The Hive

I do not dare to call myself a film critic but I think I do know how to appreciate a good film and differentiate between a good movie and a bad one. And in my opinion, this is a rather bad one, given the technology in film-making of 2008.

Honestly, when I play the movie, I thought it was made in the 1980s. The whole texture of the film just looks cheap and unpolished. Even if it's done on a low-budget, I assumed given the abundance of hi-tech equipment and all today, there should be at least some quality to making this film (apparently I was wrong). None of the characters look good(except for the lead actor who look like Keanu Reeves at times)and frankly, I would not turn my head to have another look at them if they passed me by on the streets.

The plot is ridiculous and the twist at the end of the movie just made me deemed this film as stupid rather than pleasantly surprising. The CGI is really really bad and childish. And to be called a sci-fi movie, the special effects should be the most basic component that the film-makers should invest money in. I would probably had felt better if it was seriously just a plain good horror movie about man-eating ants destroying things and end up being destroyed by humans. This, to me is more convincing than telling me that the ants are controlled by aliens. I am utterly disappointed in this movie and though I do not deny the fact this movie has the potential to be good, it failed badly this time as I do not see the effort in the film-making process.

I'm giving this a 5 coz it did make me laugh out loud on a number of occasions.

The basic plot, killer ants. It sounded like the kind of cheap sci-fi B-movie I like, so I though I would watch it. And I was entertained for all the wrong reasons.

The acting was OK, not the worst I've seen, but I've seen a LOT better. The story was ridiculous! I mean, even to the point where; you know in Bond movies, how the bad guys does a plot exposition to Bond? Well, the 'ants' do this to the good guys of the movie...yes, the 'ants' actually tell the humans what they want! I'll not tell you how, but it is ridiculous! It made me laugh out loud.

The direction was taken from the 'how to film every camera cliché in the book' school of filming.

The end was really disappointing. They try to have a 'twist' ending, but it's more of a 'we couldn't be bothered to think of anything, so we'll resort to an obvious answer' ending.

After I saw this, I read a review that said this film has 'credibility', lol, really, it's only credible if you've never seen the 'moving image' before. If you like B-movies, that make you laugh, then you will enjoy this. If you're looking for a sci-fi/horror/action film, then this isn't for you.

Hive, The (2008)

* (out of 4)

Extremely bad "nature" flick about two-hundred million (give or take a couple) ants that are ravaging through South Asia. The critters are eating countless people until a controversial extermination group comes in but soon they begin to think they're dealing with something much larger. I'll never claim to be any type of expert but I'm pretty sure the title, THE HIVE, is incorrect as ants live in colonies so I'm not sure what's up with the title or anything else that happens in this movie. I'm really not sure where to start on this one but I guess we can start with the actual story. Sure, I guess we could make a movie about millions of ants eating people but this film takes it a step further. Early in the film one of the workers has an ant crawl into his ear and to his brain. Soon this ant is "controlling" the man to do what the ants want but it doesn't stop here because it turns out that aliens are the ones doing all of this stuff. The story is just downright stupid but just when you think it can't get any worse it actually does. I think another major issue is the CGI, which is really bad. The effects are so obviously fake that you can never take anything serious and not for a single second will you actually think or feel as if you're watching all of these ants. What's worse is that at the end of the film the ants are teaming together and creating various things including an arm that can come down and pick someone up. Yes, more dumbness. The performances in the film are pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this and there's no question that the screenplay does none of them any justice. I think the biggest problem is that the film is simply boring. As wild, stupid and crazy as this thing is you'd think that it would at least be entertaining in a bad way but it isn't.

The acting in this movie is mostly indifferent. Is this sci-fi? They have to be kidding (ants that crawl fast enough to catch running humans, and even give an SUV a run for its money)! Couple this pretty lame plot with some of the worst camera-work ever to be seen on TV or in the cinema, and you have the movie in a nutshell. Ultra close ups to the point where you can't work out what's going on (though you can see every blemish in the actors skin), wobbly cameras, to name but a few. The CGI ants are below average, and the final dénouement about the cause of everything just leaps from the improbable to the downright silly. Monty Python would have been proud of the ending! Give this a miss! Two stars (just because Elizabeth Healey is pretty).

When the residents of the Bao Tao Island are attacked by ants, the government hires the Thorax Company to work with the army to exterminate the ants. The scientist Len (Kal Weber) and his friend Bill (Tom Wopat) are attacked by a swarm and lose communication with Debs (Jessica Reavis) that is recording from the base. One ant enters into Bill's ear and reaches his brain, affecting his behavior. The scientist Claire (Elizabeth Healey) arrives in the island and team-up with Len, and soon they discover that the ants can communicate and they want the island for them.

"The Hive" is a laughable and awfully dumb sci-fi. The first scene with the ants attacking a mother and her baby is violent and gives a wrong idea about the movie. However the story is so stupid that it is hard to believe that a producer invest his money in such garbage. And the ants have affected the brain of the viewer that liked (he rated 8 stars) this flick and has written about "an epidemic in Brazil" (LOL). My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "O Ataque das Formigas" ("The Attack of the Ants")