Them! (Snapcase Packaging)
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Movie Reviews of Them! (Snapcase Packaging)
Movie Review: "Eeeee! Them! Them! Them!"
Summary: 5 Stars
So screams the young Ellinson girl (Sandy Descher), who had previously been discovered wandering alone, and in a state of shock, by state troopers along a lonely highway in the hot New Mexico desert in 1954. A few miles from where the unresponsive girl was found, troopers found a mutilated trailer, the girl's home; but there was no sign of her parents. Instead, the troopers found unusual footprints and a sticky white substance and hear strange sounds in the distance. To help solve this seemingly bizarre murder investigation, Police Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore, who played Carnes in "Oklahoma!" in 1955, Adm. Bull Halsey in "Tora! Tora! Tora!" in 1970, and continues to act in the 2003 TV series "Mister Sterling") and FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness, who later became TV icon Marshall Matt Dillon in the long-running series "Gunsmoke") have plaster casts made from the footprints and sent them to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., along with samples of the sticky white substance. Befuddled, the FBI forwarded the evidence to the Dept. of Agriculture, where two scientists are astounded by what was found. The two scientists, Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn, whose film career began in 1916) and Dr. Patricia 'Pat' Medford (Joan Weldon), rushed to New Mexico to investigate the findings first hand. Upon their arrival, the doctors visit the Ellinson girl with Ben. Dr. Medford tells Ben that the sticky white substance contains large amounts of formic acid. When he holds a vial of formic acid in front of the Ellinson girl's nose, she awakens from her shock, screams, and yells, "Them! Them! Them!"Unwilling to share their understanding of the footprints and the presence of formic acid (and to the dismay of Ben, who only wants to solve the Ellinson's disappearance), the two doctors insist on being taken to the Ellinson's trailer. There, they find more footprints. Pat wanders away from the trailer to search for more evidence, but suddenly, an enormous dark creature rises from behind a sand dune: a giant ant! Pat screams and runs, but Ben is nearby and shoots the ant which finally dies. Dr. Medford finally reveals his understanding: ants have mutated in the New Mexico desert because of nearby atomic bomb testing. The Ellinson's disappearance is solved, but the true terror is only beginning because some ants can fly!
"Them!" typifies the classic 1950's sci-fi/horror film with all of the essential elements:
(1) The kindly, eccentric and all-knowing scientist (Dr. Medford),
(2) Unforeseen consequences resulting from atomic testing and threaten the entire human race,
(3) Brave and unselfish heroes (Ben Peterson and Robert Graham) who help save the world,
(4) The woman ('Pat' Medford) who is romanced by one of the heroes (Robert) after meeting him because of the unforeseen consequences.
Filmed in black and white, the special effects used in "Them!" were remarkably good for the time. In addition, the acting (under the direction of Gordon Douglas) was superb, considering how many "B-movie" sci-fi/horror films were produced during the early years of the nuclear age. Other characters that made this film highly entertaining include mental patient Jensen (Olin Howlin, whose lengthy film career began in 1918), General Robert O'Brien (Onslow Stevens) and Mrs. Lodge (Mary Alan Hokanson).
If you enjoy watching sci-fi/horror films with giant bugs, you will probably enjoy "Them!". For superb acting, good special effects and an engaging story, I rate "Them!" with 5 out of 5 stars. So sit back, get a bowl of popcorn and be prepared to scream when you see "Them!" coming for you!
Movie Review: Best of the Red Scare Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
Fans of classic science fiction movies should rejoice with the release of "Them!" on DVD. Now if only they would release "The Day the Eartn Stood Still," "The Thing," or "Beast Fron 20,000 Fathoms." Oh well, it's a start, at least.And if the other movies are released in as fine a shape on DVD as "Them!" we fans will be even more fortunate. The DVD transfer is sharp, even allowing us to read the State Police patch on James Whitmore's shoulder, and remains that way all through the film. Don't expect too much from the added 'extras', however. Since I've never heard of any existing behind-the-scenes documentary, my disappointment is muted. Having the film is the important thing.
And what a film. Made during that golden age of science fiction movies when the Bomb hung over our heads like the sword of Damocles, "Them!" boasts an intelligent script and superb acting. Even the ants, easily the weakest part of the film, still hold up after all these years. Every once in a while, talk of a remake surfaces, figuring that with today's special effects, the movie could become even more effective. However, I hope that never comes to pass, for today's science fiction pictures often sacrifice script and acting in favor of dazzling special effects, and what makes "Them!" so effective as a science fiction picture is the script and the acting.
