Hard to believe this was released in 1954. It's so much more effective than other monster movies made around that time.

"Them!" is as engaging, if not more so, than most other '50s monster movies. The opening scenes of the shocked little girl walking through the desert, along with the discovery of a destroyed trailer, builds some nice suspense until the monsters are revealed. The problem with the movie is that the threat posed by "Them" never seems nearly as serious as the "end of mankind" speeches dramatically delivered by Dr. Medford. The effects were probably pretty convincing to early 1950's movie goers.

Streamed via Hulu (TCM) Watched this as part of TCM's 31 Days of Oscar. Great creature feature film from 50s! I just love how all these actors were pretty darn convincing that they take giant ants seriously. The second act was quite boring but the third act managed to get my attention back. The giant ants look amazing for its time, glad they got nominated for best visual effects. It's just so fun to watch. I really liked that old scientist!!

>*"Ants are the only creatures on earth other than man who make war."* So disappointed, we barely saw the giant ants! Saying they got 2 minutes of screen time in the entire movie would be exagerated. I like the giant puppets they used and the screeching sounds the ants make. Nice score. The flame thrower scenes were my favorite. I liked the scientific aspect, I learned a bunch stuff about ants thanks to the professor. Boring second act with the investigation and interviews, just go battle the ants already. They spent the whole movie making plans but we only see it in effect in the last 10 minutes.

Giant ants invade the New Mexico desert, an aggressive mutation spawned by the frequent nuclear tests of a decade prior. Our heroes (a ragtag group of trigger-happy policemen, bemused FBI agents and scolding, voice-of-reason scientists) manage to annihilate the bugs' first nest, but several escapees slip the net, take flight and hole up in the sewers beneath Los Angeles. For all the inherent silliness of a movie about nine-foot insects, plus the technical limitations of the period, this actually isn't half bad. Late budget cuts created a few hurdles, including a shift from color to greyscale and a reduced number of prop ants, but the plot barrels along undeterred and a few wily camera tricks sufficiently cover for the relatively small number of monsters. I expected those creepy-crawlies to hold off until the third act, padding the run time (as usual) with a glut of dull talking heads, but instead we get elbows deep in enormous larvae and firebomb a series of human-sized tunnels within the first half-hour. It's a peak example of the mid-50s creature feature, complete with an oversized premise, comical special effects and heavy-handed morals, but also a well-constructed film that speeds along at a breakneck pace and always follows through on its promises. You want big, hairy, irradiated ants versus army men with bazookas and flame throwers? You got it.