Them! (Snapcase Packaging)
by Gordon Douglas
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Edmund Gwenn, James Arness, James Whitmore, Joan Weldon, Onslow StevensDirector: Gordon Douglas
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Sidney Hickox
Editor: Thomas Reilly
Producer: David Weisbart
Writer: George Worthing Yates
Writer: Russell S. Hughes
Writer: Ted Sherdeman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-08-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Them! (Snapcase Packaging)
Movie Review: A very American monster story
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes sir, those o'l World War Two generation people knew how to make a monster movie when they had the money. Someone gets gobbled up by something from outerspace or underground, someone lives to tell about it, the Army finds out saying--"Well, that it for them!" and in they go with everything they got. All that and James Whitmore, James Arness, and the cutie Joan Weldon and a ton of ammunition. This is kind of a serious movie so it requires both popcorn and hot dogs and soda--and remember, when you watch it you haven't got a clue what it's about.
PROS:
1. Story line better than so-so. Handled seriously. The writers and director took the time to figure it all out before they shot it including having the police in the movie pick up enough clues to tell them what was going on.
2. Whitmore and Arness star...that's a star there.
3. Even the little girl in the first scene can act and she only say's one word!.....I'm watching this again as I write...tell me something--is there anybody in this movie who 'can not' act?
4. At the scene where Whitmore and his police partner enter the general story that has been broke in. The evidence is mounting. They find a 30-30 rifle behind the counter...the barrel is bent double. They find the owner under a trap door in the floor--dead. A noise from across the room, Whitmore gets up, right hand pats holstered pistol--he gets a stern look on his face then he and his partner advance on the position where the sound came from. The beginning of the movie is like this, no filler. By the numbers. I wish our police were like that around here.
5. There is no doubt about it, the writer of is movie knew exactly what he was doing. Yes...five stars to the writer. Whitmore's partner is left alone--We know what's about to happen to him, don't we--Whitmore goes for help. His partner (a stern face strong lookin fellow) walks into another room, looks down. Whitmore is heard driving away. He goes into the ajoining room to turn the radio off. A sound is heard--it's the monster sound. He hears it, turns, pulls his gun--smart guy. Without taking his eyes off the direction of the sound, takes a step or two forward to the pull chain light. Standing under it, no expression change on his face--eyes never wavering from the direction of that sound...neither does his gun. He reaches up, finds the pull chain switch without looking and turns the light out. Two steps forward and he is out of that room. A glance left then right to find the light switch, he finds it, turns the light off...his gun never left the direction of the sound, (is this guy combat trained or something?). He eases forward, small steps, soft around fifteen steps, never does his eyes or gun waver in the least from that sound. The monster sound shoots up in volume. He hesitates, eyes swivel left then right like a gun turret, searching for anything--anything at all. His gun never moves off target. The sound is identified as coming from outside, through a big hole in the wall. He steps to the edge of the hole and stops. He turns his head right then left--I figure his was making sure which direction the sound came from. The sound is coming from the left, his head stays turned left, he blinks then steps through the hole. There is no need to go futher with this discription--we all know what he found. I will say he got off five shots (off screen) before he yelled. So, why am I writing this? Well, it goes to realism. In all the movies you watch, if there is a darkened corner or hole for a monster to crawl into and hide the actors will find a way to walk or crawl close to it until the monster gets them. This law officer had the look on his face and (with a little more training about taking proper cover) attention to stealth, and attention span focussing on a possible enemy I've seen from some of our soldiers during Vietnam. Unlike in the movies...they 'never' took their eyes off their target, and let's face it, his stern face had the look of walking towards a date with destiny. I don't remember who he is, but he sure could act!
Seven. I don't seen any reason to go through this step by step and tell you everything...I'll jump ahead toward the end.
8. We're in the sewer system now, (or something like it). The ants have found a new home...they been there for months. The army is in there to, searching for Them and two lost boys. James Whitmore gets chewed up by one of the ants as he was saving the two lost boys. James Arness holds his head up to hear his last words. The kids are safe. There is shooting going on, the ants have found the small army unit. Arness walks back to them and for 23 seconds I have never seen so much ordinance shot down range (in corridor like conditions) at any target as what I have seen here. It makes me wonder if back in World War Two when some of our smaller units stumbled across an enemy tank/s who spots them at the same time...what was their reaction? I bet it was pretty close to the same...throw everything you got at'em as quickly as you can, or run.
CONS:
1. There are no cons in this movie.
Few times have I ever seen a movie so well put together. The writing is perfect, the actors really act, no subplots get in the way and take away from the main story line and focus. There is no filler I could find, everyword, every hand motion, seemingly every hand gesture pointed at one thing...the story. Tight, percise, writing. It is because of the writing, acting, and obviously directing, THEM must have five stars. Even though all of it is laid out for the viewer sooner or later I feel you should have the full spread while you watch. The lights must go off, only you watching the movie so your attention isn't elsewhere--one salad bowl of popcorn, two hot dogs, and a big drink to wash it down with.
This kind of movie doesn't require thought to understand--it demands your full attention to get the most out of it. Bye.
P.S. For those of you who never seen handgrenade explosions the size of these smoke and dusk clouds thrown up by the rifle grenades is pretty close to accurate...of course real military explosions happen in the blink of an eye rather than so slow.
Summary of Them! (Snapcase Packaging)
ATOMIC BLAST FALLOUT SPAWNS HIDEOUS HORDES OF COLOSSAL ANTS WHO THREATEN TO ESCAPE THE NEW MEXICO DESERT AND OVERRUN THENATION.Similar DVD Movies
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