The Swarm (2020) User Reviews

How about that ending?

[lbg1114 · 4/10 · 8 August 2021]

Director talking to the writer:

Director: "So, uh...how about this ending here. Uh...it just ends in the lake like that?".

Writer: "Yea, that's it. " D: seems kinda anti-climactic W: Well, uh I kinda ran out of ideas D: But what about the hundreds of thousands of blood-thirsty locusts that were released? Where'd they go?

W: .....hadn't... really thought about that... D: And how about the woman's lover back at the house who's being eaten by locusts? She just kinda walked past him...?

W: yea, I uh, didn't really know what do to with that scene.

D: Uh huh. And the daughter is just gonna love her mother again after she fed the goat, the family dog, and their neighbor to the locusts?

W: You know what, my laptop must have run out of power there near the end. Besides, who's going to notice all that stuff? Let's just shoot it as is.

D: okay. As long as I get paid.

A stock critter-horror movie with some window dressing

[ofumalow · 5/10 · 8 August 2021]

Woman farms locusts for food, they aren't doing well enough for her to turn a profit until she notices they flourish when they've tasted human blood. Well, you can guess where THAT leads. The problem here is that this is a completely routine creature feature with the now-obligatory dysfunctional family drama and a light gloss of political commentary (economic struggle, future world food supplies in doubt, etc.) that aren't articulated or integrated in any interesting-enough way to offset the routineness of the basic horror conceit. And playing this like some serious drama, with any action delayed until nearly the end while we get plenty of family squabbles, doesn't make it any better a horror movie--it just makes it a slow and pretentious one without any saving depth or style.

It's well-crafted enough, and the actors are better than average, but those qualities ultimately seem wasted on a premise that nevertheless never really rises above 70s schlock like "Day of the Animals" or "Killer Bees"--your basic, "Oh no, Mother Nature is angry!" stuff. And if you're going to do something of that ilk, you might as well at least have fun with it. This is by no means a bad movie, but it fails to reward one's patience in a way in some respects is worse than a bad movie, because there isn't even any guilty pleasure to be had here, just good intentions misspent on a silly idea, which combination makes the whole thing rather ponderous.

Interesting idea, meh execution

[npm_petre_mihai · 5/10 · 7 August 2021]

The movie has a good and interesting idea, but the execution is kinda poor, some of the decisions didnt made a lot of sense. But the metaphor is there.

And for Movi3DO, the movie is French, not Spanish.

Fantasy/Horror/Drama? Fantastically horrible drama

[johntk1566 · 1/10 · 7 August 2021]

This is a family drama with a sub-plot about breeding killer locusts. It is not scary. It is depressing and occasionally gross. It feels so much longer than 101mins, and by the time it gets around to having anything interesting happen, the viewer is long passed having sympathy for any of the characters.

The ending could be better

[DaegT · 7/10 · 6 August 2021]

Feel like an original story even though animal horror in a small town is nothing new. So I expected something different from a Hollywood clone and yes, bingo! This's a right shot. The whole movie has successfully created an eerie, suspending atmosphere. Unlike Hollywood clones, it doesn't depend on any sudden sound effect to make u scream and jump up. Simply, it's kinda gradual sense of horror.

Still, the movie has it rough edges. The ending doesn't make a good sense. It's not that bad, but just could be way better if the director knows that humans are not the only living organism in the woods ;)

This movie is def not for everyone. If u r not fond of slow pace horror movies, then stay away from it.

This movie is depressingly stupid.

[silentprayercg · 1/10 · 9 August 2021]

At first i thought it will be slasher horror about swarm of insects. Like one of old movies about birds that i saw when i was kid. When dude stand in a middle of the room and swarm of birds flies through him and slowly eating him. But no, nothing like this.

To the middle of movie, i begin to understand that it's not about this, but about crazy mom character. This woman is nuts. When she noticed that locust start breeding better after (only some of them, i guess) tried her blood, first thing she thought to do, it's try to feed them on her wounded arm.

