Them! (1954)
Nuclear tests in the desert result in the growth of gigantic mutant ants who menace cities in the American south-west as a team of investigators and the army search for a way to control their spread.
Cast and Information
Directed By: Gordon Douglas
Written By: George Worthing Yates, Ted Sherdeman, Russell S. Hughes
Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Onslow Stevens, James Whitmore, James Arness, Olin Howland, Fess Parker, Sean McClory, Joan Weldon, Don Shelton, Sandy Descher, Chris Drake, Mary Alan Hokanson
Country: USA
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Them! belongs to 20 collections
1. The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 19 stars)
2. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
3. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 16 stars)
4. 101 Sci-Fi Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by von krogh - 15 stars)
5. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)
6. Monster (collaborative: moderated by djross - 6 stars)
7. Giant Monster Movies (collaborative: moderated by Grit - 4 stars)
8. Horror (public: fruititself - 4 stars)
9. Horror (public: horrorjames - 4 stars)
10. Eco-terror (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess - 3 stars)
11. Referenced by The Simpsons (collaborative: moderated by ReCreation07 - 2 stars)
12. Kim Newman's Nightmare Movies (collaborative: moderated by RoyalB - 1 star)
13. Golden Age of Sci-Fi and Horror from the 50s and 60s (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx - 1 star)
14. Los Angeles Movies (public: stalebread - 1 star)
15. Submitted by blank (collaborative)
16. Cinemateca - Grandes Géneros: Ficção Científica (collaborative: moderated by pmpfe)
17. Owned (BD) (public: bizarre_eye)
18. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 36 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
19. Watchlist (public: GrimsChild)
20. Edgar Wright's 1000 Favorite Movies (public: coldesser)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 6 |  |
JooJoo | 5 80th |
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If this was in color, I bet these ants would be RED
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| 4 |  |
TimeCapsule | 71 66th |
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"When Man entered the Atomic Age, he opened the door to a new world." Here this fairly entertaining classic 50's atomic sci-fi, giant bug, monster-movie just spells out the thematic question of the day, and asks what will the future "Atomic Age" hold for the world? It was clear mankind was entering a realm that was unusual. Maybe it's magic, or contains some kind of monster. The second one. (It's almost always some kind of monster) Prepare yourself as Mankind enters, 'The Scary Door'.
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| 3 |  |
Alex Watkins | 3 38th |
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A very fun giant monster movie, with that unmistakable 50s charm. Apart from its obvious commentary on nuclear war, it's also notable for its undeniable influence on Aliens (the queens, the little girl at the beginning that formed the basis for Newt, the flamethrowers, etc.). This isn't as good, but since Aliens is one of the best movies ever made and this is "merely" great fun.
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| 3 |  |
recklessmess | 75 57th |
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I miss the simpler age, when we feared communism, nuclear war, and giant mutant ants...
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| 3 |  |
mwgerb | 54 51st |
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Surprisingly more entertaining than other similar movies of the era. It's still a product of its times, but through the shadow of apocalypse, the massive government conspiracy, and the claustrophobia of the ant tunnels, it manages to be somewhat exciting.
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| 2 |  |
Luna6ix | 68 29th |
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One of of the first (and many) creature features to come out of the 50's and 60's, I can't really say that I enjoy many or any of them. This is one of the few that isn't entirely unenjoyable, but that's only because it features giant ants. I can honestly say that this is of an extinct breed, they really don't make them like this anymore.
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| 2 |  |
ribcage | 69 55th |
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cool effects that haven't aged too badly. ant scenes were awesome, but their screen time is about as big as a real ant so the padding in the script, especially around the 2/3 point of the movie, is much more noticeable.
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| 2 |  |
backwardsuit | 71 53rd |
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Rather well crafted genre classic with a solid structure & predictably flat storytelling. Not quite as comically dated or godawful as some of these big bug pictures. It has a good balance in content between the scifi, investigation, action & drama. All of which are more or less ridiculous but it keeps it all moving pretty well & I appreciate that it tries hard not to waste my time. Could've used more spectacle but I guess those campy ant props were a real bitch to operate back in the day.
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| 2 |  |
joel-w-m | 5 25th |
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Surprisingly sophisticated and slick for a 50s monster sci-fi: The camerawork is noticeably artistic, the dialogue engaging without being overly dramatic, and the acting solid. The giant ants are a little cheesy, and the sound they make gets annoying, but with a story grounded in straight-forward mystery instead of sci-fi sensationalism, the movie still manages to maintain an appreciably mature tone. The tempered pace causes a few scenes to drag, but it's worth it for the overall lack of cheese.
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| 2 |  |
Hawkins | 63 31st |
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It's striking how much of this is echoed by Aliens, to the point where Joan Weldon even sounds like Ripley. Though it just shows why nuking the entire site from orbit is a bad idea - clearly that only makes things radioactive and way bigger. You gotta love the fervor of the scientist dropping ant facts like he's been waiting years for this kind of platform to make somebody take him seriously.
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| 1 |  |
wayofthegun | 60 21st |
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I thought there would be more, oh, I dunno, MUTANT ANTS in the movie. It seemed like they were hardly on-screen at all. The story is fun and, obviously, it was trying to cash-in on the public's atomic fears, but not a great movie overall.
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| 1 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 83 72nd |
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A lot of fun and much less campy than you might expect from a 50s film about giant ants. It plays things pretty straight and for the most part succeeds in building tension and the ants don't disappoint. Could have done with a better ending, but you can't have it all.
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| 1 |  |
joseywales | 70 56th |
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It is what it is.
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| 1 |  |
Suture Self | 3 25th |
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I'm sympathetic to its skepticism of the nuclear age, but I couldn't help being bored. Too much idle chatting, not enough giant bugs.
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| 1 |  |
overrated | 46 41st |
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Needed more ants.
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| 1 |  |
Minorsage | 1 0th |
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This isn't a horror movie, it's 'Reefer Madness' for nuclear testing
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| Average Percentile 52.26% from 568 Ratings |  |