Rating: 
Summary: Finally this 1954 scifi landmark Classic comes to DVD!!
Review: In the 1950's the world was testing A-bombs, Hydrogen Bombs, strange results were beginning to appear & Hollywoods imagination was added to the theories. The results a series of movies about radioactive mutated creatures. The first was "THEM"."THEM" (1954) is a landmark movie about giant radiation-mutated ants that gets better with age and boasts remarkable, Academy Award-nominated special effects. Summary: Our story begins in a New Mexico desert with a shocked wandering child, destroyed general store & battered corpse full of enough formic acid to kill 20 men. The search begins to find & destroy these menacing insects. The giant mutated ants are on the move and the climatic battle is in over 700 miles of Los Angeles sewers. An ALL-STAR cast led by James Whitmore, James Arness and Edmund Gwenn. Special Features include; Behind the Scenes Archive footage, Montage & Operation on the Giant Ants, & film trailer. This was the first and probably the best movie featuring the worlds & Hollywoods take on the possible results of radioactive mutation. "THEM" in a great Black & White Standard version (Original theatrical exhibition) digitally restored presenting a very exceptional picture & sound. This sci-fi classic is worth the price of addmission so get out the popcorn and ENJOY!!
Rating:
Summary: The granddaddy of all giant bug films
Review: Once the atom bomb was discovered, imagination ran wild with concepts of radiation and mutation. THEM is the movie that did it first and best. Standing head, shoulders, waist and knees about the competition, THEM is a well-researched tale of giant ants. Yes, we know that ants and other insects could not really reach these sizes and still be able to move, but that is the only leap of faith in the film. Atomic testing has allowed a colony of ants to reach gigantic proportions. there presence is made known when a small girl survives an attack and is found wandering along a deserted desert road. Edmund Gwenn (Santa Clause from Miracle on 42nd Street) plays the scientist who helps to understand, track, and overcome the ants. Someone went to a lot of trouble to research all of the information Gwenn reveals. All of it true. Unfortunately, the discover of the giant colony is a little too late, new ant queens have been born and need to be found. One such queen has moved into the storm tunnels in L.A. This really is an excellent film that does not deserve to be grouped with its imitators (Tarantula, The Deadly Mantis, etc.).
Rating:
Summary: 12 yr. old field trip long drive
Review: OK ever think how am I going to entertain alot of kids on a long drive and keep the noise and fighting down! These old 50 movies work like a charm.. they all stare, theirs mouths hang open and they only snap out of it when it ends or you have a potty break. I traveled with 4 12 year olds on a school field trip to San Diego from Vegas, we watched "Them" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Neither movie had been viewed before by the group and they never made more then a peep! 4 boys! The parents didn't say anything... the movies are clean, there's no swearing nor skin flicks! PERFECT! We'll keep buying the oldies ... they're the goodies! Teaching Mother..
Rating:
Summary: "There was no word to describe THEM!"
Review: As the ad told an unaware paranoid public as they were officially
introduced to 1st atomic age mutant film. Every Genre has a staple
and this film was it for "giant bug" catagory. There would be 100's
of atomic age nightmares to follow but none more better put togethe
than this well oiled machine.
The story begins as that of a police drama. A little girl is found
wandering in the Nevada desert by local police. Although alive shes
in a state of shock which adds to mystery to her folks where-abouts
When the two officers are radioed in to check out a nearby trailer
they find it's wall pulled out and insides wrecked. After Piecing
together a few clues the officers realized that this is the lost
girl's home and that her parents are perhaps the subjects of foul
play. On another nearby call the two officers investigate an old
supplyshack only to find it also in the same condition as trailer
with one added element,the body of "Pops" the store's owner dead
and lying mangled at the bottom of the cellar. One officer leaves
to get help while the other stays behind at the crime scene. When
he goes out back to search for the source of a wierd high pitched
chirping sound,he fires his weapon,screams & also becomes victim. Upon the autopsy of "Pops" it's discovered that on top of broken
up condition he also has enough formic acid in him to kill 20 men
The FBI is called in and along with the 1st officer go back where
the little girl was found and it is there that they encounter the
horror of nature's fury in the form of giant ants mutated from a
deployment of atomic radiation. This fomula would be followed time and time again in such lowbrow
features as Tarantula, Beginning of the End & Earth vs.the spider
but none would come close to the sincerity of this Warner brother
classic. With a cast that includes James Whitmore, James Arness &
Edmund Gwenn and great final battle under streets of Los Angleles
it's simple entertainment from a simple time that holds up after
repeated watchings. Look for Fess Parker and Leonard Nemoy cameos
And listen to the "scream effects" these are Warner bros patented
"screams" just for this film and can still be heard even in some films today. The dvd is excellent quaility in but both picture and sound & the
goofy footage of the ant's test and trailer are a plus but still
I was hopeing for a making of feature with maybe a reflection of
stars Whitmore and Arness but I am thankful for the original art
cover.
Rating:
Summary: Radiactive bugs in Lalaland!
Review: What a great Cold War sci-fi movie this is, with radioactive bugs battling cops, soldiers, and scientists! Beginning in the radioactive deserts of New Mexico, where the national security state and atomic bomb testing had caught public attention, this 1954 film takes viewers on a ride through the unpredictable and dangerous potential consequences of playing with the basic matter of the universe. It's highly entertaining, with a decent cast and dated special effects, but great story-line. The film begins in the stark desert landscapes and ends underground in the vast sewer system of Los Angeles, including some striking shots of the trickling Los Angeles River. This is one sci-fi film where the real problem comes not from "out there" or from strange alien creatures from outer space, but rather from the consequences of our own recklessness. If the film was bad science, at least it had the insight to question whether we really had as much control over the consequences of this atomic testing as the authorities liked to pretend. For a nice companion film, see "The Atomic Cafe." Thumbs up for the giant ants!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Film For Fans Of The Genre!
