THEM! (1954)

The story: The atomic bomb detonated in 1945 may result in our extinction as giant mutated ants take over the world!

Officers Peterson (James Whitmore) and Blackburn (Chris Drake) find a shocked young girl (Sandy Descher) walking through the dessert. This girl comes to life when a strange piercing sound echoes all around. The officers later travel to a general store to find the owner dead. Officer Blackburn is left alone at the store and is attacked by something outside, something big. We hear only a couple of gunshots and that spooky squealing sound as this officer meets his maker. Meanwhile, back at the police station, an autopsy shows that the store owner was brutually murdered (Duh!) and has an incredible amount of odd acid in his body.

FBI Agent Robert Graham (James Arness), Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), and his daughter, Dr. Patricia Medford (Joan Weldon) are mysteriously brought in to assist with the investigation. The mystery unravels slowly as the two doctors connect the large amount of acid found in the store owner to the first atomic bomb's detonation just nine years earlier in 1945. They place a small amount of the acid under the young girl's nose and it brings her out of her trance, screaming "THEM!" While investigating in the desert, we get our first glimpse of the monster, slowly rising over a cliff, ready to attack. It's a giant ant!

Dr. Medford explains that the atomic bomb has created a mutation of giant killer ants. With the military now involved, the investigators devise a plan to kill the ants by throwing cyanide into their huge underground nest. Their plan goes off without a hitch, but when they venture into the nest to confirm their kills, they discover that two queens have hatched and flown away. Will the investigators find the ants in time to kill them or will their offspring send human beings the way of the dinosaur?

Simply put, this is an entertaining movie. Like many films of the time, this one warns us of the dangers to come with technology and war. The moral of the film is not difficult to find as we are constantly reminded that these giant ants are only here as a result of our use of the atomic bomb. This film is more than a moral lesson, though.

The special FX are amazing for the time period. We see downright creepy overhread shots of the monstrous ants with human rib cages in their mouths. The intricate nest scenes are frightening as investigators go deeper underground with gas masks on to discover unborn ants squirming around inside unhatched eggs. Just as momentum dies down inside the nest, a wall breaks apart to reveal a survivor ant and the action picks right back up.

The suspense builds as the doctors continue to speak in codes about "it" and the possibility of a "nationwide panic" before we ever even see the ants. The first appearance of the big ant is truly scary and nicely put together. The acting is well above average and the little girl's performance as the shocked victim who freaks out at the smell of the strange acid is very convincing. The look on Drake's face right before his character's death is terrifying. We see stellar performances by Gwenn as the clumsy doctor and Weldon as the beautiful, intelligent woman.

As usual, I suspected that sexual tension would develop between the macho FBI guy and the pretty female doctor. I was right, but unlike other films of the era, this one pulls it off. It's not fake or annoying and it works. We even learn a little about the characters because of the sexual tension. For example, Graham forbids Patricia from venturing down into the dangers of the nest, where he says women shouldn't go. Patricia doesn't allow herself to be controlled and stands up for herself.

Although it is hard to believe that our investigators could successfully keep this secret from the public for as long as they do, I was able to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy this film for its many good qualities. Creepy special FX, tons of suspense, and even fine acting.

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