X
- 1974
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 24 m
- 1974
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 24 m
Summary Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them.
Directed By: Saul Bass
Written By: Mayo Simon
- 1974
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 24 m
- 1974
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 24 m
Phase IV
49
6.5
Summary Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them.
Directed By: Saul Bass
Written By: Mayo Simon
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
49
29% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
43% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
29% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
49
29% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
43% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
29% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
In form, Phase IV isn’t that different from monster movies of old, though the ants never grow to monstrous size. In execution, it’s much more striking, offering a study in contrasts between ants and humans, and one that doesn’t always reflect favorably on the humans.
It’s a movie that seems to have been designed more than directed, and edited around principles of color and line, rather than around performance or plot.
In making his feature directorial debut after a succession of distinguished film titles, graphics and short subjects, Saul Bass, with the aid of special insect photography by Ken Middleham (Hellstrom Chronicle), has fashioned a pictorially persuasive adventure.
So-so ecological SF thriller from 1974 about superintelligent ants.
Humankind's fate is left in the hands of several unusually inept and colourless scientists, the ants get the works from the special effects department, and original ideas (so often a casualty in sci-fi cinema) take a back seat.
This one didn't get the bugs worked out before release. It's another in the Hollywood cycle of films based on every kind of creature enlarged by radiation.
One would think that director Saul Bass, whose credit sequences for such films as Hitchcock's PSYCHO are nearly as interesting as the films themselves, could pump some energy into this potentially interesting premise, but all he comes up with is an overly intellectual bore.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 User Ratings
6.5
67% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
33% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 User Ratings
6.5
67% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
33% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
