I grew up watching Irwin Allens TV shows, like LOST IN SPACE, TIME TUNNEL, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, and LAND OF THE GIANTS. His disaster epics: POSEIDON ADVENTURE and TOWERING INFERNO kept me well adhesed to the back of my theatre seat! With all of this to his credit, Allen made THE SWARM. Well, it's a hilariously inept bomb of a movie, with a two and a half hour running time! I kept praying for it's end credits to roll, while simultaneously being unable to tear my eyes from the horror before me! Dear God above, what a mess! Still, it is fun to watch in places; and the cavalcade of washed-up stars is wonderful! Examples: Former superstar, Henry Fonda in a wheelchair, either looking constipated or grimacing hysterically. Fred MacMurray (Double Indemnity) acting like he's still on the set of MY THREE SONS. Olivia De Havilland (Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte), bouncing around in a doomed traincar. Michael Caine (Dressed To Kill, The Hand) and Richard Widmark (COMA) screaming and yelling at each other for most of the film. Richard Chamberlain (Mr. Shogun himself) and José Ferrer (The Sentinel, Blood Tide) doing their bee-covered disco-dance-of-death in the nuclear power plant holocaust scene. Katharine Ross (The Stepford Wives, The Legacy, Donnie Darko) managing to look both stunning and stunned throughout. Lee Grant (Visiting Hours) as a nosy TV reporter who leaves her cameramen outside in the killer swarm, while taking refuge in the newsvan. Patty Duke Astin (Valley Of The Dolls) as a pregnant woman in mourning for her dead husband, oblivious to her doctor's ham-fisted advances. Bradford Dillman (Bug, Piranha, Chosen Survivors) as major what's-his-name. Cameron Mitchell (The Demon, Toolbox Murders) as the general who yells at Gen. Widmark and Dr. Caine. Yes, THE SWARM is a classic of disastrous proportions! This thing cost a fortune to make too! It was the end of Irwin Allen's reign as king of the blockbusters! It stands as a testament to what happens when producer / directors are given millions of dollars to run wild. Watch in amazement and awe...