A Look at the Movie Them! (1954) Part 1

It all started here as radiation from the original A-Bomb test creates mutated giant ants! So you're telling me nuclear bombs have a down side?

[@ptonpc]

One of my favourite 1950's movies You can tell the people who made this cared.

[@davidlafleche1142]

I love that Mercury station wagon, but the trailer looks like it was made entirely out of cheap plywood.

[@stevena488]

I remember watching Them! the first time and being GENUINELY shocked that it was actually a solid movie and not a total AIP schlockfest. I kind of see this, Godzilla and Rodan being some of the best of the era with it being far more of an allegorical horror than it being a cheesy monster movie wrestling brawl (Both of which I freaking adore). It's just a good time.

[@fishjones4618]

There were quite a few movies of that era that elevated the genre from just drive in movie schlock. The Day The Earth Stood Still, George Pal’s War Of The Worlds, It: The Terror From Beyond Space (which was the inspiration for Alien) were all legit movies

[@KairuHakubi]

Hearing about the way it was sabotaged but everyone involved still wanted to make a good movie actually brings to mind a lot of cliche meddling-studio plots i've seen in period-piece tv shows or flashbacks. This must be a well-known story or a sadly common event.

[@davidlafleche1142]

That's because THEM! was actually the very first movie of its kind: the first Nuclear Age monster movie and the first Big Bug movie. Everything about it was brand new.

[@maxclaymore]

Grew-up watching this on my old Black & White TV early 1960s on local L.A. TV.

[@Deepingmind]

One of my favorite films growing up, this and Day the Earth Stood Still.

[@shallendor]

Same here, and the sound is so distinctive!

[@MMAallday-]

One of my favorite childhood monster films!

[@user-sq4jz9up6g]

The sounds Them! make 😮haunted me as a kid still creep me out

[@JosephCymrank]

One of the top 10 50s Sci fi.

[@ravenwilder4099]

"Well, Old Man Johnson could have died in any one of five ways. Let the betting pool begin!"

[@thomasrdiehl]

Great, I can't get the picture out of my head of Chuck's family watching this movie: "Look at Them! Just look at Them!" "Must... make... commentary... video..." "No, Chuck, just look at Them! Please, just look at Them!" "Urge... too... powerful... Recording equipment... in... hnngh.. reach." "I should have known you were being too antsy about doing this..."

[@Eshanas]

Yes! One of my favorite 50s movies. Glad to see it covered by you

[@thanotosomega]

I remember watching this movie a long long time ago, and being very happy with it, course i was a big monster movie fan back then and loved anything with them,

[@GlennHa]

Excellent review of one of my favorite movies. This was shot in a "film noir" style which adds to its appeal. Also, I got the reference to Miracle-Gro. Every penny in the budget was up on the screen. A definite classic and a good movie. By the way, I can always tell when they use fake dinosaurs in movies.

[@erikjohnsonillustrat]

I remember seeing this as a kid. Kept me on the edge of myself the whole time!

[@marilynwillett804]

Go ahead criticize this wonderful 50's movie you have no idea how awesome it was to be at the drive with your mom and dad, in your American car, or playing outside after school, or eating good home cooked food, with no additives. Nobody was fat, NYC was a great place to visit, my uncle worked for Universal studios in California it was beautiful, glorious. I'll never forget this awesome movie.

[@user-ou5hz2sp3s]

Them was the scariest Giant Monster movie made in those days.

[@ShadowWingTronix]

Maybe he mentions this later but that's James Arness, Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke, as Graham. I always find it interesting to see actors from a big production like that before they became famous or what they did during the season break to keep working.

[@davidlafleche1142]

John Wayne saw this movie and liked his performance. recommended James Arness to get that part.

[@ravenwilder4099]

I really wish I could have watched these early, atmospheric scenes without knowing in advance the movie was about giant ants.

[@SuperSaiyanGuyver]

Unless you caught the movie on cable one night, that'd be pretty hard. The ants were on the poster and the cover of the video releases. I think its one reason the early scenes work so well. The movie is atmospheric and serious early on, which I think helps the reveal of the ants later. Not that the ants look BAD, but the seriousness helps quite a bit.

