GLASS TRAP

Curtis Blake is a young man recently hired as a "janitor" in a luxurious building in Los Angeles, the Waldman Building. Inside the building, a shipment of exotic plants accidentally comes into contact with radioactive substances; the result is a "platoon" of radioactive giant ants thirsty for blood. Curtis Blake, along with the few residents of the building, will have to fight against the ferocious ants for survival. After watching this absurd beast movie, the viewer cannot help but wonder who that crazy producer is who was so brave as to believe in this project and invest precious money in the making of a film like this. Nowadays, there are so many horror direct-to-video films that invade, more and more frequently, the shelves of video stores and, in the majority of cases, these products are beast movies, a genre that, for some strange reason, seems to be more appealing for productions destined solely for video. Normally, when talking about beast movies, one tends to think (in terms of number of films produced) of killer sharks, ferocious crocodiles, or giant snakes, but rarely does one come across films that focus on the smallest and most insignificant insect on our planet: the ant. Cases of horror dedicated to ants are sporadic but not non-existent because if one goes back to 1954, one can remember that small gem directed by Gordon Douglas that was "Assault on Earth" ("Them!" in the original), a perfect mix of horror and science fiction that, for the masterful exposition of the facts and the use of excellent special effects, was one of the best genre films of the past. But to come across films with killer ants, one does not have to go back so far in time because one can go back to 1998 and remember a certain "Marabunta - Threat to Earth" (also known as "Marabunta - Assault on Earth" or "The Legion of Killer Ants") which was nothing more than a bad and ridiculous product for television. Obviously, this "Glass Trap", directed by Fred Olen Ray in 2005, does not come close to the result obtained by "Assault on Earth" but it does not hit rock bottom like "Marabunta" did; no, the result achieved by Ray's film is that of a bad movie that, on several occasions, falls into the unintentional ridiculousness, thus managing to entertain the viewer who will watch the screening between one laugh and another, but who will never be able to take the film seriously. It starts with a very worn-out and not at all original basic plot; a screenplay written in a hurry and without thinking; a television-like photography and a narrative construction in perfect TV style. But despite everything, what makes one raise an eyebrow the most is not all these details (because these things are predictable for a direct-to-video product) but the pathetic portrayal and characterization of the characters. Overlooking the fact that one falls, more than ever this time, into the total stereotype, one must point out the ridiculous performance of C. Thomas Howell in the role of the "janitor" protagonist; despite the fact that the actor is now of a certain age in the film he plays the role of a young man and behaves as such (movements of a young boy, headphones around the neck) but it is impossible not to notice the obvious wrinkles on the face and the graying hair that are wisely covered by a hat. It's true...after making a fortune in "The Hitcher" playing the young protagonist, C. Thomas Howell has remained trapped in the role that made him "famous". But to share the fame with Howell for ridiculous performances is Martin Kove ("Crocodile 2") playing Corrigan, a "special" agent, really not special at all, highly over the top to the point of becoming an inflated caricature that, on more than one occasion, gives us some healthy and unintentional laughs (how can one forget the scene in which to hit the big ant he shoots his colleague?). The last note must be addressed to the funny realization of the ants that sometimes are rendered with a rather insufficient CGI, but most of the time are made with some very fake plastic puppets that throw themselves, from the very beginning, into the comical. In conclusion, this "Glass Trap" is a bad and pathetic movie that does not stray from the classic products that one finds in the video store but that, unlike many films available for video, manages to entertain by offering some healthy laughs...obviously unintentional.