Plot: A couple of scientists in the badlans research changes in ants behaviour after a solar explosion. The investigation soon turns into a fight of intellects against the ants, who seem to have developed an intelligence as bright as the scientists'.
Comments: "Phase IV" was directed by Saul Bass. Bass was known primarily for his work with film credits. In his hands, those montages became deailed collages advancing some of the themes or visual motives in the films they preceded. Among his best known credit work there's "Psycho" and "Vertigo" for Alfred Hitchcock or "Cape Fear" and "Casino" for Martin Scorsese.
The best thing in the film is Bass' distinctive visual style. He composes every shot with a care and insight rarely found in the genre. Take the slightly Kubrick-like visual of the scientists standing in the desert, examining the structures the ants have built. Or the excellent idea of using real insects for the numerous scenes focused on them. I found a particular shot of an ant walking through rows and rows of dead ants following a defeat as striking as if it had came right from a war film starring humans.
But despite all this and a disturbing flow of events, "Pase IV" ends up being a muddled movie. Bass does indeed direct with a distinctive flair, but the script is packed with extremely boring science talk, and the hammy acting with the two leads doesn't help in the slightest. Things pick up a little towards the end, though, as Bass can get rid of most of the science talk and some of the insuferable acting.
