- Them! movie poster - Classic Movie Monsters
The movie-goers only seem to remember Them! for, well, them, which is to say, the nest of ants mutated to the size of tanks after being pummeled by the radiation of the first atomic tests. The bugs are the stars, for sure, and their effectiveness made this the first of many "big bug" films to follow, but this is a solid production even if one discounts the special effects, which is how it should be for any good film: compellingly performed, intelligently written from the scientific perspective (which helps in selling the fiction of sci-fi), and rather relentlessly paced for a movie of the day.
Things begin in typical whodunit fashion in this film, as a scenario with too many impossible factors for mere human involvement sees the police force scurrying for clues that only add to the confusion. Large structures have been destroyed, strange footprints found, corpses poisoned hundreds of times beyond the lethal dosage, and sugar stolen in massive quantities.
These critters can only stay hidden for so long, though, and the combination of mechanical effects, eerie desert imagery and an eerie sound design make them a truly malevolent presence. One could argue that they were never surpassed until 2003, when Peter Jackson took on Shelob, the giant spider, in his final Lord of the Rings film, The Return of the King.
With the expertise of some undaunted scientists, we learn that these insects have been lurking underground in the remote desert, coming up almost only at night for food (primarily the aforementioned sugar, but also meat when forced to desperation), and - worst of all - that they may have already sent a few newly hatched queens to the wind to multiply the species elsewhere by the time our protagonists have stumbled upon them. Even the purely expositional elements of Them! are handled with economic precision and levity. The cast is clearly on a collective wavelength - dialogue keeps things at a steady energy level - and their immersion helps to create palpable mood of dread.
Them! and the similarly themed Godzilla debuted the same year in their countries of origin, a strangely poetic indication that the cultures on both sides of the attacks at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were grappling with this newfound power all the way down to the movies that were primarily thought of as being fun. There's a nerdy exuberance here, certainly (not so much in the somber Godzilla; that would come in the sequels), but also a distinct fear of the long-term implications waiting to announce themselves after the introduction of a new technology.
The special effects are used sparely, but they don't cop out, and there's clearly been a lot invested in getting them right; a centerpiece sequence in which three characters infiltrate the central underground nest has rarely been topped for those prone to both claustrophobia and the creepy crawlies, and it's nearly topped by the final, nail-biting showdown. Them! is smart and idiosyncratic, with enough climaxes for two movies.
Them!. Dir. Gordon Douglas. Perf. James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness. Warner Bros., 1954. Running Time: 94 min.
