Review – Them!

Ah, that exclamation point in the title is always such a sure indication of quality. And what is it about ants? Of all the things that seem to get mutated by radiation and grow to giant proportions over and over again, these critters have got to be the all-time champs (with the possible exception of lizards). Well, at least this relic from the atomic-energy-obsessed 1950s can lay claim to being the first (unless I missed yet another giant ant movie somewhere). Though the script is strictly B-movie, the special effects were if not exactly wonderful then at least expensive, including several full-scale giant ants. James Arness ditches his killer carrot suit from The Thing from Another World and switches sides, playing the FBI agent hot on the trail of the migrating monsters. And unlike the Hawks movie, the military actually listens to scientists this time around. Of course, the scientists are all in favor of killing the bugs, so perhaps listening to them was easier in this case. Mildly amusing