Cinema Saturdays Presents : The Swarm
Run Time: 2:35:05
Rating: PG
Movie Grade: B
Movie Grade: B
Principle Cast:
Director: Irwin Allen
Michael Caine….. Brad Crane
Katharine Ross…Captain Helena Anderson
Richard Widmark….General Slater
Richard Chamberlain…. Dr. Hubbard
Spoiler free review: If you’re looking for a good cheesy animal on the loose killer bee movie then this is one of the best, if you’re looking for a classic cinematic disaster film like the towering inferno then it’s probably best to look elsewhere.
Review:
The Swarm is often
hailed as being one of the worst movies of all time even earning a spot on the raspberries
top 100 worst films. However I argue
that The Swarm’s quality as a film is
purely a matter of perspective. It’s
true that the film has flaws; it’s also true that the group of movie critics
that went to see The Swarm expecting it to be the same masterpiece of disaster
drama that was the Poseidon adventure
or the Towering Inferno were rather disappointed,
but that doesn’t necessarily warrant such harsh criticism of an otherwise
excellent killer bee movie. I came into
this movie as cold as you can go into a film with no knowledge of casting or
history making my experience as unbiased as I can make it and I can say without
hesitation I was thoroughly entertained solidifying The
Swarm as my new favorite killer bee movie.
I think The Swarm’s strength lies in the fact that I was expecting another B movie schlock film with a standard slasher movie kill count where you find that every seen without someone being attacked by the monster pure agony. What I got instead was a movie that generally cared about what it was doing and made a commendable attempt to make a movie about killer bees something that could appeal to the larger mainstream audience, and it probably would have succeeded too if it wasn’t for some poor directorial choices . One of these poor choices is that the film suffers from an alarmingly large number of odd scene cuts and transitions where it leaves the viewer baffled about how the current scene came to play or why we just jumped somewhere else. There are also a large handful of plot hiccups where characters and storylines are simply dropped or quickly disposed of not to mention a big helping of too stupid to live moments, but these are excepted and honestly not nearly as bad as some other films I’ve sat through. The most common critique of the movie receives is usually directed towards the hammy acting and cheesy dialogue which in my opinion wasn’t a flaw at all but a boon that made the movie much more enjoyable and easy to sit through.
Despite all the films shortcomings there is a great deal of positive material that gets over looked. For one thing even though this film was merely a paycheck film for Michael Caine he still brought his incredible professionalism and talent to the screen making him an excellent character to follow on this crazy journey. The pure scope of the film was also incredibly impressive to me It’s not often that one gets to see a killer animal movie with such high stakes, where those stakes are truly felt and not just assumed. I would also be remiss in not pointing out that the bees were handled fantastically we saw plenty of bee on human carnage without it looking like a bunch of actors waving their hands in front of a green screen. Even the global effects of the bees were well played out showing how much damage could be done if we don't to rid ourselves of these menaces, sure there are a lot of silly moments but that's half the fun. I for one recommend The Swarm for anyone who is looking for a fun animal on the loose feature that also dares to try be something bigger and bolder then just a killer bee movie.
I think The Swarm’s strength lies in the fact that I was expecting another B movie schlock film with a standard slasher movie kill count where you find that every seen without someone being attacked by the monster pure agony. What I got instead was a movie that generally cared about what it was doing and made a commendable attempt to make a movie about killer bees something that could appeal to the larger mainstream audience, and it probably would have succeeded too if it wasn’t for some poor directorial choices . One of these poor choices is that the film suffers from an alarmingly large number of odd scene cuts and transitions where it leaves the viewer baffled about how the current scene came to play or why we just jumped somewhere else. There are also a large handful of plot hiccups where characters and storylines are simply dropped or quickly disposed of not to mention a big helping of too stupid to live moments, but these are excepted and honestly not nearly as bad as some other films I’ve sat through. The most common critique of the movie receives is usually directed towards the hammy acting and cheesy dialogue which in my opinion wasn’t a flaw at all but a boon that made the movie much more enjoyable and easy to sit through.
Despite all the films shortcomings there is a great deal of positive material that gets over looked. For one thing even though this film was merely a paycheck film for Michael Caine he still brought his incredible professionalism and talent to the screen making him an excellent character to follow on this crazy journey. The pure scope of the film was also incredibly impressive to me It’s not often that one gets to see a killer animal movie with such high stakes, where those stakes are truly felt and not just assumed. I would also be remiss in not pointing out that the bees were handled fantastically we saw plenty of bee on human carnage without it looking like a bunch of actors waving their hands in front of a green screen. Even the global effects of the bees were well played out showing how much damage could be done if we don't to rid ourselves of these menaces, sure there are a lot of silly moments but that's half the fun. I for one recommend The Swarm for anyone who is looking for a fun animal on the loose feature that also dares to try be something bigger and bolder then just a killer bee movie.
Fast Facts:
.During Production the actors would often find yellow dots on their clothing after working with the bees. Actor Michael Caine confessed to eating some of the yellow dots thinking it was honey only to find out later it was in fact bee feces.
. In order to get better shots of the bees and for the safety of the actors 800,000 bees had there stingers removed to make them easier to shoot.
.French Horns were used in the film score in order to make a soundtrack that sounded like bees humming.
. There are two different versions of this movie a 116 minute theatrical version and 155 minute extended version.
. the extended version dose not add much to the film merely drawing out a few scenes and adding a little more context to others. there are few scenes extended and there's a bit more of an ending but otherwise its still the same movie.
Favorite quotes:
-Brad Crane: “We've been fighting a losing battle against the insects for fifteen years, but I never thought I'd see the final face-off in my lifetime. And I never dreamed that it would turn out to be the bees. They've always been our friend.”
-Brad Crane: “Are you endowing these bees with human motives? Like saving their fellow bees from captivity, or seeking revenge on Mankind?”
General Slater: “I
always credit my enemy, no matter what he may be, with equal intelligence.”
-Dr. Andrews: “Billions of dollars have been spent to make these nuclear plants safe. Fail-safe! The odds against anything going wrong are astronomical, Doctor!”
Dr. Hubbard: “I
appreciate that, Doctor. But let me ask you. In all your fail-safe techniques,
is there a provision for an attack by killer bees?”
-General Slater: “Houston on fire. Will history blame me, or the bees?”
Observations:
.the music in this movie is so awesome!
. Yeah well a lot of other people died in the incident too! You don’t see their loved ones threatening to… oh were just going to let him in? Well that’s cool too I guess.
. The bees are our friends? What do we have like treaty with the high queen of bees that states we will negotiate in trade and labor deals?
. anyone else slightly uncomfortable every time someone talks about wiping out the Africans?
.Children are idiots: for throwing Molotov cocktails at a swarm of killer bees.
.wait, why is he hallucinating a giant bee? Since when does bee venom do that?
.Those end credits just made my entire day.
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