Them! (1954)
This review, of the now classic 50's films, has stood the test of
time and with this review I hope to explain why the film has done
so well, with American audiences.
Right at the beginning, the film grabs the viewer with a search going on in the New Mexico desert! A
small girl is reported as missing and the State Troopers along with the local police department have begun the
search and with luck they find her. She is in complete shock and will not respond to any attempts to get her
to talk. The police air support spot an abandoned trailer and recommend a further investigation. What they
find, shocks them. the trailer has been completely destroyed with no sign of people. This portion of the film
comes off as a murder investigation. There are few clues, a bloody mess of clothes and strange footprints in
the sand! The senior officer opens a homicide investigation complete with a call to the F.B.I. for help. During
the initial investigation, strange sounds are heard in the distance which leads to one of the creepiest scenes in
film history.
The senior office decides to drive to a local convenience store to get any information on the trailer and
the little girl...only to find the shop has been destroyed and the man working the store has been killed by
being crushed to death. Strange clues are being discovered as the police find no money has been taken
from either crime scene and sugar has been spilled around the area of the shop. The senior officer leaves his
partner to go for help and while he is gone...
This film is a great suspense film, from the start. The audience is kept guessing on what will follow and
whether the films stars will succeed in destroying THEM.
The cast is a, legendary, group of film and television actors and actresses. Leading this impressive team is
James Whitmore who plays Sgt. Ben Peterson. James Whitmores' performance as the straight laced police
officer is nearly perfect. His character is just trying to find out what is going on. He has no real ambition other
than solving the problem. Of course, his character becomes more than just a man...he becomes a hero.
James Arness portrays Robert Graham who is on loan from the F.B.I. to help the local authorities with
a possible serial killer. Mr. James Arness is most know for his westerns and portraying the creature in the
now classic film, "The Thing from Another World." James Arness's portrayal of the frustrated F.B.I. agent
is excellent! He asks the right questions, but keeps getting a lot of technical jargon and being pushed aside
by the two doctors that were sent to help the case.
Edmund Gwenn & Joan Weldon play the father/daughter team of scientists that know more than what
they are telling. When you first meet these characters, you are left with nothing more than a stubborn old
man and his daughter. These characters, are played to near perfection. As the film goes on, you discover
that they not only know what is going on but they have a plan on how to solve the problem.
During the investigation, they begin to look for strange sightings in the air. This is not only a little odd but
introduces one of the great cameos on film. Fess Parker enters the story as an amateur pilot who witnesses
the arrival of THEM to a major city. He is frightened and is thought to be crazy, so the local authorities have
him committed. During his interrogation of what he saw, the team of investigators decides to keep him in the
asylum until a final solution can be brought into play.
From this point on in the film, it becomes a race against time! Them has begun to set up a colony under
the city of Los Angeles and the sewers become the focal point. Some of the best special effects happen in
the portion of the film as the cast of characters race to not only destroy THEM, but also find two missing
young boys who were lost in the maze of sewers under the city.
Why has this film lasted for so long? Well, to be honest, everything came together almost perfectly! The
acting is nothing short of superior. The cast takes the source material very seriously and you feel tension build
as the film moves along. The direction of the film is nothing short of amazing! Gordon Douglas had a very
incredible task to not only bring the human characters to life but also the stars of the film, THEM. The special
effects were superior, for the day. Keep in mind there were no companies that dealt in C.G.I. in any form. In
fact, the effects were so good, the crew got nominated for an Academy Award. The sound engineering crew
had a difficult job in bringing the noises of the creatures to film. Since no one knows what an ant sounds like,
the sound crew had to invent the noises and make it credible.
Then you have to give credit to the writers for making the idea up! Ted Sherdeman (screenplay), Russell
S. Hughes (adaptation) and George Worthing Yates (story) are the men behind the film. Their idea was
nothing less than apocalyptic, the end of the world and the people who tried to stop it from happening.
I recommend this film to anyone who likes science-fiction or just wants to have a moment to smile at
what is now considered a "B" movie.
