Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! (1998 TV Movie) User Reviews

We'll blow up the dam

[MartianOctocretr5 · 3/10 · 7 October 2007]

A swarm of ants from South America decide to over run Alaska.

Cheesy and silly from start to end. Poor animation on the ants, to begin with. Sometimes you see some actual footage of about three or four real ants: scary. Attacks are the most contrived sequences you'll ever witness. One dummy climbs into a giant ant hill. Another guy fires a pistol at the ant hill. Some other clod tries to attack them with a tractor. Still another dimwit fires a rifle at the swarm as they try to surround her. Nobody ever seems to think of running away; the ants move at about 1/1000th the speed of a human.

One guy is in a truck driving in circles while fire bombs go off on either side of the truck, no matter where he is at any given moment. But I love the "Let's blow up the dam" sequence best. There's no reasonable explanation for why this would help, or any assurance that it would work. They just decide to blow up the dam. A helicopter picks up a guy after an 2-second earthquake knocks him off his feet, and he rolls down a hill to land atop some dynamite he just lit. And on it goes.

Good for a laugh at how stupid it all is.

It outstays its welcome.

[lost-in-limbo · 2/10 · 8 December 2005]

A large number of killer fire ants have awaken and start to consume people and animals in a remote area of Alaska. So it's up to a small group of people to figure out how they can stop these dangerous predators before they reach a major town.

Yep, that pretty much sums up this dour TV feature. It's bad. Again, did I tell you that it was bad!? I recorded this thinking that it might be cheesy fun, but really, there's no fun to be had. Gee, I should have gone fishing instead. True, it's a nature vs. man story, which that genre flooded the 50's, but for recent times this one is utterly boring and hardly enjoyable. Even a bad film made back then on this topic, at least it was unintentionally humorous, though sadly it isn't the case with this one. The opening sequence proves it! Most of the time I was thinking how did that happen or you got to be kidding me. This is because there is SO many things that lacked consistency and how many coincidences can you get, plenty! These one- dimensional characters are plain senseless and seem to forget too often that there are killer ants around, after battling them just a second ago and they don't seem to know ants can climb! What are terrifying are the ants themselves, the CGI effects are awfully staged and rather shoddy. That really goes for the lame explosions and patchy flamethrower too. But these ants can supposedly strip the skin off a human body within 30 minutes, although with out an ounce of blood. There's really only one drop! Just how big are they supposed to be because the rubber ones used to stick on someone when they are being attack is about twice the size of the CGI designs! They even take the lazy option of by providing a lot of deja vu moments involving scenes of the ants being used over and over again.

The plot goes for some intellectual speeches that bore you to death with its scientific mumbo jumbo. No way is this predictable hokum entertaining with its galore of clichés and mind numbing dialogue. A lot of the things you hear just make you cringe in disbelief. Please stop the bad pun! The corny acting was rather standard for this type of production, but there are some recognisable faces. Like Eric Lutes and Mitch Pileggi from X-files fame. Julia Campbell was lovely too. Just expect the usual enthusiastic performances. The acting might have been better than expected but also the cinematography was rather breathtaking in bringing the Alaska's wilderness on the screen. The backdrop was elegant. Too bad the direction and pacing was shamelessly lethargic and handled in a flat manner and plenty of the sequences show it. The telegraphed score is terribly worked in, but not as bad as the use of the stunt doubles (, the white water raft sequence where they decide suddenly to wear hats for the occasion). But like everything does in these shamble TV features, all the things work out in the nick of time… yeah right!

"Marabunta" is nothing but sour grapes. At least a hinted sequel won't see daylight, well I hope so.

"…flush them back to South America…" You tell 'em!

If you see a big, muddy hill in a grassy plain, DON'T CLIMB TO THE TOP!!!

