The Frame

I love a good classic sci-fi film every now and again, and this one hits all the high points. Radioactive material? Check. Mutant insects? Check. Scientists? Check. Nuclear paranoia? Check. This is what I love about 1950s sci-fi: for one thing, they’re actually about scientific things and not just tangentially including aliens or some such like modern sci-fi; for another, there’s always such a lovely undercurrent of McCarthyism or nuclear fear running through them. Them! is about giant mutant spiders ants (created by radioactivity left by atomic bomb tests in Arizona) who start attacking people, first in Arizona, then to Texas and Mexico, and finally in the middle of Los Angeles. A team of scientists works with the police to take the monsters down. This is actually one of the better examples of the “atomic mutant” sci-fi films, of which there were many; it builds intensity perfectly (in fact, it’s at least half an hour in before you come close to finding out what’s happening, adding in a very welcome mystery element), doesn’t spend too long on the romantic subplot, and is ambiguous enough with its blame as to not be xenophobic.
Well Above Average