While my overall rating for "The Hellstrom Chronicle" is not particularly high, this does not mean it's a bad film. It's just that for me, I found it to be very tedious after a while and more than 90 minutes of footage of insects and the narration by Lawrence Pressman got to be very boring to me. On the other hand, the film has some amazing footage--footage that is STILL very impressive over 40 years later.
The film begins with Pressman introducing himself as Dr. Hellstrom---though this is all fiction. This 'expert' (really, just an actor) talks on and on like an excited entomologist--an entomologist who seemed more intent, at times, to scare the viewer than to truly educate. Most of the information is very true but sometimes he exaggerates in order to scare the viewer about the danger of insects or how they, ultimately, will rule the Earth.
There is a lot to admire, apart from the occasionally dopey narration, about this film. The cinematography still impresses today--with micro shots of many insects as well as human fertilization. But the dryness and long-winded nature of the film make this one you wish was shorter--much shorter. I think this film would have worked better at about 45 minutes.
The film begins with Pressman introducing himself as Dr. Hellstrom---though this is all fiction. This 'expert' (really, just an actor) talks on and on like an excited entomologist--an entomologist who seemed more intent, at times, to scare the viewer than to truly educate. Most of the information is very true but sometimes he exaggerates in order to scare the viewer about the danger of insects or how they, ultimately, will rule the Earth.
There is a lot to admire, apart from the occasionally dopey narration, about this film. The cinematography still impresses today--with micro shots of many insects as well as human fertilization. But the dryness and long-winded nature of the film make this one you wish was shorter--much shorter. I think this film would have worked better at about 45 minutes.