Jurassic World Dominion surprisingly centered its story on a swarm of locusts. It's not the first film that managed to set its plot around a set of bugs, whether they are the main characters, or perhaps the antagonists of the piece. When looking at bugs though, this article uses the general term for the creepy crawlies, rather than the scientific.
So bees, spiders, ants, beetles, and flies are all included in this wide-ranging foray into the insect-led cinematic archives. While it would have been easy to create plenty of horror-based pictures surrounding these often horrifying creatures, there's a huge array of family-focused pieces as well!
Honorable Mention: The Spider-Man Series
It's hard to ignore the fact that one of the most successful superhero stories of all time all started with a bug. While technically the spider is an arachnid, Spider-Man himself would not exist without the inspiration (and radioactive bite) of a very special, mutated 8-legged crawler.
The spider logo has sat proudly on the chest of every iteration of the web-slinger and naturally, the hero's many abilities match the original bug. While the comic book narrative of Peter literally turning into a man spider hasn't been adapted to live-action yet, there's definitely potential there down the line.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
It's been briefly mentioned, but it was a shock for a film about dinosaurs to introduce a driving narrative that featured a plague of locusts hitting the crops of the United States. It seemed as if the apocalypse was near, considering the bugs were wiping out the world's food supply.
Mutated thanks to the experiments of Henry Wu, it was up to the original and new Jurassic characters to discover the secrets behind this incredibly dangerous invasion and ultimately how to stop it. It was expected, however, that this journey forced the crew to return to a Jurassic Park lookalike.
Antz (1998)
There's a lot of controversy surrounding the battle of two very similar movies, but Antz is the most underrated of the duo (the second being A Bugs Life). The film focused on the intricate hierarchy of the species, and one ant that broke the mold.
With Z feeling unfilled and unimportant within his environment, the film not only features a cast of bug characters but also tells a story surrounding the natural processes that ants are so well known for. With themes of workers' rights and overthrowing a controlling state, quite a few complex metaphors were thrown into a kid's film about ants.
A Bug's Life (1998)
A Bug's Life is the more beloved of the two lookalikes and one of Pixar's most celebrated movies. "Bug" is quite literally in the title and the lives of these critters is the driving force of the plot, which sees an ant escape from his colony looking for help to rescue it.
With the genuinely frightening grasshoppers posing as the villains of the piece, Flik must look to an unusual band of performers to save the day and drive out the invaders. It's an exciting and fun use of the format and one that sits at the top of the bug-based movie mountain... or rather, ant hill.
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
The concept alone for Honey, I Shrunk The Kids opened the door for some of the funniest quotes and most brilliant sequences in cinema history. The film is iconic for its unique premise and brilliant execution, with a scientist's children getting shrunk to an unbelievably small scale.
While that mistake might be the catalyst of the piece, what can't be ignored is how important the bugs were in becoming a source of conflict for the tiny adventurers. Everyone remembers the battles against the creepy crawlies, which were suddenly of a much larger scale thanks to the accident. The prosthetics in particular were a work of art.
The Fly (1986)
Over to the horror genre, The Fly has become a vital piece of film in regards to transforming the protagonist into a beast. After an experiment goes wrong, the lead, Seth Brundle, is slowly turned into a fly. The man and bug combination is a completely grotesque reveal.
It's such an intriguing idea that plays with the notion of what really makes humanity. There have been sequels and imitators, that tried to match the themes and sheer horror of The Fly, but none have managed to do it quite like the original. The visual power of the prop and prosthetic work on the fly itself is part of cinema history.
Bee Movie (2007)
With bees being brought into the general term of a bug for the purposes of this, the Bee Movie is undoubtedly one of the most beloved additions to the animated genre. While it might have received poor reviews at the time, its charm and humorous backdrop has definitely won over audiences.
With Barry B. Benson wanting something more out of life, he creates a revolution in the hive, encouraging bees to drop their traditional jobs and even sue to have the rights to all the honey they produce. The impact the bees have on the world's ecosphere is brilliantly demonstrated in the film and it's a fun story about an unlikely hero.
Mimic (1997)
The underrated horror Guillermo del Toro picture, Mimic, all started with a bug. Dr. Susan created a specially designed mutant bug, which was supposed to kill off a range of dangerous cockroaches that carried a deadly disease. As per the norm, everything went sideways though.
The bug that was supposed to save humanity instead turned on it, becoming a monstrous creature looking only to kill. It's a genuinely disturbing creation of the director, which has the lasting power to have spawned multiple sequels, continuing this battle of nature.
The Ant Bully (2006)
There are plenty of underrated animated films out there, but The Ant Bully is one that many might not have even heard of. The film focuses in on a young child, Lucas, who has been terrorizing his local ant colony. Having had enough of the destruction, the ants decide to act.
They shrink Lucas, showing him what it's really like to be an ant and changing his mind about all of the chaos he has been causing. It's a unique premise that leads to a larger conflict in the bug world. But it's also a creative use of the 'shrinking down into their world' trope and one that doesn't outright villainize the critters.
Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)
What's interesting about Monsters Vs. Aliens are that two of the main characters are actually insects. The giant Insectosaurus is a bug-like Kaiju beast that transforms into a beautiful moth creature, while Dr. Cockroach, is a mad genius scientist, with a penchant for bizarre inventions.
The two characters go on intriguing character arcs that genuinely influence the lead, Susan, in her journey as she battles against the invading alien forces. While they aren't the key aspect of the plot, their removal would make a genuine difference to the piece, especially since it's Insectosaurus that saves the day! The DreamWorks release is well worth a watch.