Ants: Nature’s Secret Power has a surprisingly interesting subject matter. Despite what most of us take for granted, ants are a shockingly successful group. Their organization, physical strength, and efficiency in their work is more than enough to put the most driven of humans to shame. Not to mention, as this film points out several times, they just look like freaking aliens! This documentary explores the research of various ant experts in their quest to better understand how these insects organize and run their complex societies, which has allowed them supremacy in ecosystems across the world. I think to completely understand our world you have to understand how such small but pervasive species impact that whole of our ecological world and a documentary that can accurately portray this importance is something worth seeing.
This documentary covers some fascinating research in a rather classical documentary form. The close up look at the research being done into the part played by body chemicals in the ants social organization and some of the footage of the creatures in nature are really very interesting. You walk away with a new appreciation for a creature we typically look upon solely as a nuisance. This film doesn’t bother with a lot of cinematographic frills that many new documentaries on nature and astronomy seem to strive for, and the soft voice of the narrator is sure to transport your mind to an old musty library filled with leather bound books. So, sit back, relax, and learn everything you never knew about ants.
Credit: Image by Samantha Henneke