[Phillemos · 4/10 · 29 August 2007]

So the movie starts out with a honeymooning couple giggling in the woods when they come upon a giant, muddy hill. The husband says, "Honey, climb to the top of the hill so I can take pictures of you?" And I'm like, "Sure, why not? I'm sure there are no killer ants in that hill..." WRONG!!! Suddenly the wife is being pulled into the hill (after she was clearly tired of being photographed, no less), and when the husband tries to come up to save her, he gets dragged under too. So I'm sitting there saying to myself, "Wow. These must be some big-honkin'-a** ants. I'm intrigued." WRONG AGAIN!!! The ants are about the size of my thumbnail, which makes me think, how in the world could they all climb to the top of the hill and pull two grown humans under. Whatever. The other highlights include one of the natives seeing the skeletal remains of his deceased brother and saying to the coroner, "What could have picked my brother flesh clean," with all the emotion of a bad actor reading cue cards. The ending is silly, and there is, of course, the setup for "Marabunta: Terror in Burline Pines 2." But it's entertaining enough in a bad way that you'll keep watching until the end. A mediocre 4.

Hilarious!

[MetallicaIGN182 · 26 January 2004]

I taped this one last week, it got three stars (good) in my TV paper so I was expecting a decent film.

I didn't get that.

What I did get is a film that goes so far into being bad, it actually becomes good. There aren't any scares, dramatic moments or good special effects but this film is FILLED with unintentionally funny moments. My favourite part was the stupid cop who after getting over the death of his 10 year old brother (the cop was at least 30+, how does he have a 10 year old bro?!) really quickly, later goes on to hilariously stumble and put a tractor into drive causing a barn to collapse with him trapped inside with the KILLER ANTS!!.

My other favourite part was the hero and the all action local school teacher/marksman escaping from another barn on a small bike so pathetic looking that even Harry & Lloyd would have refused to ride on it.

Ah yes, I also got a kick out of how they manage to make an ant poison potion in the school lab, not only does it kill ants but it's also apparently non toxic as the school teacher sprays it all over a guy's face lol.

Well worth watching!

Ripe for MST3k

[Rattrap007 · 1/10 · 17 May 2002]

If you read or have read many of my other reviews you will find I love bad films. A few days ago I was looking for a tape to record on. I pop a tape in and what do I find? A tape of Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! A lucky(?) find!

I just finished watching it. Man is it bad. The entomologist is an idiot. Anyone who knows insects should know that ants cannot swim. They need a twig/log/ground or some sort of bridge to cross a body of water. Our "hero" seems to forget this when they are on the bank of a river being attacked by ants. Hello? I'm overweight and even I could outrun these poor CGI ants.

Another problem I found was with the kid. Not him personally. Poor "Chad" has his name screwed up several times. He is called Scott, Jake, and maybe one or two other names in this film in addition to Chad. I found myself laughing my butt of at each of these goofs. Once it happens twice in one scene each time was a different name.

You do not want to see this. The acting is bad all around. The effects are incredibly bad.

0/10!!

hahahahaha. how ants can be funny

[virlyn2 · 4/10 · 21 January 2008]

This must be one of the funniest movies ever made. Everything about it is so stupid. The acting is hilarious. The protagonists have no idea what they are doing or saying. The dialogs don't mean nothing. The example:

• "they stroke here, here and here...do you see a pattern?"

• "no"

• "it's something we learned about the marabantu, they move clockwise in 30° angles"

• "you mean we're next?"

• "yes"

• "how much time do we have?"

• "24h, probably less...we have to kill their queen!"

"you mean we're next?" ...hahaha if that isn't hilarious I don't know what is. The action scenes are even worse. The ants are so un-scary. A bunch of little black plastic dots moving like Parkinson patients. The plot is....HAHAHAHAHAHA. Especially the scene where suddenly there is some kind of earthquake and then they blow up the pass. What the fck was that.

If only there was a DVD release or a sequel.

