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SYNOPSIS...
When a little girl is found in the desert, the cops determine that her
parents are missing, their trailer wrecked. Soon, an old man and a cop
are killed mysteriously.
When an FBI agent investigates, a Washington bug expert, arrives. He
determines that the prints left behind are that of a giant ant, apparently
enlarged by nuclear radiation. Soon, the authorities discover large
colonies of gigantic mutant ants who begin to prey upon the cities in
the American south-west, and must come up with a way to control these
scary beasties.
Soon, queen ants fly off and make a nest in Los Angeles' sewer system.
Arness and military men fight the giant ants with flame throwers and
machine guns, eliminating the huge pests.
Review:
Promotional Lines: "A horror horde of crawl-and-crush giants clawing
out of the earth from mile-deep catacombs! Kill one and two take its
place! An Endless Terror! A Nameless Horror!"
Quote from Dr. Harold Medford: " We may be witnessing a Biblical
prophecy come true--the beasts will reign over the earth."
Director Gordon Douglas' THEM, is definitely one of the better giant
insect movies of the fifties. The Screenplay, by Ted Sherdeman, is lean
and tight, even keeping the obligatory 1950's romantic subplot to a
minimum.
When a little girl (Sandy Descher) is found wandering alone in the New
Mexico desert, local cop, Sgt. Ben Paterson (James Whitmore -"Shawshank
Redemption") investigates. The parent's trailer is found destroyed,
her parents missing.
Soon, an old man, as well as Whitmore's partner, are killed by a mysterious
assailant. When the autopsy is done on "Gramps," the local
doctor announces that he had "...enough formic acid in him to kill
twenty men." FBI agent, Rober Graham (James Arness), is called
in. Considering he was playing the title role in "The Thing",
only three years before, Jim "Gunsmoke" Arness was definitely
moving up in the world with this role.
When Arness sends a strange footprint back to Washington, insect expert,
dr. Harold Medford, (Edmund Gwenn -"Miracle on 34th Street")
shows up by return mail. Before long, Gwenn declares that the killings
have been done by giant ants, mutated as the result of atomic testing.
The fact that a scene like this is credible is much to the credit of
actor Gwenn and Director Douglas.
My favorite scenes in the film are set in the Los Angeles river channel.
Although much used by TV and film over the years, it's rarely been turned
into such a fascinating environment, with many military vehicles and
soldiers bustling about.
TV fans will get a kick out of seeing Fess Parker in a brief scene as
a pilot who mistook flying ants for UFO's. Little did Parker realize
that "Davy Crockett" TV fame loomed on the horizon.
The crisp black and white Photography, and clever camera angles are
by Sid Hickox. The choice of black and white, frequently used in the
fifties, helps heighten the drama and credibility of the story. The
Music, by Bronislau Kaper, effectively underscores the tense action.
The giant ants are kept away from full view for sometime, which is fortunate.
When you do seem them clearly, they're not that great by today's standards,
but were probably state-of-the-art for the time.
THEM should be watchable for most Sci-Fi fans, except for those driven
buggie by giant bug movies. If you have a taste for giant insects, THEM
should make a satisfying film feast indeed.
BEST BETS: Food of the Gods, Tarantula, and Starship
Troopers.
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