[@AffectionateAirplaneWind-dl8tu]

1 of My FavoritesThanks

[@NickJohnCoop]

I always thought it was shame that the first atomic mon movie would lead to too many sub-par imitations when this was so well crafted.

[@vtmarik]

This movie was the first monster movie I ever watched as a kid

[@rafaelrosario5331]

Great wit, I really enjoyed it...thanks!

[@OhShitSeriously]

As an amateur hymenopterologist, I can confirm that whoever made that ant spent a lot of time looking at ants before they did it. The eyes are kinda fucked up and the mandibles are a complete shitshow, but in ways that fit the story, and given the limitations they were working under I have to give them they did a good job.

[@coleparker]

They wanted to make the eyes look as nearly human as possible but not go overboard. Also as you say, given the budget limitations they did a pretty good job. BTW, after watching this film I too became a amateur hymenopterologist. Even now when I take my daily walks I will stop and observe the ant colonies that I run across.

[@wangbot47]

My Dad showed me Them! When I was like 4, and I loved it at that age

[@coleparker]

I am 70 years old born in 1953, and have watched this movie since I was 10 years old. My mother and father told me they saw this movie in 54 when it first came out, and they really enjoyed it. I still think it is one of the best. Parenthetically I lived in Lancaster and the Palmdale area where the first outdoor desert shots were done. The ant nest was located at 160th street and H or I street, I believe, near the what is now Known Lake LA area. The Antelope Valley Museum is nearby. A lot of commercials as well as one episode of Star Trek DS9 have been shot in the area.

[@davidlafleche1142]

It is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment. Imagine being killed by monsters (Revelation 9:10, KJV).

[@Shadowman4710]

"Thank you, the three of you that got that..." Make it four. I remember those commericials well....cause I'm really old.

[@TastyBusiness]

I've seen references and parodies plenty of times before. Like the Fallout 3 mission Those! Or the secret missions from Red Alert called "It Came from Red Alert" in which you fight an ant army with the prototypical GDI forces. First I've ever seen any respect given to the original source material is here, bravo Chuck.

[@robwalsh9843]

Like any other genre, the Radioactive Monster genre was good in its early days. Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, Godzilla and Them! are solid sci fi horror. It's just when the subsequent films got oversaturated that the genre got played out.

[@trustno173]

I watched this movie for the first time last October as part of my tradition to watch as many horror movies I haven't seen and enjoyed it very much. Though I am curious as to why it hasn't gotten a remake yet like so many of its contemporaries such as The Blob, The Thing from Another World, The Fly, Invasion of the Body Snatchers etc...did.

[@stevena488]

I think It's in the process of being remade by Michael Giacchino, the director of that Werewolf-By-Night special Marvel did.

[@danieldickson8591]

IMHO it doesn't need a remake. It's so well executed as a movie.

[@coleparker]

@@danieldickson8591 Totally agree. I think any remake would be cheezy as most of the actors would probably overact it or spoof it.

[@lukehamilton2900]

6:30 Aww, you skipped the fantastic setup for that line: "l finished the autopsy on Gramps Johnson. You want it technical or plain?" "Just plain, Doc. Get to the verb."

[@SageofStars]

7:32 Chuck...Small Wonder got 4 seasons before it got canned, I can see Dr. Father getting at LEAST 2, probably 3 because they run out of budget halfway through that season and have to clip together old shots outside because they can't afford to leave the studio anymore for exterior sets.

[@Thraim.]

Now that's what I call a classic.

[@mm-in7tn]

Ha! I remember this. "Them, them!" Lol

[@davidkimura3034]

Loved watching this on TV...The Old Nancy Allen Movies...I believe is was on Sunday afternoon! Loved the Movies!

[@TF2CrunchyFrog]

Oh, it's the one with the giant ants! Wow, I remember seeing this as a child in the early 1980s, though in Germany they changed the title of the movie to "Formicula" (a much cooler title). As a budding biologist, I was thrilled to see giant ants! It was the era of monster movies, both old black and white ones coming to Germany, and 1980s ones. Around the same time I also watched "Tarantula", oddly enough despite having arachnophobia it didn't bother me, probably because it was so large it seemed unreal (ironic because they used an actual spider and greenscreen). There was also a Creature Feature horror movie with William Shatner and hordes of tarantulas.... with a horrifying ending.