1/10 as a horror flick 9/10 as a comedy

At best, good for a laugh

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 1/10 · 14 October 2004]

Hollywood produces extreme amounts of films; many of these films aren't great. Some of them are exceptionally bad. Every once in a great while, a film comes around that is so awful, so horribly, poorly, badly done, that everyone who knows of its mere existence loathes it. This is one of those films. The premise itself is laughable; I'm almost entirely sure that whoever thought up the plot for this movie had just seen a special about killer ants from Africa on Animal Planet or Discovery, and thought: "Hey! Wouldn't it be way cool to put those in a movie?" Then he figured he would have to find out how to take the ants from Africa to America. From there on end, it went downwards(!). I thank god that this is only a TV-movie, since that limits how many people will see it. The plot is ridiculous, the pacing is bad, the film never manages to inspire any fear at all... actually, I laughed more during it than I laughed at the last comedy I saw. The acting is laughable... I know Eric Lutes has about no experience in acting at all, but I think I remember him being a much better actor in the series Caroline In The City. The characters are poorly written and even more poorly developed. The special effects are horrible, and reek of low-budget, like the rest of this tame movie. All in all, just a really, really bad film, which should only be viewed if you feel like laughing at a poor attempt at making a horror movie. I recommend it only to people who enjoy watching bad movies to make fun of them, and only if it's on TV, so you can watch it for free. Otherwise, avoid. 1/10

Worst movie ever

[pafi_333 · 1/10 · 28 June 2001]

I've seen some made for TV movies and this is one of the worst ever, don't take the time too see it. The acting is one of the worst I've seen in a long time. The special effects where poorly made. Everything is just bad. I gave it a 1 of 10.

X-Files actor

[diz-syd-63 · 2/10 · 10 October 2023]

Terrible movie, bad graphics and would only be made better vlMitch Pieggi were to occasionally shirtless. He saves it really. The ants carrying off fingers and ears was laughable. Their ability to follow the road then rivet was also interesting. "I guess she could have left a forwarding address" regarding the ant queen. Even the flame thrower was useless, what the hell? The golden retriever was gorgeous, shame he had such a minor rôle. The music was a bit weird and annoying, the bass sounds certainly rattled my windows. Ok so the 'white water' rafting was well filmed, that's a plus! The slowmo was typical of this genre!

Time wasted

[simonjtyleruk-54135 · 1/10 · 11 April 2022]

My wife keeps finding this rubbish to watch at dinner time. This one is so bad, I had to write this while I think of something else to do. Acting is wooden, it's as though they have never acted ever. Was there a director on set? Hard to tell. The story is so obvious, continuity is out in many places, the rapids scene was the last straw for me, absolutely rubbish.

Dumb, dumber, dumbest...

[film_afl · 1/10 · 10 September 2012]

The movie is about a scientist who is about to save a small town from hordes of killer ants. Already from this it is possible to draw conclusions about the quality of the movie, i guess...

In this movie no one say or do anything that is logical and reasonable. Already in the beginning this becomes clear when the main character Jim ask the helicopter-pilot if a volcano they see is active or not: "No it just burps once in a while"(!!) Well, that indeed means that it IS active.....Most things have already been said about this disaster but i guess my favorite scene is when the two police officers are at the farm and the farmer who live there have dug holes in the ground and poured gasoline into them to kill the ants, one of the cops fall into one of the pits and the other one runs over there and shout: "Don't use your gun, the place will blow up!" And what does he do? Well, then he just HAVE to do exactly that...After all, what good could it do to fire a gun in that situation at all...? And the worst thing is he already knew that there was gasoline there...Basically all scenes in the movie are of this intelligence. The solution to this whole thing is obviously to blow up a dam so the ants will drown but also the town will be flooded. There is absolutely NO logic in that decision, and consequently he also have to admit later: "I don't know if this did any good, i actually can't say that the problem is solved at all..." (uhu...) Plot, script, acting,... it doesn't get cheesier than this...the absurdities are heaped on top of each other non stop. I guess the kid should be given an Oscar just for being able to keep a straight face when he see the two main characters come rolling down the street on that mini-scooter.....

