Them (2021) Poster

(IV) (2021)

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2/10
A film this peculiar might have been somewhat saved by an explanation
justahunch-705492 December 2022
Like most are saying, it's pretty poor. However, its inability to explain what it is about is its biggest, to put it mildly, flaw, though it has many others. The cinematography is interesting now and then and I thought the somewhat odd performance by Sindri Swan sort of worked. A sci-fi film about some sort of alternate universe (I think) with humans and other humans who used to be humans, though I don't have a clue what they would be called, but "real" humans can't see them. Got that?! I'm not sure I did and I'm also not sure what I just wrote is correct. It has scenes of interest, but only because you don't know what they mean. I don't suggest you watch this.
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3/10
Really bad...
talllguysf21 June 2022
This nonsensical film is really quite bad. Allegedly science fiction, it tries to be some kind of morality play about human obliviousness. It just doesn't work. I highly recommend that you avoid this snooze-fest.
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2/10
Report: No show, no tell, no story, no point.
vandeman-scott1 December 2022
About THEM: I hate to dismiss films out of hand but, as an educated viewer, I need more for a satisfying movie experience. I'm a big believer in the notion that in the dramatic arts, showing is better than telling. THEM neither shows nor tells. Note to the filmmakers: A little bit of exposition is not only OK, it's practically required if your business is storytelling.

That sums up my chief complaint with this entire effort: There's no story. I'm not opposed to the occasional foray into Absurdism, but that's not what this is. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF has a story. A DOLL'S HOUSE has a story. Even WAITING FOR GODOT has more of a story than this, and if not a lot more story then certainly a lot more purpose. Everything-is-meaningless-nothing-is-real-life-is-but-a-dream surrealist drivel isn't enough. Simply put, there's just no takeaway here.

The most basic expectation people have when they invest their time in any creative endeavor is that the creators will make some kind of a coherent, discernable point. One gets the feeling the makers are trying, hence two stars. But if there's a point here, I've missed it, and as one not given to missing the point, I'm left to conclude that it's either absent or the filmmakers aren't capable of communicating it.
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1/10
I've waited over a decade
bspqszwyy6 September 2023
I've waited over a decade scrolling through IMDB to sign in and and leave a review on films I've loved, films I've liked, and films that have left me scratching my head. I have never once been compelled during those hundreds of films to write a review, but here we are. Thank you Them.

I feel compelled in humanitarian way to say this is legitimately one of the worst films I have seen in my forty years around the sun.

It is so bad I'm left speechless as to how to warn you away. Every single aspect of this movie fails: from unmoving plot, to indecipherable premise, to wooden acting, to a somehow pretentious ruse on the audience that we would "get it" if we only could understand.

This is bad and there is nothing to get. It's like playing an M. Night Shayamalan album in reverse only to reveal the lyrics say, the jokes on you. It's not smart. It's not prescient and if you have the misfortune to be reading this now, I'm sorry. I had hopes and dreams once too.

Run away.
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1/10
The Writers Probably Should Have Told Us What Was Going On.
icocleric2 August 2022
This film explains nothing, and both really happens either. There is no plot.

Like it says humans cannot see them anymore, but it doesn't even remotely hint at what "them" are. They were apparently human once? What happened? Like I don't expect to be "spoon fed" even, but sometimes a little bit more story or explanation can make a film make a lot more sense.

Like I get that the stiff acting could be down to them trying to be "off human". But there is so much people standing at windows looking out talking with stiff awkward lines.
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1/10
This is the first review by someone who didn't work on the film, apparently.
reallytorkedoff-8746429 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was about 83 minutes of 'WTF is happening here'?

'Them' are apparently in charge of things, but all they do is stand around and 'report' to each other. What are they? The narrator says they used to be humans, but what are they now? No one thought to mention that.

Maybe the writers know what's going on. It would have been nice for them to let the rest of us in on the secret. 'Adrian Perez' mentions the Matrix, but don't be confused. There are no car chases or even CGI. Mostly, it just a bunch of actors standing around reciting their lines. Literally 'standing around' in most cases. There were a few flickers of emotion, but that may have been accidental. I have seen some deadpan wooden acting before, but this was amazing.

Anyway, I watched the whole thing and I still can't tell you what the hell was supposed to be going on.

I gave it a 1, which is really rare for me. Most movies have something going for them, but not this one. It was just a whole bunch of nothing."

Move along, watch some 'so bad it's good' movie instead.
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2/10
Spoiler Alert, attempt to explain...
wastelandts25 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
So heres my best attempt to explain this film. I think of it as if the makers of The Matrix did a remake of Groundhogs Day, but very poorly. In this world there are 3 types of people: "humans", sleepwalkers, and a ripped off version of the Agents. They are the ones who "report" on everyones lives and keep them in the same dream over and over, as well as erase memories of unintended events not in place by "them".