I guess whole deal of her character was about that fact she wasn't able to accept that her locust farming business failed, while she spent so much time and effort in its development.

She wasn't able to accept it so hard, so she instantly went crazy and begin feeding them blood and stuff, because it cause much more yield of locust, and made businesses being not failed anymore.

It become totally acceptable for her to feed them corpse of cute pet goat of her son, and then lie to him that goat only run off and later even get him to the ride to find goat that she knew is already dead and was fed to locust.

When she wasn't able to buy more blood because of reasons, she start feeding them more her blood. And when she wasn't give more blood, she just stole cute dog from old neighbor and fed it alive to locust. And it shown to us directly. Of course we can't see how they eat dog, because they inside some sack, but we can hear poor dogs whining. Of course this not enough so she went to other farm and kill some cows off screen and used their organs to fed locust.

I know it's look like i fixing only on this part of movie, but after slow beginning it all we have, except boring family drama.

Mom and daughter always bickering with each other and son just exist.

At the end of scene, mom and daughter kinda reconcile, but then in next scene they again fighting.

All this mixed with locust scenes when mom feed them with stuff and herself.

After mom's first breakdown (when she realize that business is failing) and noticed that locust eat blood and breed better, she start her lying crusade.

She lies about feeding with blood (only character for all movie who knows that she feeding them with blood, it's guy who one time delivered blood in his truck, but he don't exist i guess. He ask if she feed them with blood, and she said "yes", that it. We won't see him in movie anymore)

She didn't tell daughter that they won't leave. She told her that they would move on after she sells locust, but then she changed her mind to sell it, because dude who wanted to buy it, said that he paying only 200 gold coins, and 800 gold coins will be paid by her friend Karim,who did this as try to help her, because there wasn't any better buyer, that why business failed, and all this lead to her breakdown.

Then she didn't tell son that locust kill his goat pet. She said that goat ran of, and even took a ride with him to find goat, while she knew it dead.

Rest of time she hided from everyone that she feed locust with blood and she feed them with herself. Lying, killing, hiding, lying, killing, hiding. Bickering, fighting, bickering, fighting.

Whole movie about this crazy lady acting as nuts.

She start loosing any likableness, and soon as she start feed locust with her arm, and then she lost rest of it when she killed poor dog.

Of course some time she shows some emotion, like she about to cry, or cry a little, but it's too late, you crazy b**ch.

Daughter also strange character, she fight with mom, then not fight, then she cut locust tent, then she not fight, then she fight again. Her personality is a depressed person who need help, as her mother.

Son kinda ok, but he forget about goat very fast, and then very fast he remember about it, and then forget again. And the end of movie he disappear, i missed where, but my friend with whom i watched this masterpiece said he went for football training or something. After if we wont see him again.

At the end locust killed grandpa (owner of that poor dog) And when Karim saw that, he called the police... just joking, he went for gas canisters to burn locust up.

Locust get loose, and mom, daughter (son didn't exist anymore as i said before) and Karim hide in house.

Then Karim, who actually only one nice and sane character, from main cast (at least kinda main), was killed off camera... so fk him i guess.

Locust chased daughter to lake, and she hid in boat like Jack Sparrow.

Locust start attacking boat, and mom cut herself to attract locust from her daughter to her. Then mom dived underwater, and locust dived too and died.. .the end. Mom and daughter hugs... like she didn't lied, and killed and fed locust with her body... credits... --- What i can say... even if locust wanted some blood, it won't able to bite through human skin, it only can pinch it.

Even if it can kinda cut skin a little, how the hell they killed human so fast, that little time has passed and grandpa and Karim lying drop dead and not moving.

Nobody knew that she fed blood to locust, except delivery guy who wad delivery.disable (like in Skyrim) after end of his scene.

So why the heck Karim thought that grandpa was killed by locust, when he found his dead body in tent. Why he not called police? I doubt that locust would kill that many people.

When first swarm of locust escaped tent, it killed goat and then disappeared, where it went? It didn't killed anyone, why would second swarm killed policemen or army or whatever.

