Them! review.
Released 70 years ago today, Them! is a pinnacle of the Sci-Fi era of 50s horror.
Classic movie reviews will contain spoilers.
Them!
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Screenplay by Ted Sherdeman
Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens, Sean McClory and Chris Drake
Them! Review
Seventy years ago, months before Japan unleashed Godzilla on the world, America released their own take on the horrors of atomic fall out. Them! feels every bit the proto-Godzilla movie that it is. Giant ants, mutated by atomic radiation, are the antagonists here. They lack the power of the king of the monsters…a surely unintentional choice that allows American institutions to destroy them at minimal cost. This atomic age creature feature often has its heart in the right place…even if the execution is pure B-movie cinema.
Sci-fi horror was the bedrock of 1950s US horror. The Thing from Another World, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Blob, The Fly…even Plan 9 from Outer Space are all classics of the era. In many ways, Them! is a perfect encapsulation of this era in horror. A subject built around the very real fear of the times. A production largely centered around people sitting in a room having conversations. Post World War II…horror found an easy theme to build around. Classes began playing the “Duck and Cover” educational film in classrooms in 1952, after all. What could horror movies come up with any scarier than that?
Giant ants were the answer for Them! in 1954. Like Godzilla, Them! attempts to showcase the dangers of atomic weapons in the form of giant monsters. Unlike the Japanese masterpiece…the ants in Them! are felled fairly easily. There is no Dr. Serizawa like arc here. No sacrifice or moral debate. The main character (as much as one exists here) does die saving children at the end…but it feels more procedural than profound. The ants are routinely destroyed with fire or even bullets. The threat is never as destructive as Godzilla…and the ability for armed forces to defeat them with their mighty power feels like a mixed message. It tells you that atomic weapons have disastrous consequences…but also that American institutions will save you.
Which is also pure 1950s. A police officer and an FBI agent lead the operation. The army is there in a pinch to win the day. Them! does turn to science in the form of a father/daughter scientist pair. They are helpful in understanding and tracking the creatures…but the final call always regresses to a show of force. Our institutions won’t fail you. American might is undefeated. Even by giant ants.
Maybe that’s what moviegoers needed to feel in 1954. It’s not Them!’s fault that Godzilla would come along later in the year to redefine atomic age horror. Presenting the consequences of nuclear options and then affirming the ability to overcome them is a perfectly find theme in 1950s American horror. A few comedic moments are even thrown in to soften the discussion.
Discussion is what you’ll get a lot of in Them!. It takes a half hour for a giant ant to appear on screen. They look as ridiculous (in a fun way) as you’d hope. Nowhere near the size of Godzilla…but many more in number. Most of the movie becomes an investigation story. The team attempts to track two missing queen ants across the country. Each capable of starting their own colony of destructive giants. That means a constant stream of interview scenes…not so much action.
The best moments in Them! involve trips into the nests of the ants. First, in their original desert location. Later, into the storm drains of LA. The former is all atmosphere. Allowing our heroes to discover the scope of their task. The latter is action based. Flame throwers, gunfire and the army putting a permanent end to the threat. The ants provide a series of goofy, fun effects when they’re on screen. Unfortunately, they appear far too infrequently. The status of one of the queens is presented (and handled) in a matter of moments. Half the threat eliminated without hassle.
For the most part, Them! sticks to its investigation. Most of which results in unmemorable moments…though a couple stick out. A man is interviewed at the institution he is being held at. He’s seen ant-shaped UFOs and no one believes him. Our investigators do, of course. They use his information to push forward. They tell him that they will speak to the doctors on his behalf…and then leave him there to keep his story quiet. Them!’s rare moment of honestly regarding our protective institutions.
The other is where the movie’s title comes from. The film opens with a little girl being found in the desert. She is unable to speak…traumatized by whatever she has witnessed. When she eventually snaps out of it…she screams the word “them” over and over. It’s an effective scene. A good way to build up the threat to come. If only Them! had been able to follow up on it to the same level.
Scare Value
50s horror went all in on sci-fi. It made for a strange mix of big ideas and small scope. Most of Them! is spent in rooms watching people talk about the danger. A strong idea can only overcome so much talking. Especially when what the movie is trying to say is as muddled as it is here. Still…where else are you going to see flame throwers burn giant ants? The floor on that is a solid “good”. That’s the case here.
3.5/5
Them! Links
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Buy on Blu-Ray from Amazon
