Marabunta: El regreso

Don't expect "Them," and you won't be disappointed. Take it as the SciFi Channel intended it to be, a lighthearted, escapist giant ant made-for-TV flick with funny lines strewn throughout, and you'll be entertained for ninety minutes. Listen for the humor in the script delivered knowingly by such veteran Thespians as Andrew Prine and Stella Stevens, who is still gorgeous after all these years. While C. Thomas Howell is no longer the teen heart throb of yesterday (my daughter when a teen in the 80's had a huge, sexy photo of Howell draping her closet door), he is still a competent actor. The entire cast shines with no one actually taking his/her part too seriously.

The special effects are bargain basement, which used to be understandable when the producers were low on funds and special effects were so expensive. But today with computer-generated imagery (CGI) the viewer expects more, even from budget films. The giant ants look like cheap plastic models which is probably what they are.

The direction is not bad coming from one who moonlights as a wrestler with the moniker "Fabulous" Freddie Valentine. And the script, with lines such as,"She's found Charlie!" when the USDA lady stumbles on the bloody bones of a greenhouse worker, is often witty and clever. The camera work is at times dazzling, especially toward the end of the film when viewers are treated to a view of Lulu and Mila (Ana Alexander and Diana Kauffman respectively) shimmying across a wire exposing their thong-clad derrières.

The story is predictable and trite about mutant ants, puffed up by radiation, running amok in a high rise office building in beautiful downtown Burbank (or some such locale), hence the title,"The Glass Trap," terrorizing several intended victims trapped for various reasons inside on a Saturday. As with most "people trapped inside a building on Saturday" movies, each one has unfulfilled dreams and ambitions. There is always at least one who has a hidden past. This time it's the janitor, Curtis (C. Thomas Howell). Just as the humongous bloodthirsty ants attack, dripping formic acid all over the place, those desperately escaping up a shaft ladder to the roof pause for Curtis to explain to everyone why he has a rap sheet. Sorry, I won't give away that part of the movie.

This movie was clearly thought out. I haven't seen a movie about giant ants before so i have to give it extra points for being original.

This movie was joined by FOX STUDIOS so the budget could be increased and the GIANT Ants sure looked much better then i would think. They are damn scary.

The whole movie is very violent and extremely well done. I noticed a few big names in it and the acting was better then most big actors these days. If this movie doesn't win an award for something IL be very upset.

Wait until this comes to the big screen because you will get much more of an scary and intense experience but if you missed it then hire the video. Not for people who cant handle extreme violence.

Oh and did i mention there are real life vogue models + + +

This movie was so terrible it was amusing. I understand it is just a low budget B movie but I swear there were so many indiscretions that could have been avoided that made it very frustrating to watch.

My favorite part was when someone BURNS A CD on $30 DVD player that they pretend is part of a computer. I know, I have the exact DVD model.

The characters aren't consistent with their personalities. I enjoy stupid movies, but this one was more than I could handle because it was simply bad. B movies have the excuse of having a low budget, but in this case, I think if they had 20 Million dollars and the same help and talent, they couldn't have done any better because they aren't capable.

On a final note, I'm not sure how, but movies from this DEJ company have been on high order at my local Blockbuster. There were a couple actual blockbuster mainstream movies recently, where they don't keep many in stock. Then these "C. Thomas" movies come out and they keep 20 of them in stock. So don't be fooled by the "War of the Worlds" in your movie store right now, it's a B movie, not Tom Cruise.

It has been a long time since The Poseidon Adventure, but I have to say that Stella Stevens still looks good. Maybe it's the water in Mississippi.

She is a real bit*h of a boss to Sharon (Siri Baruc), who just happens to see the first ant. No. it's not Them, but it is a throwback to that period. Splattering blood looks so much better in color.

The ants themselves were terrible. They were so fake that only the clueless would be truly scared. Even the gun they found looked fake.

Things get interesting when Martin Kove shows to battle the ants.

MIla (Diana Kauffman) and LuLu (Ana Alexander) provide much needed distractions throughout.

You got to see it to believe it. What a cool flick this is. I got a huge kick out of it. Its damned funny...The ants are freaking hilarious and Stella Stevens is a hoot. Find a copy of this NOW...you will never regret it man. Some of the jokes are so bad you will laugh even louder than if they were good. Especially the one about the duck. This is what all movie makers should aim for...genius without logic. No one normal would think of making this movie. Its genius I tell you. Run, don't walk and seek out this chalice of cinema wonderfulness immediately. It will cure you of many ills, including bad breath.

OK, after a second viewing, I recommend this even more. C Thomas HOwell is an acting marvel. His portrayal of a janitor is dead on. Hope he works his way up to master janitor someday!!!