This movie doesn't make any sense... and i don't see any morale here. Lie, kill and then hug, everything will be ok?

Also i don't see any metaphor here, as in one review dude said that metaphor is here.

Witch Doctor from Diablo 3 who dispatch enemies with locust have more interesting thing happens around him and have more likable characters around him than this movie and this crazy mom b**ch..

ps Sorry for clunky English, also i don't usually write reviews, but this "movie" is something.

The mother of all ...

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 7 August 2021]

Suspension of disbelief - you can attach this to the summary line I wrote or see it as detached from that, as a thing of its own. One thing you have to do though: is really suspend your disbelief and detach yourself from the main character. I would argue that almost everyone will have and take issue with the decision(s) she is taking.

Having said that, since this is based in horror, what horror movie does not to a certain degree need you to really let go of things ... try not to overthink it, enjoy the cinematography and the insane development this takes ... it really "nurishes" on that - pun very much intended.

A poorly written and unnecessarily long family farm drama, that turns to bloodthirsty bugs in a final act attempt to make something interesting happen.

[GanjiekIMDB · 3/10 · 7 August 2021]

Woman feeds her own blood to bugs, and they quickly become bloodthirsty killers. This idea sounds interesting on paper, but this is only about actual 20 minutes of the movie. The rest of the film is an unnecessarily long uninteresting family drama. Despite its runtime, you do not get to know, nor do you care about any of the characters in the film. It feels like someone wrote a drama that takes place on a farm, but then realized how boring it was so they added a 'bloodthirsty killer bug' element to film that doesn't fit at all. This movie fails both as a drama and in its "horror" elements. The special effects and camera-work are the most competently done parts of the film. I don't know who would enjoy this film and I wouldn't recommend anyone else to watch it. I give it 3/10 only because it kept me watching enough to want to know what, if anything, was going to happen. I will never watch this movie again in my life and you wont be missing anything at all if you skip it all together.

Certainly Not Bad

[imanirose · 6/10 · 7 August 2021]

It's decent. It's unexpected but pleasantly predictable at times. I'm watching it in English though I'm pretty sure it's French so that takes away from the production but that's not the writer/director/actors fault. Recommended 👍🏽

SLOW

[misz_zet · 3/10 · 7 August 2021]

If you're looking for a movie worth your time, then this is not it.

Slow build to a true thrill

[valemas · 9/10 · 22 June 2021]

I had fun.

As advertised, this movie takes the mundane and turns into horrifying. I wish we had seen more destruction, but the relationship between the characters take the forefront. This is not a horror movie, but rather the story of a family, of sacrifice and of greed (with some well placed gore).

I recommend this movie to those who are used to french cinema and those who watch with an open mind.

Not Swarmy enough.

[visionandyouth · 6/10 · 7 August 2021]

I mean its fine , look.... the 70's and 80's of this type of movies were far more engaging , and locusts are not that aggressive and smart to begin with. The Plot ? Dont ask , its weak,, and so i give this movie a 6 cause this film feels it was rushed.

Promising start, unbelievably bad ending

[vsmfgjwhy · 2/10 · 9 August 2021]

The beginning starts quite promising and I was expecting quite a decent movie. But as the movie continued one disappointment was followed by the next disappointment leaving me quite baffled at the end how someone thought this was an acceptable ending. It just made no sense at all.

boring

[ashourshahd · 1/10 · 7 August 2021]

The end could be more better .the idea of movie is actually good ,but execution id poor,alot of decisions doesnt make sense.the film is kinda uncomfortable.the death of animals is needless.

It Was A Decent Movie But Far From Any 8-10 Star Movie

[fredgfinklemeyer · 7/10 · 6 August 2021]

08/06/2021 Far from anything closely resembling a scary horror or intense thriller movie. It's just average movie with decent actors, realistic rural settings that fits with the storyline but it couldn't scare a little kid or a wimpy adult. It's just a mediocre one time only watch kind of movie.