Some people are able to break from their dream state and dont know it until they run into someone who can "see" them. But what seems to be the problem about this dynamic is that if a "human" breaks from their dream state and become a sleepwalker, it interrupts the programmed dream of other "humans" in which they interact with.

The protagonist Daniel learns how he's been living this way and wants to take his wife out of her dream cycle like him, and tries by taking on roles of others that she encounters in her dreams, but thereby forces "them" to replace her husband role by someone else for consistency. But of course his attempts dont matter at the end when he finally does break her from her cycle, cuz they just reprogrammed everything back to before the start of the movie.

And that is why this movie is bad.
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1/10
What?!?
melissako21 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It took me three days to get through this bore fest of a movie. The first two reviews are clearly people affiliated with this film. It is a bunch of - not that great actors - standing around doing nothing. They recite lines, "report", and keep talking about how "they were once humans". Well what are 'they' now? We'll never know. It is never explained what 'they' are. And really, I don't even care what they are...that's how bad this "movie" is. And this isn't the kind of film that is deep, pensive or intellectual in any way so I didn't miss something. It's dull, dull, dull...
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2/10
Puzzled as everyone else, but maybe...
hiperlynx2 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I confess to often enjoying the films that others don't really "get". I started this one with no expectations, and the deliberately vague description on the streaming platform led me to believe that someone just didn't want to bother. (Like saying that The Hunting Party is about a kidnapped schoolmarm)

Struggling to determine whether color meant "waking" and grayscale represents the "alt" point of view, and also vexed with the miscellany of pronouns that carry implied capital letters, I finally reached the 25 minute mark.

Conversation in grayscale by 2 beings staring off into the distance is a little deadpan chat with some "we're angels/post-Eden/not God's plan" vibes in this scene. It was the first clue that I felt I had detected about any of it.

I'd be happy to be wrong, because that's been done ad infinitum. And i find it boring. But lickety split, I came here to see if anyone else caught it. And also if so, perhaps that would mean I could skip the rest of the film. And here we are. I find reviews by the bewildered and annoyed, and people who worked on the film (but who only used abstract language which didn't actually give any indication that they understood what was going on in it.)

I admit that it's very well filmed. There's a lot of dramatic tension on the street, where I first dread and later hope for any of the characters to be hit by the traffic as they cross back and forth away from a crosswalk. I like some of these actors, and wonder how they were involved. Maybe one day, one of them will explain what they thought was going on.
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4/10
I was awake, then I fell asleep
mhiggott5 August 2022
This film is strange, slow, and incoherent. I tried to finish it four times before successfully doing so, as it kept sending me to sleep. There's a lot of scenes with people staring into the distance and not saying much. The concept behind it is rather vague and under-developed. It's certainly different, but not really recommended.
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Powered through it
lesliejohnson-1763020 November 2022
I powered through the movie and came here to find out what it was about. No one seems to know, not even those who made it. At least some actors were employed for a while...well, I hope they got paid something.

I also hope that this "movie" doesn't hinder their acting careers in the long run. I imagine they won't list it or if they do, some may assume it's a reference to infinitely better works by the same name.

Right now, I'm trying to convince myself that the people died and became watchers of the human race. It seems that's literally all they did....watch. It was like watching water boil and about as interesting.
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8/10
Not for everyone but I loved it
poole-8276910 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie takes some work. My interpretation (spoiler alert) requires imagination as it isn't specifically stated in the film. A group of 'altered' humans with special talents are brought together and kept at a boarding school. The man who organizes/finances the school also lives on the property and has his own emotional demons/losses. The Assistant, as a young girl at the school, finally reaches out to him only to discover that through touch she can alter his perception of reality. From there, the altered humans work together to change all human perceptions of reality. By doing this, any altered human can take the place of various humans to claim their homes, partners, children and even employment. Because they can influence the perceptions of humans around them, no one is the wiser. The Assistant's brother has some qualms about this and decides to awaken humans so they become aware of the altered humans. Once awakened though the human is no longer able to continue in their previous existence. The film presents the experiences of those humans as they navigate their new reality.
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7/10
So... Freaking... Weird...
TheJonesBones6 April 2022
Okay, so this is an un-movie. It's like nothing you've seen in a long, long while. Enigmatic. Mysterious. Quirky. And just... really, really weird.

If you're looking for brain candy - the sort of film that explains every nuance of plot and character in case you're just not paying attention - then you should probably keep looking. If you want something eclectic and strange enough to make you watch it repeatedly, then tune-in and REPORT, baby!