The strength of the movie is its initial treatment as a sort of murder mystery, into which New Mexico State Trooper James Whitmore is drawn after he and his partner discover a young girl wandering across the desert in a state of shock. Her trailer home looks caved out rather than caved in, and her parents are inexplicably missing. Her father being an FBI agent on vacation causes fellow agent James Arness to investigate. He, in turn, brings in Onslow Stevens ("House of Dracula") as an Air Force Intelligence Officer, and Edmund Gwenn and Joan Weldon as a father-daughter team of scientists who suspect the worst and are not diappointed.
The film keeps this sort of noirish mood until the end with the battle in the sewers of Los Angeles. Look for Leonard Nimoy as an Army sergeant, Fess Parker as a shaken pilot and Olin Howard as a rsident in the alcoholic ward who keeps seeing giant ants in the rail yard below. (Howard later played the first victim in "The Blob.")
I mentioned in the title of this review that "Them!" i the best of the red scare movies. At heart, that's what the film really is and we can take a special delight in the knowledge of it. The setting is at White Sands, nine years after the atomic bomb tests. It is determined that the ants only developed recently (Coming of the Cold War), live in underground nests (cells), totally subservient to the needs of the society and its queen, or leader. (Communists were often compared to social insects in critiques of their society.) The fact that the first victim is an FBI agent (and a good family man from what we are led to believe) brings in the FBI and Air Force Intelligence. The appearance of the scientists is frosting on the cake: they understand the nature of the enemy and develop the plans to stop them. It is also interesting that throughout the film the ants are simply referred to as "Them," almost as in "Us versus them."
Even if you don't agree with the above analysis, the film is still a treat to watch and holds up well to repeated viewings. Bu the way, the film is restored to its original setting: black and white, with only the opening title in color. Of course, that color is red.
Movie Review: Still great
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing how well some of these old movies hold up sometimes--detail for detail much may not compare with a contemporary film: the dialogue may sound a tad antiquated or the special effects might seem a little thrift shop. What works is the whole ensemble: the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Actors seemed to act better--many had stage experience and had a finer sense of themselves before a camera; character actors were richer and more interesting; direction seemed more solid, and the lighting and effects people knew how to generate real suspense and mystery with minimal materials. That requires real talent. Current product is glossy and seamless, but it's also frequently empty.
I also like the fact that decent people back then were presented as just that: decent, and often well-adjusted. These days every decent soul seems to have a tormented background. That's to add a little more drama to the flick. Nobody's just good as they stand; groups and teams aren't well adapted and efficient. There's always the problem person, or the complete jerk, or the worthless or cowardly leader.
I love this as a great sci-fi horror flick--in fact it's the prototype for the second Alien film (there's even a "Newt" here, and Newt's broken doll). But more than anything I love it for its portrayal of people working together--selflessly and without ego--to save the world. The only significant bump occurs when the men try to become gallant with the female scientist and she immediately reads them the riot act and the movie proceeds, in fact proceeds with the woman assuming the team leader position. Think about that. This is a Fifties film. She doesn't get the responsibility because of affirmative action, or quotas, or because she's the biggest b*tch around, or even because she's romancing or manipulating the alpha male, she gets it because she's the best qualified for it. This is potent stuff and it's done completely without moralizing, political correctness, or self-consciousness.
Today's films seem to be about nothing but ego. "Teams," when you can find them, consist of individuals who constantly duke it out among themselves or agonize over their own predicaments despite the immediacy of dire threats that should have them sticking all that nonsense on a back burner. Sadly, it's an accurate depiction of the real world, especially the corporate world. This movie was made back when plenty of people had pretty recent memories of a war where teams learned how to work together for SURVIVAL. Today you can't even get a bunch of special interest groups to ditch their individual agendas for the few moments it would take to pull together and get one half-baked frat-boy out of the White House.
So compare this movie in this regard to Alien II sometime. It's quite an experience. I wish our kids got more exposure to this kind of stuff.
