The Bees (1978)

Wonderful Movie

Excellent but underrated film

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

After a brief introduction, this movie begins with a scientist named "Dr. Franklin Miller" (Claudio Brook) and his wife, "Sandy Miller" (Angel Tompkins) working on a project in Brazil to transform African killer bees into a hybrid variety which are less aggressive. However, when a local boy is killed attempting to steal honey from one of the hives, the residents riot and subsequently kill Dr. Miller in the process. As a result, all of his work is temporarily halted. Not long afterward, realizing the destruction that swarms of these killer bees pose for the United States, another scientist named "Dr. Norman" (John Saxon) meets with Sandy Miller in New York and attempts to take up where his colleague had left off. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that it began with an interesting premise. Unfortunately, what really hurt this movie overall was the incredibly idiotic ending which has to be seen to be believed. Likewise, some of the disaster scenes were downright laughable as well. That being said, had it not been for the presence of Angel Tompkins, I would have rated this movie even lower than I have—it's just that bad.

Spoilers coming-but it really doesn't matter.Angry bees attack the UN to assert joint control of the world between themselves and mankind. If we don't leave them in peace, they dispose of us. Enough said, except for the fact that the UN bees are entirely different from the set of angry bees that menace mankind in the first half of the film. Frankly this film was a lot more entertaining than "An inconvenient truth", AND it has John Saxon, and John Carradine to boot. The fight between Saxon and the Mexican hit-man (yes, this film has everything) is a real treat.This film should undoubtedly be on the global school curriculum.

"The Bees" is a LOT of fun (but you have to be willing to go along for the ride and NOT take it seriously at all). Kind of a cross between a TV sitcom (like "Three's Company") and Irwin Allen's (also laughable) "The Swarm", remember: it's all just goofy FUN. John Saxon (the hardest working B (or bee) Movie Actor of the 70s), dishy Angel Tompkins, and John Carradine (looking quite frail as Tompkins uncle "Ziggy" with an utterly fraudulent German accent) form a team of bee experts whose research and chutzpah come to the rescue when huge swarms of killer bees make their way to the United States (via corporate greed), wreaking (laughable) havoc. Humor abounds (both intentional and, more significantly, unintentional). The results are cornball, played to the campy hilt by all involved. The bee attacks are particularly amusing, underscored by goofy soundtrack music that goes disco at times when the bees get their close-ups. How can anyone not enjoy seeing the Rose Parade in Pasadena upset by an attack of the buzzing fiends? Face it, you WILL be rooting for the bees in this film, cheering them on as they go after the actors. SPOILER ALERT (AS IF with a movie like THIS!)...That the solution for the bee problem involves using pheromone sprays to confuse the male drone bees, tricking them into mating with each other (essentially turning the bees GAY!), and thereby somehow rendering them sterile (huh???) kicks this one out of the field. But it doesn't stop there...Saxon and Tompkins actually communicate with the bees and reach the United Nations to warn, "You have to listen! You have to listen to what the bees have to say!" "The Bees" must bee seen to bee beelieeved! Sure, the bee effects are hokey, but what would anyone honestly expect from a film like this? CGI??? This was 1978! Worthy of rediscovery, "The Bees" is just good, old, grade-Z, 70s bad-movie fun. Great to heckle (a la MST3K) with a swarm of your best friends. (Liquor (or your vice of choice) is highly recommended. Perhaps toast each bee attack with "the bees knees" (a simple combination of gin plus honey, shaken with ice, strained, and served straight-up) a popular Prohibition-era drink from The Savoy Cocktail Book.) Screen "The Bees" with any of your favorite bee-themed, B-Movies. Suggestions include: "Invasion of the Bee Girls" with honeys Victoria Vetri and Anitra Ford; Bruce Geller's Emmy- winning "The Savage Bees" TV Movie; "The Killer Bees" starring Kate Jackson and Gloria Swanson (a must-see, if you can find it); or the hypnotic episode titled "Zzzzz" from "The Outer Limits" (original series, of course). Or -- and this one you should already have thought of yourself -- precede "The Bees" with Hitchcock's "The Birds" and rely on guests' libidos to take the prurient overtones to the next level...(anyone for royal jelly and prophylactics?) Have a real stinger of an evening!

O.K. heres the basic plot: we have been poisoning the air for so many years that nature has fought back by sending us KILLER BEES. Now if that doesn't grab you how about this: This film features a swarm of bees addressing the United Nations, as Angel Thompkin's screams "You have to listen! You have to listen (sic) what the bees are trying to tell you!" I really had fun watching this, but I am truly amazed at how bad it is. There are surprising continuity errors. (In one scene hit men shoot a man as he is sitting in a chair. In the next shot, it's a different older chair.) Many of the shot's of the bee swarms look like they are just clouds of smoke. However, Nightmare On Elm Street's John Saxon is in it, and Claudio Brooks gets hit in the head with a rock. All in all I highly recommend it.