Them! is undeniably underrated. It is a wonder to me that it is not on the AFI 100 list. Strangely, Warner Bros. is said to not have had much confidence in this film, abandoning plans for it to be both in color and 3D, two popular gimmicks of creature films at the time. Despite this, Them! has forged a legacy as a prime example of the giant, radioactive monster craze of the 1950s and would go on to be Warner Bros.’s most successful picture of 1954.
The plot of the film is similar to other giant monster films. An atomic blast in the desert causes some local ants to mutate into monstrous beasts. After they kill an off-duty FBI agent and his wife, other strange murders begin to occur. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) and Robert Graham (James Arness) head up the investigation into the murders, and when they find that they can't identify the footprints that were found at the scenes of the crimes, Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), the typical old professor with his beautiful daughter Dr. Patricia Medford (Joan Weldon), are sent in to take over control of the investigation.
The special effects in this film are leaps and bounds beyond any of the other films we have seen. The giant ants are the star of the film, truly creepy and not at all resembling the rubbery atomic monsters that precede it. And who could forget that unmistakable sound made by the giant ants as they approach? The ants in Them! are not only among the most impressive creatures, but also the most downright frightening creations of the giant monster era of horror. Them! achieves what many of the other 1950s monster movies we have seen attempted, but have seemingly always failed at: it's actually scary. This may be due to the unique screenplay, which kicks off as a traditional police procedural and then verges off the road into the realm of horror. It still resembles the formula of monster movies, but it doesn’t fully conform to the usual template, either.
At a time when the world was preoccupied with the dangers of nuclear technology, it's no surprise that this film was released at the exact time that Godzilla was released in Japan. For some reason, it was unanimously decided that radiation made things grow very large. The overarching theme of these films is a reckoning being visited on us by a natural order gone horribly awry. And what better creature to exact revenge than enlarged insects?
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(Of course, the film also has some issues. It is, again, oozing with misogyny. From all the male characters ogling her, the camera following her legs around, to her introduction where she gets her dress caught on a ladder for the men to giggle about, Dr. Patricia gets little respect and too many leers. She is wearing a tight skirt and heels from the very first scene, which is set in a blazing desert. When the square-jawed FBI guy struggles with her title, she actually says, “If the ‘doctor’ part bothers you, why don't you just call me Pat.” Apparently, because it is 1954, men cannot pronounce the word ‘doctor’ when it precedes a woman’s name. When he sees her in pants, he even insultingly asks, “What are you all made up for?” and “This is no place for you or any other woman”. But because it is 1954, Dr. Patricia merely goes on with her life amidst these comments.)
Later very often imitated, Them! was one of the seminal entries in its subgenre, and set a standard that many later films would try to emulate, with various degrees of success. It had the perfect balance of spectacle and terror, as well as somewhat intelligent characters, telling a social parable, while also not being as heavy or morose as Godzilla.