Review: Them! has always been one of my favorite 50's American monster flicks. The story and the human drama are very well done and do not overdo themselves.
Really the only sour part about this film is the ants' screen time is very limited, but sweet when they are on screen!
A must have for those who are fans of the genre!
Rating:
Summary: "There was no word to describe THEM!"
Review: As the ad told an unaware paranoid public as they were officially
introduced to 1st atomic age mutant film. Every Genre has a staple
and this film was it for "giant bug" catagory. There would be 100's
of atomic age nightmares to follow but none more better put togethe
than this well oiled machine.
The story begins as that of a police drama. A little girl is found
wandering in the Nevada desert by local police. Although alive shes
in a state of shock which adds to mystery to her folks where-abouts
When the two officers are radioed in to check out a nearby trailer
they find it's wall pulled out and insides wrecked. After Piecing
together a few clues the officers realized that this is the lost
girl's home and that her parents are perhaps the subjects of foul
play. On another nearby call the two officers investigate an old
supplyshack only to find it also in the same condition as trailer
with one added element,the body of "Pops" the store's owner dead
and lying mangled at the bottom of the cellar. One officer leaves
to get help while the other stays behind at the crime scene. When
he goes out back to search for the source of a wierd high pitched
chirping sound,he fires his weapon,screams & also becomes victim. Upon the autopsy of "Pops" it's discovered that on top of broken
up condition he also has enough formic acid in him to kill 20 men
The FBI is called in and along with the 1st officer go back where
the little girl was found and it is there that they encounter the
horror of nature's fury in the form of giant ants mutated from a
deployment of atomic radiation. This fomula would be followed time and time again in such lowbrow
features as Tarantula, Beginning of the End & Earth vs.the spider
but none would come close to the sincerity of this Warner brother
classic. With a cast that includes James Whitmore, James Arness &
Edmund Gwenn and great final battle under streets of Los Angleles
it's simple entertainment from a simple time that holds up after
repeated watchings. Look for Fess Parker and Leonard Nemoy cameos
And listen to the "scream effects" these are Warner bros patented
"screams" just for this film and can still be heard even in some films today. The dvd is excellent quaility in but both picture and sound & the
goofy footage of the ant's test and trailer are a plus but still
I was hopeing for a making of feature with maybe a reflection of
stars Whitmore and Arness but I am thankful for the original art
cover.
Rating:
Summary: first, and cheesiest, of 50s schlock fright cinema
Review: Them! was the first giant insect movie, and its success spawned a raft of (sometimes superior) imitators, but you owe it to yourself (and your children, if you have any) to see this cheesy bit of cinematic history. I can remember watching this on Saturday afternoon, frozen to my chair but unable to walk away, being sobered and thrilled by Edmund Gwenn's last line on the unknown effects of our dropping the atomic bomb. The cast is surprisingly memorable: James Whitmore, James Arness, Edmund Gwenn, Fess Parker. Unfortunately the cast listing is short, so the many other familiar character actors who appeared are not recognized, and it's a shortcoming of the otherwise fun extras that they don't fill in this gap. Heck, Leonard Nimoy has a small part, though it's not referenced anywhere on the disc! Action is sporadic and the ants are a bit ... okay, a lot ... laughable. Extras also include "Bugged at the Movies", text pages about the many giant bug movies that followed; a 3-minute dose of film clips called "Behind the Scnes" but mainly just clips of clapboards; 25 stills, including posters. Better action, better effects (Harryhausen) and a less leaden leading lady can be found in The Black Scorpion, but this first venture into giant bugdom should hold a special place in any movie-lover's heart!
Rating:
Summary: Good Genre Film
Review: Bigger was better back in the golden age of science fiction. Here, you had giant ants as the bad guys. In other movies of the period you'll find giant spiders, giant praying mantises, giant squid, and even giant hila monsters. This is one of those "radiation gets the blame again" movies. James Whitmore is a desert-town sheriff who investigates some mysterious murders and gets more than he bargained for. It seems that 12-foot-long ants are marauding through the desert--and reproducing. The film has the standard cast of characters for a movie of this type--scientists, military types, and local cops. The plotline is simple...track down all the ants and kill them. Throw in a couple of kids missing is some drainage tunnel and you pretty much have the entire story. The acting is credible, including Fes Parker--in a pre-Daniel Boone role--as a pilot forcibly confined to a mental institution after he claims he saw giant ants flying around his plane in mid-flight. The special effects are passable, at best. Then, again, you can't really expect filmmakers of the day to be able to effectively convey a sense of realism to the giant ant effects (done with puppets). Overall, it's good fun.
Rating:
Summary: ANTS IN THEIR PANTS
Review: Aside from this being the trendsetter for all big bug movies thereafter, THEM boasts a cast of character actors you couldn't believe: James Whitmore, James Arness, Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn, Sean McClory, Dean Fredericks, William Schallert, Fess Parker, Leonard Nimoy, Onslow Stevens, Lawrence Dobkin, et al. The sincerity of these performances along with the marvelous sound effects makes THEM a true classic of its kind. Compared to today's CGI generated effects, THEM can't hold a candle. But for the 50s, the ants can terrify even in their obvious robotic movements. I saw it first when I was a wee lad, and it still has that same disturbing effects, while bringing home the horror of atomic warfare.
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