It’s a bug of war
at Omni Theater
by Rawly Bransom
reporter

   They’re creepy; they’re crawly; they're 12 feet, and they are coming to Fort Worth.
   Bugs! will open at the Omni Theater in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History starting March 5.
   Bugs!, sponsored by Terminix, was filmed in Borneo and in the United Kingdom, where a replica of the rain forest was made for extreme close-up shots.
   The film brings audiences of all ages a bug’s eye view of insects from the rain forest of Southeast Asia.
   Judi Dench, who played M opposite Pierce Brosnan in the last three installments of the James Bond series, narrates the journey of two bugs: Papilio, a female Great Mormon butterfly, and Hierodula, a male Green Mantis.
   When the film opens, both Papilio and Hierodula emerge from their eggs. Papilio is born by herself. She will start her life by consuming her egg sack, and then she will consume all the palm leaves she can find.
   Papilio increases her weight 100 times over in just a few weeks: the equivalent of a human growing to the size of a rhino in one weekend.
   Hierodula, on the other hand, bursts onto the scene scrambling over 200 of his brothers and sisters. As a carnivore, he quickly learns the ropes and within days has made his first kill.
   “My vision of the film was first and foremost to create a story for the insect characters and give the film a cinematic feel,” director Mike Slee said.
   “I wanted to give the experience emotions as well as education. I wanted to take the audience on a journey through the life story of our stars, a praying mantis and a caterpillar that becomes a butterfly,” he continued.
   The movie shows other insects as well as predators of the rain forest such as spiders, lizards, bats and frogs and their interactions with the insects.
   The film uses humor as well as a few gruesome moments to draw the viewer into a world we live in but never see.
   The giant insects and sheer depth in which director Mike Slee portrays the bugs at their own level will fascinate children.
   Adults will be blown away by the cinematography of the area and amazed at how close the camera shots get to and show the world at such a small level.
   Everyone will learn a lot about the natural world, rain forests and, of course, insects.
   “Kids of all ages should enjoy this film. But, apart from a few very squeamish people, the ones who scream if there is a spider in the bath, I have found people of all ages fascinated by these wondrous creatures,” Phil Streather, executive producer, said.
   For more information call the Omni Theater at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History at 817-255-9300 or visit its Web site at www.fortworthmuseum.org.