THEM! (1954)

THEM! (1954)

Tagline: The Sci-Fi Classic of the Atomic Age

(Horror, Sci-Fi, Giants Ants Will Eat Your Face) [PG] 

Note: This movie was not given a rating by the MPAA. Because this doesn’t fall in the typical [G] rated in my opinion I am just throwing an arbitrary [PG] on it. 

Well, Old Man Johnson could've died in any one of five ways: His neck and back were broken, his chest was crushed, his skull was fractured... and here's one for Sherlock Holmes - there was enough formic acid in him to kill twenty men.

1954 must have been an epic year in regards to movies. First off GODZILLA (1954) came out this year, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and this damn thing. THEM! The queen mother of all “giant ants will eat your face movies”. 

Anyway in this one atomic tests in New Mexico apparently get down into the soil enough to cause ants to mutate into giant man-eating freaks ready to ruin your trailer or your random gift shop where you’ve been hiding sugar, your picnic with all the hand made sandwiches, and Cheetos and, and all that stuff. I mean they are making little girls freak out and doing more property damage than your lunatic aunt on Memorial Day weekend…it’s bad. Can Dr. Patricia Medford (played by Joan Weldon), Dr. Harold Medford (played by Edmund Gwenn) and the U.S. military complex, act swift enough to stop giant ant colonies from rising all over the United States before it’s too late?

Overall the acting in this is pretty phenomenal. I watch a lot of stuff from this era and due to the way some of these actors were trained a lot of the acting feels a bit unrealistic and over the top. In this one, we really don’t get that. It’s very even keel and feels realistic. Even the reactions of the cast to the events unfolding feels really well thought out. One of the more outstanding performances actually belonged to the now-famous little girl in the movie played by Sandy Descher. This girl ended up with 48 screen credits which are quite impressive for back then. By way of comparison, the lead actress Joan Weldon was in 20 films over a 5-year span which was also very commendable. Sandy also starred in another awesome sci-fi movie called THE SPACE CHILDREN in 1958. 

One thing I loved about the 50’s sci-fi flicks is that you were getting all practical effects. Because of this reason we never see more than 3 ants on-screen at a time, but it’s wildly effective and fun. Apparently, the movie was meant to be shot in 3D and in color, but I think it works on a pretty epic level even without that. 

THEM! is not a perfect flick and is slow to get going, but when it comes to 1950’s sci-fi this is way up there with the best of the best. For its incredible acting, well-written dialog, and gutsy atomic terror for the time, I have to give this thing a solid 6 out of 7. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF WARNER BROS. AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.