Them!

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Brian M Not just a great creature feature, but one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. The opening scenes in the desert are stellar, a perfect combo of sound, set design, cinematography, and acting as the two policeman try to determine what’s responsible for all the carnage. The special effects are also outstanding. I’m going to run out of superlatives if I keep writing—a must-see for any fan of fun monster movies! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/24 Full Review Matt R THEM! is hands down the best big bug movie, with TARANTULA close behind. The mystery is scary from the start. Giant ants being fought with flame throwers is so impressive that it seems as if it inspired James Cameron with ALIENS. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/24 Full Review William R. P It's not scary and it doesn't make you think. What more could you ask for in an old sci-fi? Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/21/23 Full Review Matthew B During the 1950s, science fiction was still something of a disreputable genre, with only a handful of movies being made on a larger budget. We had to wait until the 1960s if not the 1970s before moviemakers discovered the potential of sci-fi to be turned into blockbusters in which a good deal of money could be invested, and the cash returned in good box office. One effect of this situation is that the best sci-fi movies of the 50s bear a resemblance to the worst. In the case of Them, we see a number of the features that we associate with the bad movies of later – for example, multiple scenes of officials sat in offices talking about the situation; dubious gender politics; or the curious convention that ensures that the people who discover the problem are the ones who are around to help resolve the situation at the end. This leads to the unlikely scenario in Them of a police officer and FBI agent joining the soldiers in the final assault. Many of the special effects used are also reminiscent of bad sci-fi movies – crude models for close-up shots, enlarged images of real creatures walking in miniature landscapes, or added in process shots which forbid their interaction with the human characters; or creatures wandering on matte paintings. Them may have been one of the highest grossing movies of its year, but conservative moviemakers kept the budget low. Plans to make the movie in colour and 3D were scrapped, and only three ants ever appear on the screen at the same time, even though we are told that there may be thousands of them. What makes movies such as Them superior is a flair, imagination and intelligence that lifts them above the flaws of the commonplace low-budget science fiction movies of the 1950s. The special effects were decent for the time, though these methods have now been replaced by computer generated images in modern movies, which many see as more convincing. What Them has to offer is something different – visual images that haunt the imagination in spite of their technical flaws, and interesting stories and ideas that allow us to suspend our disbelief. The influence of the movie might be said to have been unfortunate – it was imitated in numerous giant bug movies, and many sci-fi films that used the talkative style of the movie as a lazy way to keep costs down. As a result, Them may be among the first giant bug movies, but it remain one of the only decent ones that was ever made. I wrote a longer appreciation of Them comparing it to Tarantula on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2017/10/03/arrival-of-the-bug-movies-them-1954-and-tarantula-1955/ Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review Red T A Classic Horror Sci-Fi Movie. The acting is really good with a phenomenal performance from Edmund Gwenn who does a excellent job of making the whole thing believable and grounded in reality. Everyone else is solid also with the only real complaint being they all sort of blend in and don't have much else to them besides explaining plot. Even Whitmore who starts out as the main character sort of disappears until the end in the second half. The music is really good also but I wouldn't call it catchy or memorable but always amps up the tension and action extremely well. The editing is excellent. This merges a Sci-Fi story with Horror elements beautifully and always stays focused on the main plot. Although the same can't be said for characters at times. It still does an amazing job merging the two genres and keeping it grounded. The cinematography is very well done also. The flamethrower scenes are amazing and the ant hives are really cool and imaginative. The black and white works really well and the camerawork is good. The only complaints are while the ants look good for the time they are a bit dated and not really scary but they are cool. The pacing is very good also with the only really flaw being while this does generate tension and surprisingly great action it has trouble sustaining it consistently because it explains A LOT of plot throughout and it can get weighed down and gets rid of any suspense or creeps for a while but it always roars back. Anyone who is a fan of any actors in this, the director, or Horror/Sci-Fi in general will really like this. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/23/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Are you nostalgic for 1950's atomic era, giant insect horror sci fi action ? Well, this movie will satisfy that need. First half of the movie is best, keeping the terror local, confined to a small desert town. The eerie atmosphere, weird sounds, that enhance the dread and spookiness factors, which just keep building and building. Great stuff. But once the ant attack spreads nationwide, the second half of the movie loses some impact. Despite that, the battle spectacle of soldiers and cops, machine gunning, grenade launching, flame throwing the beasts, is all kinds of awesome. Also nice to see the movie grounded by old school Hollywood acting by stars James Whitmore, James Arness, and Fess Parker. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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