Empire of the Ants (1977)

0% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
27% of users liked it
(1,890 ratings)

In the '50s, Bert I. Gordon made a career out of sci-fi movies about gigantic mutated insects (Beginning of the End, Earth vs. the Spider), lizards (King Dinosaur, Serpent Island), and even people (The Amazing Colossal Man), and in 1977, he was still up to his old tricks with this picture, loosely… More In the '50s, Bert I. Gordon made a career out of sci-fi movies about gigantic mutated insects (Beginning of the End, Earth vs. the Spider), lizards (King Dinosaur, Serpent Island), and even people (The Amazing Colossal Man), and in 1977, he was still up to his old tricks with this picture, loosely adapted from a story by H.G. Wells. Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) is a less than scrupulous businesswoman who is trying to sell shares in a worthless Florida housing development to a group of naive souls. However, both Marilyn and her potential customers have bigger things to worry about than low property values, when they discover that a large stock of nuclear waste was dumped near the development site, and the result is a pack of gigantic mutated ants with a nasty disposition and a taste for human blood. The supporting cast features Robert Lansing, John David Carson, and Albert Salmi. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Bert I. Gordon
Written By: H.G. Wells, Jack Turley
Genres: Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Cult Movies

In Theaters: Jun 29, 1977 Limited
On DVD: Nov 20, 2001
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Periodic moments of good special effects are separated by reels of dramatic banality as players flounder in flimsy dialog and under sluggish direction.
A.H. Weiler, New York Times
The movie swarmed into local theaters yesterday; unfortunately, the insects and the people in this mélange of ersatz science-fiction and dull adventure deserve one another.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Laughable exploitation film results in a complete waste of time and talent.
, Time Out
It's all drastically boring.
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
One of those movies that's a nailbiter for a little kid, but laughable when revisted as an adult.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Teaming Collins with ants is pure Bert I. Gordon.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Bert I. Gordon makes ant crap out of an H.G. Wells short story he loosely adapted to the big screen.
Frank Wilkins, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Cheap special effects and nonexistent horror in a 'horror' flick make for one boring waste of celluloid.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
We interrupt this soap opera to bring you... a monster movie!
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Bring on the DDT. A silly giant-bug opus with cheap special effects.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
What's scarier: ants or Bert I. Gordon movies?
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
If you find it when you are flipping through channels at three in the morning, turn it off and try to get some sleep.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

Very poorly made, obvious allusions to Jaws, and a cast of unlikable characters. This is a really silly one that gets on your nerves a lot of the time because of the sound the creatures. There are some parts of it that make you laugh out loud with its awfulness, but that… More
Very poorly made, obvious allusions to Jaws, and a cast of unlikable characters. This is a really silly one that gets on your nerves a lot of the time because of the sound the creatures. There are some parts of it that make you laugh out loud with its awfulness, but that doesn't make this one a must-see, craptastic movie.
AJ V

Did we really need another giant ant movie? I don't think so, skip this movie and see Them instead. This one isn't too terrible, but it's not good either.
Randy T

To say that this is a cheap production would be an insult to cheap productions. It's not funny-bad or campy-bad, it's just plain bad-bad. Watch it if you must but be prepared for a healthy dose of "I told you so".