Conclusion: This is the kind of movie where you start to suspect that the scriptwriters, the director etc. actually laugh among each other later about how many stupid things they could make stupid people say and do in front of a camera, kind of.....It isn't even so bad its good, it's even worse...

Works on two levels--both very entertaining

[BrandtSponseller · 8/10 · 23 January 2005]

Entomologist Jim Conrad (Eric Lutes) is finally taking a vacation. He's headed to Burly Pines, Alaska, to visit a friend, relax, and fish. Of course, this being a horror film, and Conrad being the main character, he doesn't get much relaxation in. Shortly after arriving, Conrad discovers first a moose, then a person, who have been killed then stripped to the bone in a matter of hours. It's a good thing an entomologist is on duty, because it just seems that we might have some killer bugs on the loose! Although this film has received some terrible reviews, I actually like it, a lot. In fact, I'm giving it an 8 out of 10, and at times, was almost going to give it an even higher score! And no, it's not because it's "so bad, it's good".

Which is not to say that there's nothing campy about Marabunta: Terror in Burly Pines (aka Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!). I'd swear that directors Jim Charleston and George Manasse knew all along that they were creating a campy horror film, ala Lake Placid (1999), say, but one that plays extremely dryly. Heck, one of the screenwriters is even named Wink! That it is played so straight makes it easier to watch Marabunta on a couple different levels. You can enjoy it as a serious film, and it's a very engaging, suspenseful story on that level for the most part, and you can also think more "realistically" about the scenarios, and it's even funnier for being dry.

On the serious side, Marabunta follows the somewhat stereotypical plot line for the "bugs gone wild" horror subgenre. It may be predictable on that level, but it's also very enjoyable and effective. The three principle cast members help a lot. Lutes is very good, Mitch Pileggi is excellent as Police Chief Jeff Croy, and Julia Campbell, as Laura Sills, may have been very good, too, although it was more difficult for me to judge her objectively because she is so beautiful. There is also a lot of gorgeous Utah scenery (doubling as Alaska) and some nice cinematography. Also, for a low budget film, the effects were good.

The principle aspect that for me detracted from viewing the film as a serious horror vehicle was the score, especially towards the end. Composer Daniel Licht goes into a mode where he seems to be scoring a reality "challenge" television show rather than a film. Admittedly, the plot might also start to resemble a reality "challenge" television show by the climax.

But Marabunta is even more fun when we start to think about it "realistically". This is a film where people shoot guns at ants. They think it's an effective idea to stop ants by blowing out a mountain road. We get to see them race a tiny scooter away from ants, where the scooter is so slow, the ants almost beat them. We get to see a character drive wildly around in circles, putting others' lives in danger, rather than just step out of the car, because ants are on his leg. We get to watch characters take a canoe down rapids and waterfalls as a means of safe escape. There is no end to fun plot points like these. There are also a number of very amusing continuity "errors". In the realm of intentional camp, this film is near genius.

Marabunta is definitely worth watching, although preferably by those with a taste for dry absurdism as well as a love of "nature gone wild" horror.

Good

[manitobaman81 · 7/10 · 6 September 2014]

This is one of the worst movies ever, and that's why you must see it. It is more unintentionally funny than most actual comedies, and it provides as much entertainment value by accident as many movies do on purpose. This film is funny and stupid! There's something for everyone here. I love this movie, which is hilarious! Sounds corny? No matter what anyone says, this is fantastic. I refuse to dismiss this, because I find it quite engaging, in a guilty pleasure sense. I thought this was cute and not bad. It's not the thing to see if you're in the mood for something uplifting, or something with tons of action. Final rating: 7/10.

My kids loved this!!

[abayes2 · 1/10 · 18 September 2005]

You know a movie is bad,I mean really,really bad when your 11 yr old tells you that they want it on DVD - because its the funniest film they have ever seen. No criticism ever written can truly describe this wonderfully botched attempt at a horror film.The actors even look embarrassed as they run around empty buildings dodging the CGI "ants" that in the finished product appear absolutely nowhere near them! What was Mitch 'X-files' Pileggi thinking when he took a role in this Turkey? My only guess that appearing in this was better than doing the 'convention' round between jobs (ala just about anyone from Star trek!). Maybe it is SO truly bad that as a comedy it's great! G'day from Melbourne!

