A made for TV addition to the "Nature Strikes Back" genre that was prevalent at the time, this shows its audience a pretty good time. Lakewood Manor is a lodge in Arizona (although the production actually filmed in Canada) that ends up under siege by a never-ending onslaught of ants that have become toxic and can kill people provided they bite their victims enough times. Robert Foxworth is the grim-faced, take-charge Mike Carr, a construction worker and the hero of the piece; Lynda Day George is his appealing leading lady, and screen legend Myrna Loy plays Lyndas' wheelchair-bound mom.A number of familiar faces get trotted out, disaster-movie style, for this well-directed tale that delivers a reasonable amount of thrills. While ants may not be among the most off-putting members of the insect world, to see so many of them mobilized here, and to see human beings covered with scores of them will ensure nail-biting tension for the more squeamish people in the audience.The characters are largely standard-issue, but fairly engaging just the same. We also get stock individuals like the stubborn dummy (Steve Franken) who doesn't believe Mike about the killer ants theory, and the worthless jerk (Gerald Gordon) who will be out to save his own skin when the going gets rough. That said, there is a very first-rate cast at work here, although Ms. Loy gets precious little to do after a while. Also turning up are Bernie Casey, Barry Van Dyke, Karen Lamm, Anita Gillette, Brian Dennehy, Suzanne Somers, Stacy Keach Sr., and Rene Enriquez.In a way that hearkens back to sci-fi monster movies of the 1950s, the filmmakers (Robert Scheerer directs from a script by Guerdon Trueblood) take the time to educate us as well as entertain us, with some facts shared regarding the nature of ants.Well done overall, with a particularly effective finale.Seven out of 10.

Released to TV in 1977 as a knock-off of the theatrical "Empire of the Ants," which came out several months earlier, "Ants" is (obviously) a 'when-animals-attack' film featuring the little critters in full attack mode. Although the insects were huge in the theatrical movie, here they're normal-sized but with a toxic bite due to chemicals in the ground or whatever.Robert Foxworth, a favorite of mine, plays the protagonist with his sidekick Bernie Casey, another favorite. Lynda Day George plays the girlfriend at the old hotel where the ants are uprising and Myrna Loy her crippled mother. Barry Van Dyke plays a stud working at the pool and cutie Karen Lamm his girlfriend, Linda. Suzanne Somers is also on hand as the associate of a businessman interested in buying the hotel.I've heard some criticize the movie as high camp when it's not campy at all. It's a straight forward creatures-on-the-loose flick with the requisite drama. There's nothing artificial or goofy about the acting or story, which defines camp. This is not to say, however, that there aren't giggle-worthy parts, like when the boy falls into the dumpster.There's nothing extraordinary about "Ants," but it's certainly decent enough to give an okay grade. Although Somers isn't fat by any means, she's not in good shape like she was early-on in "Three's Company" and over a dozen years later as a hot fitness guru. This can be observed in a couple of scenes where she's wearing a one-piece bathing suit. Karen Lamm works better as the requisite babe. As for Day George, she's dressed to the hilt with loose clothing the entire film.The film runs 95 minutes and was shot at Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island British Columbia.GRADE: C+

Just want to comment on this movie that I know as "Ants". I think I really only like to watch it and more than once because I grew up near this hotel. Despite the fact that IMDb lists the filming location as Vancouver, British Columbia, this movie was actually filmed in the small town of Qualicum Beach, about 60 miles west of Vancouver. Lakewood Manor is in reality the old Qualicum College, a private residential boys's school, converted around the time of this movie to a hotel called the Qualicum College Inn. The water overlooked by the building is not a lake at all, but rather the Strait of Georgia which separates Vancouver Island from the mainland of British Columbia.When I was a kid my friends and I would dig in the hard sandy clay just across the street from the college and make quite substantial caves. We were very foolhardy as these could have collapsed at any time, and of course we never realized that there were killer ants down in the ground!

Construction site unearths an army of toxic ants that engulf the neighbouring hotel. Construction Manager Foxworth and foreman Casey lead the charge to convince the owners of the impending danger, and then save the guests from imminent death.Almost sounds exciting, and while it doesn't quite live up to its premise, a surprisingly good cast and competently handled action sequences contribute to a watchable entry in the "animal attack" film genre.Foxworth plays the hero with macho determination, coming to the rescue of his girlfriend (Day-George) and soon-to-be mother-in-law (Loy) who are trapped in the besieged hotel, along with an assortment of other residents and ring-ins. Suzanne Somers gets star billing despite only being in a minor supporting role, while future star Brian Dennehy chimes in late in the piece as the fire brigade captain who must engineer an escape plan for the trapped victims.Nothing fancy, no expensive special effects, Emmy-award winning performances or memorable dialogue, just the tried and tested disaster film formula, with a new element for excitement. The only real liability, is a somewhat bizarre (and equally absurd) climax ending that might leave the audience a little disappointed.Disbelief aside, "Ants" is a reasonable way to spend an hour-and-a-half, and may leave you hesitant about dismissing the innocuous looking insects, next time they infest your kitchen sink.