Rating: 
Summary: Bug War
Review: Big bad bugs are unleashed in the sci-fi classic "Them!". A series of unexplained murders in New Mexico leads to the discovery of a horde of giant radiation-mutated ants. This amazing find becomes an epic struggle of survival between man and a menace spawned from atomic testing. "Them!" is a superior creature feature that has opened a generation of sci-fi horror movies. The movie contains a well-paced storyline and a great climatic ending. It combines elements of suspense and humor, strong performances and effective special effects. This landmark creature feature is presented in its original full screen format. For a classic Black & White film, its picture quality is certainly amazing and the 2.0 Dolby Digital sound is well balanced. The special features include the theatrical trailer, behind-the-scenes footage and cast film highlights. The interactive menus are original and colorful. Overall, "Them!" scores a solid "B".
Rating: 
Summary: You Can't Stop "Them"!
Review: In the late 1940's and 1950's the USA and the Soviet Union repeatedly tested nuclear bombs. In the USA the early tests were done in the desert southwest, and the mushroom clouds could be seen for dozens of miles (and the noise could be heard for hundreds of miles). As scientists measured the increased levels of radiation in milk served to schoolchildren and their parents built bomb shelters in their backyards, Hollywood decided to take the cold war paranoia which made the fifties so unique and create a new type of sci-fi/horror movie - the "mutant monster" film. Along with the original "Godzilla", 1954's "Them" is one of the best of the lot. It starts out in the New Mexico desert, where two state troopers discover a mobile home that's been ripped apart by some unknown animal. The adults are missing, but they do find a terrified little girl (a creepy Sandy Descher) who's so shocked that she can't talk and simply stares wide-eyed and zombie-like at the policemen. A fierce sandstorm blows up, and the troopers then arrive at a local general store that's been ripped apart like the trailer. Curiously no money or valuables were stolen, but sugar has been spread everywhere, and the owner's corpse is found. He had emptied his shotgun at his attacker before being killed with a massive injection of acid. The troopers also find some tracks from an "unknown" large animal. Baffled by this turn of events, one trooper takes the mute little girl to a hospital. The other trooper stays behind to guard the store, but he is attacked and killed by an unknown assailant. The next day Robert Graham (a pre-Gunsmoke James Arness), an FBI agent, arrives to help with the investigation. Soon they are joined by two scientists from the Agriculture Dept. in Washington - the eccentric but brilliant Dr. Harold Medford (a scene-stealing Edmund Gwenn) and his lovely daughter and assistant, Dr. Pat Medford (Joan Weldon). The scientists have a hunch that the "unknown" animal that killed the storeowner and destroyed the buildings was - a giant ant! The ants had been at the site of the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico in 1945, and the radiation has caused them to mutate to an enormous, man-eating size. Soon our heroic quartet is involved in a race against time to find and destroy the ant's colony before they can reproduce and spread across the world. When the queen ant and some male escorts escape the search becomes even more frantic, and leads to a final showdown in the vast sewers of Los Angeles. This film features fine performances by all three of the male leads - James Whitmore as the gruff-but-warm-hearted New Mexico cop, Arness as the quintessentially stern and macho 1950's movie hero, and Gwenn as the quirky ant expert. Although the special effects are obviously primitive by today's standards, "Them" actually had a larger budget than most fifties sci-fi movies, and the ants themselves were an impressive creation for their time. This film also features an impressive number of cameos by future celebrities, including Fess Parker of "Davy Crockett" fame in a hilarious role as a hillbilly pilot who sees three "ant-shaped" UFOs buzzing his airplane. When he tells his story he is declared "crazy" and locked in a mental hospital. Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's "Mr. Spock") also has a tiny cameo. "Them" was so successful that it was followed by a string of imitators, but it remains superior to all of them. This DVD offers a neat featurette on how they made the giant ant puppets work, but it has few other "extras". However, the film itself is more than worth the relatively cheap sticker price, IMO. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Desert delights with Sugar Thieves
Review: Monday, March 07, 2005 / 4 of 5 / Desert delights with Sugar Thieves
All they wanted was some sugar, but then they got a taste for human flesh! Giant ants attack in this 50's B-horror classic. Failing to have any stop motion effects ala Harryhausen, the giant ants are actual huge set pieces. Of course we usually only get to see the heads when the ants are alive to alleviate the need to automate the legs and body parts. The back story actually moves along pretty well and it was amusing to see the original cop [Shawshank Redemption?] pressed into service and becoming an authority figure towards the end. Typical interplay with old professorial `expert' brought in with his attractive assistant/daughter and the stalwart, wooden FBI agent assigned to the case. Transfer to DVD looked really good too. Listen for the sounds of the ants commingled with the wind in the desert; spooky. A good watch for a Halloween monster-fest.
Rating:
Summary: If you like 50's sci-fi, you'll love it.
Review: First off, when you see this film for the first time it's got great suspense in the beginning. Who, how, why and what had killed the parents of the little girl who was wandering around in the desert? I like most 50's sci-fi and have been searching ever since I was a kid for a film that tops this one, for the giant bug thing anyway. "The Black Scorpion" and "The Monster that Challenged the World" ,although these two movies are worth checking out they don't quite top "THEM". The "scientific" discussions are pretty cool too, Later
Rating:
Summary: "THEM" A POSSIBILITY?
Review: THIS IS A CLASSIC SCI-FI, WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS THAT ARE HARD TO TOP (EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARDS) THE SCIENTIFIC QUOTES ARE CORRECT & THE POSSIBLILTY OF LINGERING RADIATION (FROM THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMBS) ARE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY (AT LEAST IN THE FICTION SENSE) A WELL DONE SLICK THRILLER....
Rating: 
Summary: Them, Ants Drive Me Nutz!
Review: In the fifties the sci fi genre reached the peak with three fundamentals icons : Invasion of the body snatchers , The thing and this one .
For many people this movie is considered the best of the post atomic cycle of giant bug and mutated monster pictures. Fallout from an atomic blast will spawn a breed of creatures of another age who appear suddenly near the Mojave Desert . The original treatment like a murder mystery rather than the shock approach usually employed in similar works accents its status .
Rating:
Summary: Mutants Ant Invasion
Review: I signed on to Amazon to see if my first favorite old movie, "Them!" had made it to DVD. The reason I thought to do this today was that I have just read a headline on Yahoo! that a giant mutant ant colony has been discovered beneath Melbourne, Australia. I went on the message board, and posted "Make me a Sergeant and gimme the booze!" just to see if anyone knew what that meant. To my suprise, a number of people responded with "I understand!" "Them!" was the first movie I can remember poring through the tv guide each week to see if it was going to be shown...I had just learned to read, by the way. I was five or six and videotapes were 20 years in the future. I love comedies, romances, dramas, epics...but if you came up to me on the street and asked me my favorite film today I'd say "Jurassic Park." I stayed up 'til 5:00 am a week or two ago to watch "Jaws" when I channel-surfed into the opening scene on TBS (with commercials!). I can't say whether "Them!", "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park" would have all three been in my top 5 if I hadn't loved the oldest of these since I was so small. Monster films are not my favorite genre. But something about the "professorial" quality of these has always drawn my interest. I'm putting the DVD of "Them!" in my Amazon cart (even though I have the videotape.) Sometimes I get nostalgic.
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.
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