Boring, slow, not scary

[contact-362-24369 · 2/10 · 6 August 2021]

So the title says it all. Nothing much else to add. Don't waste your time, there are many decent true horror flicks out there.

Could have been better but worth a watch.

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 20 October 2021]

La Nuée (or The Swarm for the English title) is certainly not bad but it could have been better. I thought there were some different unexploited options that could have made this movie much better but overal it's worth a watch. The whole cast did a good job playing their characters, so no bad acting here. Like always I would watch this movie in its original language, French that is. Dubbed movies always lose from their authenticity, but that's only my opinion.

Trash!!

[keenanwong · 1/10 · 6 August 2021]

Slow with nothing really happening. Not scary at all.

Disturbing

[Pairic · 7/10 · 7 August 2021]

The Swarm: Quirky French film about a female farmer raising locusts as animal feed. Times are tough and it's difficult for her make a living and support her children. By chance she discovers that the locusts thrive on blood, when she can't get animal blood she uses her own then feeds animals to them. Also elements of satire and social commentary about how small farmers literally have the blood sucked out of them. But horror it is, with the locusts developing a taste for blood and attacking animals in a swarm. There is something really eerie about the way the locusts' behaviour evolves. Rather disturbing than outright jump shocks. This ain't cricket. Might have been a better film with ten minutes shaved off of it's 1h 40m running time. Directed by Just Philippot from a script by Frank Victor. On Netflix. 7/10.

Donte waste your time

[azbleacher · 2/10 · 7 August 2021]

This movie was so bad I sold my Tv. Waste of film slow burn with no burn. Netflix is slipping on their great movies once had. Far from a horror also.

Dark, tense and disturbing

[ulyssesgammahose · 8/10 · 7 August 2021]

Don't want to oversell this, but probably the best killer insect movie ever made - with the caveat that it's a twisted, slow-burn drama that only becomes full-blown horror in the last act. Genuinely disturbing.

Creepy, Buggy Fun! ;D

[midnitepantera · 7/10 · 8 August 2021]

Well acted, bug theme horror movie. Will make your skin crawl. People always screwing around with nature and nature doesn't take too kindly to these upsets. Humans are so greedy for more, bigger, better, faster and don't care what the damage and sacrifice is to ALL Around them. Worth a watch for sure!

Really?

[electric_guitar_chick01 · 2/10 · 10 August 2021]

Well first off...the mom drove me nuts. To the point where she was just extremely irritating. It was just a really dumb movie...don't waste your time.

Pitiful movie

[ger55champ · 2/10 · 6 August 2021]

Pathetic idea for a film. This one has nothing .No suspense ,no character building ,no story .Just rubbish.

This Is A French Film

[Mehki_Girl · 7/10 · 16 August 2021]

Assuming that most of the reviewers here are American I wanted to point out that this is a French film, so it's not going to necessarily follow the same tropes as an American "creatures gone wild" film would go.

If this were an American film, it would be located in some flyover state in a tiny town and at some point in the film the critters would get loose and they would attack the entire town and there would be screaming and hollering and yelling and cars blowing up and explosions and fires and shootings and gruesome deaths and a lot of loud noise and all the fanboys would love it.

Instead, this is a French film and it gives you a lot of information about the family - obviously the teenage daughter is going through something, she's embarrassed, she feels ashamed, she hates the farm and the dad apparently committed suicide. The little boy is sweet and not quite an angry teenager yet and mom is trying her best to support her family.

It is basically showing how far a mother would go to feed her children - she would even let something feed off her.

Yes, I agree that none of the characters except for perhaps the winer and the little boy or even likable. I particularly dislike the daughter especially when she destroyed mom's livelihood. I really want e mom to say, why don't you go out and be on your own, have a couple of kids and see how easy it is to put food on the table - you ungrateful brat!

Watching foreign films, I have always found that they did not end the way that I expected and that's because I always expect an American ending.

All I'm suggesting is don't try to watch a foreign made film and judge it on American standards. Not American it is French.