One of the stupidest...

[Psycho Mantis · 29 June 2001]

A small town in Alaska is being threatened by a legion of killer ants, which by some particular reason go crazy every twelve year and just wants to kill everything and everyone in their path. The town is soon evacuated, but some slack people persist with staying put to battle it out with the ants.

This has got to be one of the stupidest film I have ever seen. Sure, it was made directly for TV, but that does not mean it can be as bad as "Legion of Fire: Killer Ants".

The characters we are supposed to care about are: a lame guy from LA, an irritating teacher, a tired sheriff and finally his son, who screams in horror almost the entire film. Perhaps he had realized what he had got himself into when he signed up for this movie. And the otherwise gifted actor Mitch Pileggi, who stars as the sheriff, really should try to find better projects to work on when he is not shooting X-files episodes.

The ants are just as unconvincing as the characters, if not even more. When the movie is over, you will be very tired of close-ups of poor computer made ants that climb over sticks and rocks.

The movie also contains a lot of incredibly stupid action scenes. For example: when the two heroes are trapped between two flocks of ants out in the wilderness, they don´t realize that all they have to do is take one step out in water next to them, and they would be safe. Perhaps they were too scared to remember that ants can´t swim. And one time the kid is trapped inside a school bus, and there are hundreds of ants on it. But when the heroes arrive a few seconds later, all the ants are gone. Why? Many scenes are unconsciously funny, like when the heroes escape from the ants on a motorcycle and she screams, "Hurry! Faster!", when they easily could have walked away from the little troublemakers. And when all the mess is finally over, you have not seen a single ant been trampled to death, which probably would have been the easiest way to finish the little creatures off. Just jump on them, for Christ´s sake!

I could go on and on, but I think I will stop here. "Legions of Fire: Killer Ants" is a horror movie you will be laughing out loud to, which indeed also can be nice sometimes.

* out of * * * * *

Can this be the worst movie I'e ever seen? I think so!

[MikeyMo_nl · 1/10 · 4 August 2002]

After being tempted by a cool shot in the trailer on TV (an ant walking away with a finger), I decided to watch this 'monstermovie'. Boy, what total piece of crap this was. I don't know what's worse: the special effects, the poor acting or the absence of a decent script. Look at those CGI-ants, don´t they look frightening real? NO THEY DON'T!!!! They look like black moving dots, nothing more nothing less! Look at the people running away from the black dots, don't you care for them and their safety? NO I DON'T!!!!! They all act as stupid as hell: Shooting bullets at a legion of black dots who're coming at you doesn't have much effect. When you're being attacked by the black dots while standing next to a riverbank and the firetorch doesn't work properly just jump in the water! I've never heard of ant attacks in the water! How hard can it be to safe yourself huh? Oh and one of the most annoying things is that when you watch this movie on a channel that doesn't have as many commercialblocks as the American TV stations (one every 10 minutes)you'll get the fade-to-black and then fade-from-black every 10 minutes, which is just put in there for the commercials breaks. I got the feeling I was watching the Bold & the beautiful! Whenever you see this movie in your programmeguide (it's also know as Marabunta btw) then you've got two options: you either ignore it as hell and live your life further without any memory to this piece of crap nested in your brains, or you can watch it and laugh your socks off due to all the flaws, lousy acting and most importantly: CGI-effects that make the original King-Kong look realistic

Marabunta! Killer ants!

[michaelRokeefe · 2/10 · 29 March 2003]

Side stepping an ant hill is always wise. While you're at it, side step this TV offering. So predictable. So boring. A dormant volcano stirs ravenous soldier ants to attack a small Alaska town. Also known as MARABUNTA. No matter the title, they both equal lame. Julia Campbell is a small source of interest, but she can't carry a movie. Also taking part are Mitch Pileggi, Eric Lutes, Bill Osborn and Patrick Fugit. Even the killer ants can't save this one.

