some illegally dumped radioactive waste. They find plenty of good feeding when con artist Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) lures a bunch of marks to an off-shore island where she hopes to sell some worthless property to them.

A movie like this gets high marks for entertainment value, if not quality. It's a cheerfully ridiculous piece of schlock that only gets even more gleefully absurd for its final third (when our heroes get to the *other* side of the island). The special effects are anything but, yet we still wouldn't have it any other way. At one point you can see an ant or two walking on the sky. The script (Mr. B.I.G. gets credit for the "screen story", Jack Turley for the screenplay) is amusing in its badness, with its fair share of truly bad lines.

But when all is said and done, you do like most of the characters you're supposed to like (Robert Lansing and John David Carson are take-charge, no-nonsense leaders), even if they don't have *that* many brains among them. And you dislike (yet are still entertained by) people like Collins and Edward Power as her beefcake associate. The slime who truly takes the cake is the horny and cowardly Larry Graham (Robert Pine), who thinks nothing of throwing himself at another woman with his wife not that far away. You eagerly wait to see this jerk get what he deserves. Also in the cast are Albert Salmi, Jacqueline Scott, Pamela Susan Shoop, and Brooke Palance.

Capable location shooting in Florida, and a good Dana Kaproff music score (that does sound quite similar to the "Jaws" theme at times) also help in the enjoyment of "Empire of the Ants". The review in the now-defunct Leonard Maltin movie guide sums the movie up as "laughable", but that is precisely why it is so much fun.

Seven out of 10.

Twenty years after over-sized mutant killer ants went on the rampage in classic 1957 creature feature Them!, Bert I. Gordon, an old hand at giant monster movies, gave the enormous insects another chance at world domination with Empire of the Ants, a schlocky big bug eco-horror apparently based on a short story by H.G. Wells.

Joan Collins stars as scam artist Marilyn Fryser, who convinces a bunch of potential investors to accompany her on a boat trip to view her latest project, a coastal real estate development in the Everglades. After a few drinks, a couple of sandwiches, and a tram ride around the site (Marilyn sure knows how to spoil her guests), the group find themselves under attack from giant ants that have been exposed to leaky barrels of radioactive waste dumped in the sea by unscrupulous industrialists.

Empire of the Ants is supremely silly stuff, especially when it is revealed that the insects are controlling the humans (via hypnotic ant farts!) and intend to take over the planet. Sadly it is also a surprisingly leaden affair, with uninspired direction, dire performances, and any potential tension or excitement hindered by weak special effects: most of the giant ant action is created by superimposing photographically enlarged insects over footage of the actors or through the use soft edged mattes to combine imagery, none of which is very convincing. Full-sized models of giant ants are occasionally used during close-up attack scenes, but Gordon ensures that the camera is wobbling frenetically to prevent the viewer from getting a good look at his shonky creatures.