Them! (1954)

The idea of mutations from the result of nuclear testing was one that Hollywood ran with in the 1950s.  Atomic power and radiation was something that fascinated and frightened the public, since with the Soviets gaining the ability to make hydrogen bombs and the arms race that followed the Cold War was something on the back of everyone's minds.  On the other hand, harvesting the power of the atom was something that appeared to have limitless potential for technology and the advancement of humanity if we didn't use it to turn the world to ash. 

Typically mutations take one of two forms.  Homo sapiens, for instance, are the result of a mutation that favored a number traits present in our ancestors that eventually gave our branch of hominids an advantage over all the others.  In many cases mutations, particularly those caused by radiation or in-breeding, do little more than lead to a short, painful life.  In the imagination of Hollywood writers it meant insects and other animals growing to enormous size due to radioactivity and threatening to wipe out humanity. 

Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) of the New Mexico State Police and Trooper Ed Blackburn (Christian Drake) discover a young girl (Sandy Descher) wandering alone in the desert.  They soon find a trailer that appears to be the sign of a murder, with the bodies missing and the side torn out.  Trying to piece together what happened they go to see if a local store owner has heard anything only to find him murdered and his store destroyed in the same way as the trailer.  The police are baffled and bring in FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) once they discover the girl's father worked with the Bureau.  When tracks that were found at the site are sent to be analyzed the Department of Agriculture dispenses Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter, Dr. Patricia Medford (Joan Weldon).

It soon becomes apparent that the track belongs to a species of ant that has grown to enormous size due to the testing of the first atomic bombs.  The nest is found, but before all the ants can be destroyed two queens escape.  While one is destroyed when it tries to start a colony on a naval vessel, the other establishes its colony in Los Angeles, prompting a frantic military response to prevent more queens from hatching and thus additional colonies forming. 

This is both one of the earliest of the giant creature features as well as one of the best.  Although the ants are prominent on the poster director Gordon Douglas holds off on showing them until nearly a half hour into the movie.  When they do show up they are rather impressive for their time period, and the scene with one disposing of a human ribcage outside the nest must have been quite shocking at the time.  The queens shown at the end aren't so impressive - the wings look like cardboard stapled onto the main props - but for the most part they work a lot better than one would expect.  

Them! had been meant as a 3-D color film, but Warner Bros. began making budget cuts at the last minute.  Despite that Douglas still gets some great scenes in the desert (obviously the Mojave and not in New Mexico, but it still looks good) as well as managing to make a feature-length film of this type without relying on tons of narration and stock footage.  The acting is great as well, with many members of the cast either being veteran actors (Edmund Gwenn had played Kris Kringle in the original Miracle on 34th Street) or upcoming starts, like James Arness.  There is also a cameo by Fess Parker who would, due to this film, be hired by Walt Disney to portray Davey Crockett.  

The best thing about Them! is that it manages to sell a ridiculous idea - 9-foot long ants would quickly die of suffocation because of their primitive respiration and circulatory system - and have the audience suspend disbelief for an hour and a half.  Pretty much every giant insect film to follow stuck to the same pattern as Them!, from the experienced scientist providing exposition to having a female love interest that had credentials that were progressive for the time.  It's all right here in its original form and, even after all these years, is still quit entertaining. 

Them! (1954)

Time: 94 minutes

Starring: James Whitmore, James Arness, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon

Director: Gordon Douglas