Horror? No- horrible.

[Libra-4 · 1/10 · 30 July 2000]

A boring night i was zapping thru the satellite channels. When i came to Norwegian channel 3 my yaw dropped to the floor with a loud bang, then i started to laugh and didn't stop until the end credits. This must be the silliest so called movie i ever have seen. The whole thing just screams "we have no money to do this but we are going to do it anyway." and the story is not a story, it's a single plot point "some ants eats some guys". The so called script is heavily based on the idea that it's impossible to run from ants so when the ants (the black dots with legs) attacks, the characters just stands in a corner and screams until they are eaten. This is really one of those so-bad-it's-funny movies where nobody involved in the making never understood how bad the whole idea was until it was to late, so i recommend it to everybody who likes bad movies.

A home-made Formicula rip-off

[Mikew3001 · 5/10 · 20 January 2006]

I really like animal horror movies, even nonsense like this one. Marabunta, as it was titled on German T.V., tells us something about the silent invasion of a big wave of Brazilian killer ants(!) in a small town in Alaska(!!), and of course it's the same bunch of people since "Jaws" who are fighting the menace - a hard-edged sheriff (played by X-Files' Mitch Pileggi), a well-looking L.A. insect scientist (Eric Lutes) and a scream-queen teacher (Julia Campbell) who falls in love with the latter...

Of course it starts slowly with some killed animals, but after the first human corpses appear, our heroes know that something wicked this way comes... and it's the start of a tour de force of some thrilling action moments and lots of bad special effects like close-ups of burning wood or ants with cheap dramatic library music and a stupidly-looking main actress ...

All in all it's not a masterpiece at all like other ants dramas like the far better Formicula or Phase IV, but it's a nice filler for two hours of cheap T.V. thrills and laughs. And please, serve Julia Campbell some boiled Brazilian ants for her next meal!

Killer Ants!!! OMGWTF!!!11

[nfg-1 · 1/10 · 25 February 2005]

This is probably the worst movie I have ever seen. It's a creature feature, of course. No, the creatures are not giant, mutated, or in any other way special, they are regular soldier ants in Alaska. The whole movie doesn't make a lick of sense. "OH MY GOD, I'm sitting in my car and there's ants on my legs, I think I'll flail about on the gas pedal and crash instead of getting out of the car and going somewhere the ants are not" "OH MY GOD I'm in a helicopter and there's ants on me, I think I'll flail about at the controls and crash into a cliff instead of getting out and jumping into the river 20 feet away from me" "OH MY GOD I'm surrounded by ants, I'll just curl up and pray instead of running over them, after all they are just ants, they cant jump or run as fast as me" "OH MY GOD I'm surround by ants on a beach, but I don't think I'll wade into the water where ants cant tread" "OH MY GOD there's ants in the town, we gotta flood the entire town" "OH MY GOD the ants will reach Anchorage in a MONTH yes a MONTH, its not like we could organize a few hundred gallons of Raid in a month." It is complete nonsense, there is no way that soldier ants could pose any real threat in this modern world of cars and bug spray, they might have to evacuate the town for a few days and send in a squadron of guys with bug spray but thats it. If that wasn't enough, go see the movie. But, watch it with a bunch of friends so you can laugh at how ridiculous it is, the fact that this movie is actually supposed to be serious makes it even funnier. As a serious movie, 1/10, as a comedy, 7/10, there are some scenes that are so unbelievably senseless that you cant help but laugh your ass off.

Made-for-TV trash, to be avoided at all costs

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 24 August 2016]

The same killer ants which attacked Charlton Heston in THE NAKED JUNGLE are back in this insipid made for TV movie in which boredom and lethargy are the order of the day.