Movie Review: Them! A classic that stands the test of time
Summary: 5 Stars
Them! is on my short list for top billing among the 50's classic sci-fi movies. Even after more than half a century I think you will find the story is still engaging and the characters memorable, thanks to a well written screenplay and strong performances from some first rate actors.
The film opens as a kind of `who done it' mystery revolving around the exact nature of the title characters, and evolves into a well developed "man against nature gone wild" piece. I won't say more than that because, on the off chance you have never seen this film, you should NOT read the spoilers contained in most of these reviews, because the mysterious way in which the title characters are introduced is part of the charm of the film.
Yes, the film is shot in black and white, and yes some of the special effects are a bit dated by today's standards, but the cinematography, art direction, sound design etc. are all first rate as befitting a release from a major studio. To be perfectly honest I thought some of the effects looked a bit cheesy even 40 odd years ago when I first saw the film, but it didn't detract one bit from my enjoyment of the movie then and still doesn't today. In fact, as some others have noted, they are part of the charm of the film. The "Fan-belt coming loose" sounds that someone here so aptly described is an example of how a simple element was used very effectively. To this day, that sound sets my teeth on edge and sends a shiver up my spine. As noted above, the cinematography, staging, lighting etc, are exceptionally well done, and I consider the opening shot of the search airplane panning down to the little girl walking in the desert in the opening sequence to be one of the all time classic images in the genre.
Contrary to some comments here, I did not find the plot to be thin or simplistic at all. Plot wise (and production value wise), Them! Looks like Doctor Zhivago, compared to some of the other '90 minute wonders' filmed in the fifties. I think the producers felt that with giant radioactive bugs to keep the action going, the film did not need any of the lame artifices used to `punch up' plots in some of today's movies. So you won't find shallow self-involved characters sniping at each other in nauseating interpersonal conflicts. You won't find a ridiculously over the top arch-villain who is so evil that he makes milkshakes out of pureed body parts. You won't find a pimply light-saber wielding gen-X'er whining because folks just don't understand him. Nor will you find bad Soap-Opera thinly disguised as an SF storyline [ala all this "Who's having who's alien baby?" crapola we see these days on the sci-fi channel].
What you WILL FIND is a CLASSIC 50's style sci-fi yarn, which is one of the finest examples of an SF film of that era.
Movie Review: "There was no word to describe THEM!"
Summary: 5 Stars
As the ad told an unaware paranoid public as they were officiallyintroduced to 1st atomic age mutant film. Every Genre has a staple
and this film was it for "giant bug" catagory. There would be 100's
of atomic age nightmares to follow but none more better put togethe
than this well oiled machine.
The story begins as that of a police drama. A little girl is found
wandering in the Nevada desert by local police. Although alive shes
in a state of shock which adds to mystery to her folks where-abouts
When the two officers are radioed in to check out a nearby trailer
they find it's wall pulled out and insides wrecked. After Piecing
together a few clues the officers realized that this is the lost
girl's home and that her parents are perhaps the subjects of foul
play. On another nearby call the two officers investigate an old
supplyshack only to find it also in the same condition as trailer
with one added element,the body of "Pops" the store's owner dead
and lying mangled at the bottom of the cellar. One officer leaves
to get help while the other stays behind at the crime scene. When
he goes out back to search for the source of a wierd high pitched
chirping sound,he fires his weapon,screams & also becomes victim.
Upon the autopsy of "Pops" it's discovered that on top of broken
up condition he also has enough formic acid in him to kill 20 men
The FBI is called in and along with the 1st officer go back where
the little girl was found and it is there that they encounter the
horror of nature's fury in the form of giant ants mutated from a
deployment of atomic radiation.
This fomula would be followed time and time again in such lowbrow
features as Tarantula, Beginning of the End & Earth vs.the spider
but none would come close to the sincerity of this Warner brother
classic. With a cast that includes James Whitmore, James Arness &
Edmund Gwenn and great final battle under streets of Los Angleles
it's simple entertainment from a simple time that holds up after
repeated watchings. Look for Fess Parker and Leonard Nemoy cameos
And listen to the "scream effects" these are Warner bros patented
"screams" just for this film and can still be heard even in some films today.
The dvd is excellent quaility in but both picture and sound & the
goofy footage of the ant's test and trailer are a plus but still
I was hopeing for a making of feature with maybe a reflection of
stars Whitmore and Arness but I am thankful for the original art
cover.