Them!
An atomic-age investigation becomes a desperate campaign against giant mutant ants spreading from the New Mexico desert into Los Angeles.
Overview
Giant ants wreak havoc in the desert, forcing a desperate team to fight back.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- ominous
- methodical
- classic monster movie night
- drive-in movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a taut, well-acted, semi-documentary science fiction shocker whose credible procedural approach elevates its giant-monster premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dr. Harold Medford attributes the giant ants to atomic testing conducted in 1945, making radiation and scientific tampering central to the conflict.
Police, FBI agents, military officers, and scientists investigate the attacks in a matter-of-fact procedural style.
After the desert discovery, the ant colony expands into Los Angeles flood-control tunnels beneath the city.
Law enforcement, federal agents, scientists, and the military coordinate an escalating campaign to locate and destroy the colony.
Films like Them!, and why
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
1950s science fiction horror, giant-monster spectacle, and atomic-age anxiety
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Cold War-era science fiction horror centered on mutation, invasion, and military response
Tarantula
Atomic testing catastrophe, natural horror, and methodical creature investigation
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1950s monster horror using scientific mutation and escalating threats to urban populations
Movie Details
- Director
- Gordon Douglas
- Release Date
- 1954-06-16
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (487)
Cast
- James Whitmore
- James Arness
- Joan Weldon
- Edmund Gwenn
- Onslow Stevens
- Sean McClory
- Sandy Descher
- Chris Drake
- Don Shelton
- Fess Parker
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- IndieFlix, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Them! about?
- An atomic-age investigation becomes a desperate campaign against giant mutant ants spreading from the New Mexico desert into Los Angeles.
- What is Them! like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Them! as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Them! violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Them! as moderate.
- What did critics think of Them!?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a taut, well-acted, semi-documentary science fiction shocker whose credible procedural approach elevates its giant-monster premise.
- Which films are like Them!?
- Films with a similar feel include The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Tarantula, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
- How long is Them!?
- Them! runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Them!?
- In United States, Them! streams on IndieFlix, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel.
