All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs.
Arachnids and insects are both arthropods, but insects are not arachnids and arachnids are not insects.
The 17-year cicada? Why, that’s a “true bug,” i.e., the order of insects with piercing, sucking mouthparts.
Correct me if I’m wrong, and I’m sure you will!
With cicadas already emerging in some parts of the Chicago area and throughout Illinois, now seemed the ideal time to put together a list of my favorite “bug movies” of all time. As the Commissioner of This List, I hereby decree that any film in which bugs, insects and/or arachnids are prominently featured is eligible for consideration.
Without further ado, my 10 Favorite BUG MOVIES, I mean, INSECT MOVIES, you know what I mean, of all time:
10. ‘Arachnophobia’ (1990)
It’s Movie Law that when a family moves to the country to escape the crazy hustle-bustle of the city, bad things are sure to happen. Usually it’s a ghost or a serial killer in the woods, but in the case of the wickedly funny and perfectly paced “Arachnophobia,” it’s ... SPIDERS. Jeff Daniels is in affable everyman mode as Dr. Ross Jennings, who has a paralyzing fear of spiders — something that didn’t come into play when the family lived in San Francisco. That changes when they relocate to an idyllic small town where a deadly strain of spider has made its way from Venezuela. A scene-stealing John Goodman provides comic relief as Delbert McClintock, exterminator extraordinare.
9. ‘Charlotte’s Web’ (2006)
No other crawly creature gets such a wide range of roles than the arachnid. There are deadly spiders (see above), web-slinging man-spiders (see Entry No. 2) — and deeply admirable spiders, as in the late Gary Winick’s “Charlotte’s Web.” This is a live-action adaptation of E.B. White’s generationally beloved 1952 novel, and while Wilbur the Spring Pig (voiced by Dominic Scott Kay) and even Templeton the Rat (a hilarious Steve Buscemi) are instantly likable, it does take a moment to get used to the almost too-realistic looking Charlotte (Julia Roberts). Still, this is a magical rendition of White’s heart-tugging and lovely tale.
8. ‘Bug’ (2006)
And now for something that’s the polar opposite to “Charlotte’s Web.” Directed by the late great Chicago legend William Friedkin, with Steppenwolf legend Tracy Letts adapting his play of the same name, “Bug” will have you squirming in your seat and is at times so grisly and horrific, you’ll have to remind yourself to open your eyes. Michael Shannon and Ashley Judd deliver blistering work as Agnes and Peter, two broken people who come to believe they’ve been infected by microscopic bugs as part of a vast conspiracy. The final sequences of “Bug” are devastating and unforgettable.
7. ‘A Bug’s Life’ (1998)
Within six weeks in 1998, two similarly themed animated films were released: Dreamworks “Antz” and Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life.” They’re both terrific works, with “Antz” working on a higher intellectual plane, but we’re going with “A Bug’s Life” for its more dazzling visuals. Sending a clear and strong message about worker’s rights, “A Bug’s Life” plays like an update of Aesop’s fable about the ant and the grasshopper. It’s also zany and trippy and filled with zippy one-liners, and the computer-generated worlds we visit are astonishing, especially considering that this was just the second feature film from Pixar.
6. ‘Mothra’ (1961)
If this isn’t the looniest movie in the history of this genre, it’s certainly in the Top 5. Directed by Honda Ishirô for Toho Studios, “Mothra” features a fictional America-Russia mashup of a country known as Roliscia that used a seemingly uninhabited island to test atomic and hydrogen bombs; a pair of foot-high, fairy-like singing twins dubbed “Shobijin,” who are captured and forced to perform as a nightclub act, and of course, the eventual emergence of the seemingly indestructible god Mothra, who wreaks havoc in a quest to rescue the Shobijin. Exploring themes of the time including Cold War fears, “Mothra” also features some wonderfully cheesy but also quite inventive special effects, with cool miniature sets and Mothra models.
5. ‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
When Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi actioner was released to disappointing box office and mixed reviews, many critics found it to be an endorsement of fascist themes and stratocratic regimes — but over the years, “Troopers” has gained a measure of respect as a satire. What’s undeniable is the entertainment value of seeing Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and his pals in the United Citizen Federation taking on a species of highly evolved and deadly insectoid creatures.
4. ‘Mimic’ (1997)
The second feature film from the brilliant Guillermo del Toro features some of the most terrifying bugs ever put on film. Mira Sorvino is fantastic as the entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler, who puts an end to a plague by creating a “Judas breed’ mantis-termite hybrid that is designed to go extinct, but the creatures have other plans: over the course of just a few years, they evolve into enormous, genetically engineered insects that can mimic the human form. Talk about your worst nightmare! Filmed with darkly elegant style, “Mimic” has so many effective jump-scares you might fall off the sofa.
3. ‘Them!’ (1954)
The GOAT of 1950s “Big Bug” monster films is one of many cautionary tales about atomic testing — in this case, gigantic ants who mutated due to radiation from nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert in 1945. ”Them!” starts off playing like a murder mystery before the reveal that the “Them! Them!” referenced by a traumatized little girl are in fact irradiated ants. Impressive special effects for the era, and great use of sound as a tool of terror.
2. ‘Spider-Man’ (2002)
One can argue that Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking and exhilarating 2002 superhero film (and the many Spidey movies we’ve enjoyed since then) isn’t really a Bug Movie; after all, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker isn’t literally a Spider-Man, he’s a guy who gains spider-like powers. Ah, but how does that happen? Why, he’s bitten by a genetically engineered spider, of course! No arachnid, no “Spider-Man.” (Sidebar: Whether it’s dinosaurs, apes, insects, humans, you name it, genetic engineering in the movies almost always results in utter chaos.)
1. ‘The Fly’ (1986)
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
With a nod to George Langelaan’s short story of the same name that was published in Playboy magazine in 1957 and the memorable 1958 adaptation, the champion bug movie of all time is David Cronenberg’s beautifully constructed and horrifying classic with Jeff Goldblum delivering a frightening and heartbreakingly effective performance as the eccentric genius Seth Brundle, who mutates into “Brundlefly,” much to the horror of Geena Davis’ Ronnie. To this day, “The Fly” features some of the most effective makeup and creature effects ever captured on film, and a story that will make your skin crawl.
As if you’ve been bitten by a bug.
