"Them!" and 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' are the two best sci-fi films ever made; period. Even compared to today's special effects extravaganzas, all other entries in this genre are just also-rans.
Most 1950s sci-fi "invasion" films were forgettable; even laughable. Humans violate Mother Nature's balance and humongous monsters, aliens or tax collectors arrive to destroy us. 'THEM!' is different. It takes the basic monster flick formula and turns it into a sly 'who-done-it'. This makes it a subliminal, but chillingly effective, adaptation of America's cold war fear of communism and atomic annihilation.
"Them!" unfolds like a dark and foreboding detective mystery. It makes the audience think the authorities are looking for a serial type killer (the term was not coined yet) who has left a trail of death in the American desert Southwest.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Suddenly, we discover the villains are common household ants, mutated into giants by atomic bomb tests. And they are about to spread their colonies worldwide and destroy mankind.
Like any great thriller, what sets 'THEM!' apart is the way the filmmaker uses our imagination, not special effects, to scare us. The giant ants don't spend that much time on screen. We see lots of clues, like weird footprints, mangled dead bodies and large traces of salivary acid (ants have a mouth acid to break down food).
But mostly we go through the film sitting on the edge of our seats while the cast does basic, thorough police work. Once the villains are discovered (the giant ants in three colonies that are about to spread world wide) the film reaches its conclusion quickly.
A couple of scary scenes are played out when a then unknown James Arness (and Millburn Stone, both will star in Gunsmoke) checks out the giant ants' first nest. The Los Angeles City sewer/flood runoff system is cleverly used as the final set where the last colony is breeding.
There are great sequences of the U.S. Military running around in Jeeps and passing out flamethrowers. The female lead wears a tight (but way below the knee '50s style) skirt and she and Jim Arness fight over what's safe for her to do. They finally decide the safest thing for her to do is to fall in love with him.
Edmond Gwinn is absolutely superb as Dr. Medford, the old, but undisputed authority on ants and their social behavior. His befuddled and methodical personality steals every scene he is in.
Even an unknown Fess Parker shows up doing an extreme parody of his Southern accent, which became his trademark as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
James Whitmore is outstanding as Police Sgt. Ben Petersen. He is a methodical, fearless highway patrolman who finds the catatonic survivor of the first ant attack wandering in the desert, screaming the movie's title.
Like any true classic, 'THEM!' stands the ultimate test; the test of time. After 49 years it is just as good as the current crop of multi-million dollar special effects Terminator and Matrix movies. I watch it every time it comes on the late show and it's every bit as fun now as it was back in 1954.
Most 1950s sci-fi "invasion" films were forgettable; even laughable. Humans violate Mother Nature's balance and humongous monsters, aliens or tax collectors arrive to destroy us. 'THEM!' is different. It takes the basic monster flick formula and turns it into a sly 'who-done-it'. This makes it a subliminal, but chillingly effective, adaptation of America's cold war fear of communism and atomic annihilation.
"Them!" unfolds like a dark and foreboding detective mystery. It makes the audience think the authorities are looking for a serial type killer (the term was not coined yet) who has left a trail of death in the American desert Southwest.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Suddenly, we discover the villains are common household ants, mutated into giants by atomic bomb tests. And they are about to spread their colonies worldwide and destroy mankind.
Like any great thriller, what sets 'THEM!' apart is the way the filmmaker uses our imagination, not special effects, to scare us. The giant ants don't spend that much time on screen. We see lots of clues, like weird footprints, mangled dead bodies and large traces of salivary acid (ants have a mouth acid to break down food).
But mostly we go through the film sitting on the edge of our seats while the cast does basic, thorough police work. Once the villains are discovered (the giant ants in three colonies that are about to spread world wide) the film reaches its conclusion quickly.
A couple of scary scenes are played out when a then unknown James Arness (and Millburn Stone, both will star in Gunsmoke) checks out the giant ants' first nest. The Los Angeles City sewer/flood runoff system is cleverly used as the final set where the last colony is breeding.
There are great sequences of the U.S. Military running around in Jeeps and passing out flamethrowers. The female lead wears a tight (but way below the knee '50s style) skirt and she and Jim Arness fight over what's safe for her to do. They finally decide the safest thing for her to do is to fall in love with him.
Edmond Gwinn is absolutely superb as Dr. Medford, the old, but undisputed authority on ants and their social behavior. His befuddled and methodical personality steals every scene he is in.
Even an unknown Fess Parker shows up doing an extreme parody of his Southern accent, which became his trademark as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
James Whitmore is outstanding as Police Sgt. Ben Petersen. He is a methodical, fearless highway patrolman who finds the catatonic survivor of the first ant attack wandering in the desert, screaming the movie's title.
Like any true classic, 'THEM!' stands the ultimate test; the test of time. After 49 years it is just as good as the current crop of multi-million dollar special effects Terminator and Matrix movies. I watch it every time it comes on the late show and it's every bit as fun now as it was back in 1954.