The Swarm

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The Swarm

PG

Released Jul 14, 1978

1h 56m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

9%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

19%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Scientist Dr. Bradford Crane and army general Thalius Slater join forces to fight an almost invisible enemy threatening America; killer bees that have deadly venom and attack without reason. Disaster movie-master Irwin Allen's film contains spectacular special effects, including a train crash caused by the eponymous swarm.

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Empire Magazine

Hammy action yarn with an entertaining performance from Michael Caine.

Rated: 3/5

May 25, 2015

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Killer bees periodically interrupt the arch writing, stilted direction and ludicrous acting in Irwin Allen's disappointing and tired non-thriller.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Jennifer Selway

Time Out

A number of journalists, rolling in the aisles with laughter, were ejected from the press screening.

Jun 24, 2006

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

The Swarm's arms-length vibe is perpetuated by its pervasive assortment of inept, incompetent elements...

Rated: 1/4

Aug 26, 2021

Full Review

Richard Freedman

Newhouse News Service

[It's] a movie without a smidgeon of redeeming social esthetic or entertainment value: The Swarm manages to be both cruel to older actors by holding their failing techniques up to ridicule and to be at least subconsciously bigoted.

Aug 5, 2021

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

'...it's the soapy elements which truly chill the senses...

Rated: 1/5

Mar 15, 2021

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CodyZamboni Z

Appallingly bad. Silly, laughable, and dumb, Zero thrills and suspense Cheap looking fx. The once dependable Irwin Allen seriously has lost his touch. Maybe except for convincing top stars to appear in such dreck for an easy paycheck.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Well, that certainly was a film. I saw this for free on YouTube, cause it looked interesting and it had an ensemble cast. Even with Caine, Chamberlain, and Ross the film was just….. not that good lol. Honestly though you can’t hate this movie with a passion, for one thing the cinematography was surprisingly competent. Like genuinely in a lot of scenes I found myself thinking “damn, that looks good”. The movie also had no chill, they were killing off literally everyone. Even the children, which is something you don’t see too much in modern cinema. So kind of a nice change of pace. I also really like the ending, I kind of hate endings that are all happy or whatever. Either way, avoid this one unless you don’t want to, it’s up to you I guess. Don’t let online reviews dictate whether or not you like a movie. 1.5/5 stars funny little horror movie here, with some pretty crazy stuff. (Also Jerry Goldsmith went crazy on that end title theme, so crazy in fact that it was later used in the Alien movies. Nice that it found new life in a completely different horror film.)

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

Full Review

Jonathan O

The Swarm looks thrilling and exciting but is so dumb and silly that you will laugh at the characters doing dumb things and Jerry Goldsmith's score really gives us the chills and excitement but as for the cinematography is fine but really bad camera work and Irwin Allen did great in the poseidon adventure and the towering inferno but the swarm is too long and you can tell which scene shouldn't be in the movie and script is so ridiculous it makes no sense but it's a good bad movie to watch on Netflix, YouTube and Tubi.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

Full Review

Mark B

It is a classic disaster movie with not great acting ridiculous plot and cheesy special effects, but it is entertaining enough. A throwback to the 70’s

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/12/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Bees!...bees..no...not beeees!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/24

Full Review

robert K

A comedy classic. Lame dialogue and lousy special effects make this one a real winner.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/04/24

Full Review

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Irwin Allen

Director

Michael Caine

Brad Crane

Katharine Ross

Helena

Richard Widmark

Gen. Slater

Richard Chamberlain

Dr. Hubbard

Olivia de Havilland

Maureen

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Synopsis

Scientist Dr. Bradford Crane and army general Thalius Slater join forces to fight an almost invisible enemy threatening America; killer bees that have deadly venom and attack without reason. Disaster movie-master Irwin Allen's film contains spectacular special effects, including a train crash caused by the eponymous swarm.

Director: Irwin Allen
Producer: Irwin Allen
Screenwriter: Stirling Silliphant
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 14, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2008
Runtime: 1h 56m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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