[@boobah5643]

A horrifying ending? Like finding out all the spiders used were real spiders and they just left them to die in a climate they weren't adapted too? The ones that had survived the movie, of course, since they killed a whole lot of them in the process.

[@brandonlyon730]

@@boobah5643 I know some people don’t like cgi critters, but I think we can all agree it's preferable then to force real animals to go through such things again.

[@boobah5643]

@@brandonlyon730 No argument on that point from me.

[@jabreaux5675]

Them! Is seared into my 1955 brain. And I loved the movie about giant, human-consuming A N T S. Ay caramba!

[@RTDavis0503]

I loved this movie

[@briancarpenter7179]

📽When they remake this movie, which you can bet on happening because Hollywood can't come up with original ideas I just hope they do it right and not tarnish the reputation of this classic movie. 🎬

[@youtubecarspottersguide1]

Josha tree .always think of this film when out in the desert camping and the and the wind picks up

[@tipulsar85]

Wow, this is one I was for sure nobody would ask for this one.

[@tskmaster3837]

"Well, Old Man Johnson could have died in any one of five ways. It was six but I ruled out Natural Causes as being redundant for Old Man Johnson." "Well, Old Man Johnson could have died in any one of five ways. Well, it's really just one, I just wanted to seem more important for the FBI agent." "Well, Old Man Johnson could have died in any one of five ways. The number one answer is... he fell and couldn't get up." "Well, Old Man Johnson could have died in any one of five ways. Why five? I don't know, it just came to me when I looked at my hand." "Well, Old Man Johnson could have died in any one of five ways. Surprisingly enough, none involve a well or alcohol so no one won the deadpool but we're remaining hopeful about Old Man Smith."

[@marcherwitch9811]

THEY KEPT THE GIRL AT THE CRIME SCEN3!?! dehydrated, probably sunstroke, and they think "eh, the medic can come to us, no rush!"

[@Feasco]

they police, were you expecting them to make smart decisions

[@Shadowman4710]

@@Feasco Point.

[@ptonpc]

It's the 1950's. They drove out as part of a search party, probably taking hours, it would have been faster for the medic to come out to them, especially if they found anyone other survivors or her family. Otherwise, they drive back to base, then head back to where they were wasting precious time that could have been used.

[@coleparker]

Don't you remember the first lines when James Whitmore puts the girl in the police car? Ed asked James, is she suffering from sunstroke, James Whitmore says no she is not sunburned or anything like that. She is shocked.

[@florinivan6907]

Its weird how today when people think of 50s movies something like Them! or Invasion of the body snatchers pops up. Movies that were subtextually about Cold War fears. But back then these were mostly B level productions that never got any serious awards.

[@S1nwar]

oh so thaaats what the secret Red Alert 1 campaign was based on

[@davidreeder43]

Anyone else think of this movie when playing Eldin Ring ?

[@bradwolf07]

Oh nice, a free kid... usually those cost you (up front and later as well)

[@thomasbrowncumming1595]

Any chance of this movie being colorized?

[@samwill7259]

Oh god, my greatest fear. Grammar

[@alancranford3398]

I like this review. Thanks. The quip about pronouns was a geeky dad pun but I laughed. This came out a couple of years before I was born, but I've seen it several times. Where's the rest? Guess I have to wait.

[@kristinaF54]

One digital artist working on their computer could composite in real-looking ants into this movie if they wanted. Shame companies like Warner won't remaster great classics like Them! because of the idiotic mistakes of their past exec., Jack L. Warner.

[@CybershamanX]

(7:40) 🌬 (that's supposed to be me spewing out my beverage) 😜

[@UltraPoseidon]

Jesus Chuck, that opening joke is going to be horribly dated in 10 years lol

[@Feasco]

optimistic of you to think people will stop being triggered by pronouns in 10 years

[@UltraPoseidon]

@@Feasco maybe 20. No more than that though.

[@brandonlyon730]

@@UltraPoseidonLet's not jinx anything.

[@fourcatsandagarden]

I know calling it 'Ants!' would've given away the surprise too soon but thinking on it, shouting 'them!' is kinda weird. If I saw a giant ant, I'd scream ANTS, not 'them.' By the title I was expecting a slightly (or majorly) racist old-time zombie or alien movie.