The Swarm (1978)

Wonderful character development!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

In the 1970s, Irwin Allen had a string of hits using the same formula. He'd hire a bunch of A-list actors to appear in his films as 'guest stars' and then put them in the middle of some disaster such as an earthquake, shipwreck or a giant fire. While these films were pretty mindless and silly, they made lots of money...until "The Swarm". In contrast to his previous films, "The Swarm" kept the public away in (dare I say) swarms. It lost many millions--so much that Allen stopped making these mega-budgeted movies*. Frankly, this wasn't such a bad thing as the noted producer/director had simply gone to the well one time too many and the public was sick of these sort of pictures. Still, you have to wonder if despite all this, is "The Swarm" a decent film? Read on....When the film begins, a variety of bee-induced accidents occur. When a top beeologist (or whatever you call them) tries to help, Dr. Crane (Michael Caine) is treated like dirt by the military, particularly General Slater (Richard Widmark). Grudgingly, they allow him to help but what can they do with some seriously nastified Africanized bees?! Not much--at least for much of the film, as you see tons of folks being attacked by these nasty bugs. Time and again, folks writhe about with bees or stunt bees buzzing about them.Technically speaking, this film really isn't much different from other Allen mega-pictures. The characters are shallow and underdeveloped and writing is certainly NOT a strong point in the film. What sets this one apart is the bee attacks. While Allen and his staff tried hard to make it look realistic, watching famous and respected actors writhing about and thrashing as they're supposedly being killed by bees is unintentionally hilarious! Seeing someone burned to death in "The Towering Inferno" or drowning in "The Poseidon Adventure" isn't funny and really couldn't be. That is the main difference between "The Swarm" and previous Allen epics. Seeing Olivia de Havilland (one of my favorite actresses) moaning is funny! How often can you see super- famous Oscar-winning actress embarrass herself like this?! And don't just blame her...lots of other very respected actors appear in this silly film. However, the funniest acting is by the extras--as folks being attacked by bees invariably drive into walls (and explode), run about screaming as they're engulfed in flames and generally just run amok!!"The Official Razzie Movie Guide" listed this film in their book of biggest mistakes in Hollywood history. Given that their list is heavy on the films of the last 40 years and how much money the film lost, I think it's a reasonable inclusion. But this does not mean its a horrible film--far worse have been made over the years. But few lost as much money as this one did and made bigger fools of a bunch of famous actors. *Allen did make "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure" a few years after this film but with many more B-listers in the film and a budget a tiny fraction of "The Swarm".

The Swarm (1978) * (out of 4) Millions of African killer bees are ravishing a small town and afterwards over two- hundred people are dead. Bee expert Brad Crane (MIchael Caine) must work with a scientist (Katharine Ross) and a General (Richard Widmark) to try and find a way to destroy them before they reach Houston, Texas and more people are dead.THE SWARM was a notorious flop at the box office and critics ripped it to shreds with many calling it one of the worst movies ever made. I personally wouldn't go that far but there's no question that it's an incredible bad one that manages to have one of the greatest casts ever assembled but that just makes the end result all the more sad. I should point out how bad you find the movie will probably depend on which version you watch. The first time I saw the movie it was in its 155-minute version, which just makes the film all the worse. Here recently Turner Classic Movies ran the 116-minute theatrical cut, which is also horrible but at least it doesn't run as long as the extended version and that makes it the one I'd recommend people to watch.So, what went wrong with THE SWARM? I'd say the biggest problem is that fact that Irwin Allen decided to direct it himself. There's no question that he was a terrific producer but his directing skills left a lot to be desired. There's certainly no drama to be found anywhere in the film as scenes are all poorly put together and the director never manages to make you afraid of the bees. Another problem is that the screenplay contains some extremely bad dialogue that just makes you laugh more than anything else. I mean, how many legendary actors are here and saying lines that make you feel bad for them? It also doesn't help that the majority of the movie has the cast members talking or arguing without any bee action.The special effects are probably the best thing about the film and they work the best whenever we're given close-up shots of the killers. Some of the far shots look obviously fake but there's no question that the effects are good and I'd argue the bees give the best performances in the film. As for the cast, Caine and Ross are clearly just sleepwalking through their roles but at least Widmark appears to be trying to give the thing some energy. We get Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson and Fred MacMurray in a love triangle that just doesn't work. We also get Patty Duke, Jose Ferrer, Lee Grant and Richard Chamberland. Slim Pickens does get a touching scene but both Henry Fonda and especially Cameron Mitchell are wasted.THE SWARM was one of a string of disaster movies that closed the decade out with a dud. This here is certainly one of the worst disaster movies to be made and even in the "bee" sub-genre it's pretty weak. Both THE DEADLY BEES, THE BEES and THE SAVAGE BEES are much better.