Now, the concept of killer ants is a pretty good one. I mean just imagine swarms of them crawling through your house. A horrible thought. Sadly there is nothing like this in MARABUNTA. If it had managed to be an ant version of ARACHNOPHOBIA then it would have been a lot more fun, but the film is severely confined by the television movie format, offering no violence, no swearing, nothing remotely controversial or 'adult'. In all it's a tame ride, much like another television movie dealing with a similar theme, DEADLY INVASION: THE KILLER BEE NIGHTMARE. In fact it follows much the same plot as all killer insect movies: isolated killings lead to full-scale invasion. However, atrocious computer effects and a boring, clichéd plot put paid to any excitement the idea might have offered.

Now my house has been invaded by swarms of flying ants on one occasion, and there is nothing more disturbing than the sight of them swarming up the walls and all over each other as they emerge from various crevices. However, any of that fear is quickly dissipated when we learn that the killer ants presented here are little more than computerised blobs, which look like exactly that; poor, very poor indeed. I'm looking forward to the day when people realise that computer effects just aren't realistic (unless we're talking JURASSIC PARK), even less so on a low budget, and go back to rubber and plastic for their scares.

The film is populated by bland, beautiful television movie types who have about as much charisma as I have in my little toe. The only actor of note is Mitch Pileggi, who shouldn't be appearing in this junk: I guess he took the money and ran, as it were. He's a long way from the solid Assistant Director Skinner he plays in THE X-FILES, or even the homicidal maniac ("Finger-licking good!") he played in Wes Craven's SHOCKER. Still, he's the best thing in this film and he probably knows it.

It's really sad when a character uses a flame thrower and the flames are just projected in front of the camera, and no actual spray of fire comes out. Or when characters are chased by little black dots. Or when the most horror the film can muster is the sight of a human skeleton with hair and little bits of blood still left on. Still, there is one hilarious moment: a farmer falls off a ladder, breaks his back and has his face devoured by the ravenous insects. It's almost like a cheap take-off of a similar moment in THE BEYOND, but of course without the excess we've come to expect from gore-meister Fulci. Avoid this trash at all costs.

Utah is pretty

[Thulemanden · 4/10 · 16 June 2006]

"Fire ants came to the United States from South America some 60 years ago and are now common in the Southeast. Medical reports say as many as 80 people may have been killed in the country by fire ants." Copied from The Associated Press.

This is the zoological basis of the movie. Apparently the low budget movie has not had the opportunity to overhaul it's script in order to create remotely believable details.

Right, the actors are only giving half an effort, while they don't have any sensible materials to work with.

However the movie can run in the background and you can enjoy the scenery and blue sky of Utah. Maybe the producer and instructor have created a cult material: eco-disaster with comedy elements. Not much different from the much appreciated Dune or other flops like Jurassic Park.

Surely there are goofs, like the motor bike helmet back on the bike after the kids threw it earlier, and the teacher being a crack shooter loading a shotgun with bullets inside the sheriffs office. Any person trained with weapons wouldn't load a shotgun and waive it about inside buildings least of all the sheriffs office. He would surely have protested.

The guy claimed to be running with a broken leg actually just says he 'thinks' he broke his leg, and he is limping off with the help of a friend. Surely the prospect of being eaten by ants could make him eat his pain of a strained ankle.

The bullets fired against the ants were magnesium bullets meant for flash exploding to burn the ants, not shooting them.

Anyway, as most disaster movies the action is naturally beyond all credibility, but this movie is not different from films like Shark, the Tornado movies, Volcano movie etc etc. *½

Breathtaking!

[alex22726 · 10/10 · 20 January 2010]

If you've got a weak heart, then beware; "Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!" Is not for you! The edge-of-your-seat action combined with the suspense and constant threats our hero's face is enough to keep the adrenaline flowing in this action packed film starring Eric Lutes As Dr. Jim Conrad, an Entemologist with a whimsical but determined attitude to stop a legion of killer fire ants from taking over a peaceful small Alaskan town in New Mexico, and the beautiful Julia Campbell, who looks kind of like that lady from Seinfeld which is probably why no picture of her was available.

