Sci Fi Day: Phase IV (1974)

To say that this film is cringe-worthy would be an understatement. For those of you who don’t know me, I don’t deal very well with insects; in fact, I hate them! There were a couple of times where I physically flinched and elbowed Ian much to his discomfort thinking ants were actually crawling on me! So apart from wearing the same painful expression throughout the film, I must admit that Phase IV was a completely different breed of Sci Fi than I’ve ever seen. More than anything, I really enjoyed the concept of insect intelligence which is something rarely seen in the serious science fiction genre.

The film was very much like The Discovery Channel at times with close-up shots monitoring ant activity where even the finest of ant hairs were picked up and then of course there is the mantis devouring the ant scene which was disturbing but cool. There was a particular ‘ant crawling out of a palm’ scene which reminded me of Luis Bunuel’s rather bizarre short film Un Chien Andalou (1929)- both equally disturbing. The ending was somewhat ambiguous which wasn’t completely satisfying but perhaps in keeping with the rest of the film. An interesting watch, but not sure I’d want to see it again (plus the ants may give me nightmares!).

For fanboy’s perspective on Phase IV click here.