the good part - the cast. the bad fact - unrealistic script. the best thing - it could become a kind of comedy. slice of a period fears and trends, it is only an ordinary dark utopia, a form of Jaws but at very different level. without be a good film, it is an useful demonstration about the taste of public and the vision of artistic team. the virtue - good intentions and few scenes. a film who remains legendary for the desire of a part of actors to give roots to a not inspired project. like many other cases, a good idea with huge potential and a not remarkable result. that is all. unrealistic but interesting for discover Michael Caine, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland or Richard Widmark in an easy film about a huge danger. the solution - not different by the entire film.

Awful, awful, awful "killer insect" film from Irwin Allen who hires names from the past just so that the potential of putting ass in seats, but that certainly didn't happen.Overlong (this should have been 90 minutes tops), with subplots that should never have been added to begin with (geriatric love triangle between Suthun-voiced Olivia De Havilland, retired "master mechanic" Ben Johnson, and store clerk Fred MacMurray which ends with all of them dying in a train disaster! Patty Duke is pregnant and has her baby. County "water control" Slim Pickins crying over the body of his soldier son, getting access inside the military base after threatening to cut off the water! A little boy who watches his parents die, drives their car into the nearest town, sees a hallucination of a giant bee that Michael Caine successfully helps him free himself from, later returning with some boyhood friends to hurl Molotov cocktails at a tree containing the swarm!). Michael Caine just shows up at the military outpost and is provided carte blanche by the President of the United States much to military man, Richard Widmark's chagrin. He declares himself an entomologist, and his credentials are later confirmed. So Henry Fonda (the best bit of casting this film has going for it) and Richard Chamberlain (absolutely wasted) are brought in as important scientists to either find a cure for the bees or to kill them. Caine gets a love interest in Katherine Ross (a military doc), but they register zilch in chemistry. The movie spends plenty of time showing this black mass representing the swarm in the sky but this isn't the least bit scary. Slow motion attacks on people is more laughable in its presentation than convincing as a horror in motion. Allen loves to blow everything up or set it on fire. Houston in flames thanks to the moronic use of blow torches by men in white suits and helmets who seem to just aim at anything including their fellow man! Finally, it is discovered that the Africans (the term for the African bees!) are drawn to a type of alarm that sounded by the military installation attacked at the beginning of the film. Caine and Ross (of course), miraculously escape Houston unharmed despite everybody else bites the dust, and get back to the Texas base, working on a payload carrying horns sounding off the same alarm that drew the bees in the first place. Missiles drop and KABOOM! A nice fire cloud in the background as Caine and Rose hug each other tight. This is as terrible as most tell you. It is truly sad some good actors are attached to it, but disaster films often occupied old Hollywood veterans in key roles to draw audiences. In this film's case, people fortunately didn't waste their time watching this drivel. De Havilland with her Southern accent is rather humorous, and the old timers out to gain her hand are ditched like toilet paper after a trip to the bathroom which left wondering why on earth they were in this film at all besides their recognizable names in the cast. Widmark and Caine often scream at each other for no reason; all I could guess was there seem to be this need to pit military against scientists which might explain their unnecessary animosity. Jose Ferrer's casting left me baffled: Irwin Allen's cousin's brother's uncle could have played this throwaway part. Also given parts are Cameron Mitchell as a military sergeant who receives news from the Pentagon and transfers information back and forth to the Texas military base, Lee Grant (her role is meaningless) as a reporter who shows news reports of the Texas town disaster where 200 locals perish due to a killer bee attack, and Bradford Dillman as Widmark's second he orders around.Overcrowded and yet absurdly plotted, The Swarm deserves its rotten reputation. Sadly this was MacMurray's final film…maybe after this disaster he felt the need to call it quits! Fonda using himself as a guinea pig with no one else in the lab while injecting himself with an experimental serum makes no sense! He injects himself with the venom and has trouble reaching the anti-toxin vial!