Directed by Jim Charleston; perhaps best known for his Oscar worthy direction in the hit series "V.I.P." This movie continues his legacy of intellectual yet thrilling plot twists at a level previously unreached by any man before him.

So what are you waiting for? This movie, while catering itself as entertainment, bases itself on fact - and reminds us with a sombering opening;"It could happen. . .tomorrow!" which is why you need to see this movie today!

Killer ants movie

[slayrrr666 · 7/10 · 23 January 2005]

"Marabunta" is a rather interesting killer creature film.

**SPOILERS**

Traveling to Alaska to do some fishing, Dr. Jim Conrad (Eric Lutes) and his friend begin finding all sorts of odd events. First, a private lake is drained of fish, then a moose is found stripped of skin, and then a human is found in the same condition. Sheriff Croy (Mitch Pileggi) is called over to investigate, and Jim and Bob stay to help out. While staying there, Jim strikes up a friendship with a local teacher, Laura, (Julia Campbell) and he also makes a startling discovery. He finds out that an army of ants is behind the local deaths. The ants attack first, causing Sheriff Croy to get the townspeople out of the area so they can together deal with the ants. With the town cleared, Jim and Laura go around the edges of town to find their home, and are attacked by the ants. Getting away in the nearby lake, Jim and Laura are able to report on the sheer size of the ants in the colony. Devising a last ditch plan, Croy and Jim are able to stop the ants from spreading to other towns.

The Good News: This isn't a normal killer creature flick in that the killer creature is a horde of regular ants. There isn't any radioactively changed monster running amok, there isn't any space monster ripping people apart, and no genetically altered prehistoric dinosaur hunting people down. What makes the film work is that the monster is one that can be seen in everyone's backyard and that paranoia is put to maximum effect. The ant horde is pretty monstrous, and what is said about their off-screen kills is about as impressive as what happens on screen. We hear about a moose that two hunters identified as being tagged and then found two hours later completely stripped of skin. We see and also hear about a man skinned alive by the ants, so this has a bit more violence than most films of the type. It was also nice to see that the film put them in danger far more often than normal in these films. That also allows for more action than normal, and more action allows for the slow parts in the film to not standout as much as they should. To their credit, the film isn't slow for long parts. Most of the scenes are either explanations of the attacks or hunting down the threat. The ants are also identified a lot earlier than most similar films, and that eliminates the needless scientific studies to find the killer when the audience knows what it is from the first frame. The plan to kill the ants is also a pretty clever one that hasn't been used to too many films to stop an enemy in one of these films and I thought it was pretty effective.

The Bad News: The film has many different scenes of the ants, but they are so obviously CGI that the distraction is so obvious, even three year-old will be able to tell the difference. They do behave like real ants, but their look isn't that real. What ever happened to the realistic CGI that is used in so many big movies that are made? CGI was supposed to make things look realistic that can't be captured in the real world, yet why are there so many different films where the CGI is so fake it becomes more distracting than the fake-ness of what is going on on-screen. This is a prime example of that.

The Final Verdict: Obviously the ants are very poorly realized, but this is a pretty action packed story with more gore than you would expect. It is quite hard to find, but if you can, this is a good rental or at least a viewing on the Sci-Fi Channel, where it does pop up occasionally.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, some Language, and a scene of children in danger.

So bad, it's good.

[silentchaos385 · 1/10 · 5 November 2005]

OK, so this might be the worst movie I've ever seen (a smidgen behind House of a Thousand Corpses), but if you have had a few drinks and are among a few of your closest friends, this could be one of the funniest movies of the past decade. When the ants are closing in on our heroes, they actually take the same clip and show it to you three times - making the ants seem as though they are marching to the same place three times over. This, plus excellent (and when I say excellent, I mean awful) special effects, acting, and death scenes make Killer Ants! a great movie for a Friday night at 2 AM when you've had one too many drinks and you're ready to make fun of anything that isn't yourself. (PS. watch for the scary skeleton in the barn!)