This is actually a love story about... well, I'm not really sure... sleepwalkers in a dreamland perhaps? Aliens? Gods? Demons? And the struggle of otherwise normal human beings who occasionally "awaken" to confront the bizarre reality that is their world within this film. Questions will abound. Answers may be few.

This means your imagination will be required. Too cool!
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2/10
Possibly the most pointless film I've ever seen
jrschumaker13 November 2022
I am a sucker for movies with poor reviews. Sometimes one finds a diamond in the rough that maybe other people just didn't "get" or they didn't appreciate a truly amazing "bad" movie. This is NOT THAT MOVIE. The production values are fine. As far as writing and plot? Worse than The Happening. Nothing...and I mean nothing...actually happens. There is no explanation of the premise. I promise that you will never find out what the supposedly non-humans now are or what plans they have, if any. I felt like someone made me watch Waiting for Godot as an 8 year old, except I was probably less invested in the characters. This is an hour and a half of your life that you WILL NOT ever get back. Please learn from my poor judgement.
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1/10
Don't waste your time
capncack-7113130 November 2022
In trying to be artsy and cryptic the unqualified filmmakers end up with a bland, boring, blank of a movie where you understand nothing of why anyone is doing anything. You understand no one's heart, fears, interests, motivations, goals. The characters speak in bland monosyllabic utterances intended to be clever, but they're just vapid and precious, embarrassingly so. You don't give a darn about any of them. They aren't invisible - they're absent. Pretentious filmmaking by those unqualified to be pretentious. Circular film ends up where it started, emphasizing the time you've wasted watching it.
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1/10
I don't get it
Queen-Lovey25 August 2022
This movie makes no sense whatsoever, coming from this sci-fi nerd. It jumps from one scene to the next without any flow/explanation. Very confusing. Bad writing, bad direction, mediocre acting.
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The cure for insomnia
stufromsaturday-6176410 August 2022
There's nothing to review. This is just appalling.

And, get this, I watched it directly after watching Prey (a 10 out of 10 if ever there was one).

I imagine waking up during an operation would be a better experience than watching this film.
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1/10
MST3K couldn't make this interesting.
wackadoo-0222412 May 2023
What a joke. How does this nothing get made? People said some stuff and walked around then stood and stared. I just watched a movie called Native about a pair of space farers sent to investigate a signal from another world that was a delight. The same sort of little to no info but with something to engage the imagination. This was nothing no cleverness no heart no twist just people staring. I've always hated any story that leaves it up to you to decide what is happening. I write my own stories and enjoy seeing how others makes their characters engaging and show their place in the story. Any movie that ends like this should have a warning so I can save myself a ton of time. I have enjoyed some decide your own ending films but they at least gave you some information besides they human/we human but not. I rarely leave a review but this had a tiny hint of intrigue for just a split second then degenerated into stuff happening and almost made me angry. I wonder if the SyFy channel passed on this one? Hopefully this writer can take the hints of a thought provoking story and draw a little more out to share with his audience. There was a hint there but not a shed of payoff. Best of luck!
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1/10
What a waste of film!
shoman6616 October 2022
This has got to be, so far, the worst movie I have ever seen! Many parts are over-acted and many parts are under-acted. This film has no purpose and no story. It seems that the creator was desperately trying to make some sort of cult classic but it's just stupid. I suppose that the only good that has come out of it is that it employed many people from the actors to the production crew. That really is the only generous thing I can say about this horrid piece of garbage. I have never left such an abusive review but this movie must be some sort of joke. It asks nothing, it challenges nothing, it is nothing.
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1/10
Spoiler: Nothing Happens
webhead-975531 January 2023
Saying 'nothing happens' doesn't really spoil anything. Reviews are supposed to prepare a viewer.

I watched the whole movie, waiting for an explanation of what was going on, and never got one.

Just how were the watchers supposedly 'helping' us ordinary humans?

Perhaps the filmmakers are actually 'watchers' putting viewers asleep.

Were the watchers somehow guiding us? By standing around in the park?

How does resetting Daniel's marriage help or guide humankind?

Is that worth the cost of putting humanity asleep? I think not.

Does putting us asleep in London ease pain? While millions around the world starve or at war?

(maybe that is the point? Viewer, Wake Up!) But the only clear explanation I got is in the review by bwdmaher-49185 who must have been one of the filmmakers.

Perhaps the filmmakers think we should 'get it' in contemplative reflection after the film. But it's so slow, most would give up before the end.

I fell asleep and rewound four times. I need at least a little stimulation to be contemplative.
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2/10
two hours.....
spencejoshua-227363 December 2022
TWO HOURS!!!! I can't believe it took two hours to go absolutely nowhere! The storyline plays like an episode of The Twilight Zone, only those don't last as long, are much more entertaining and are not easily forgotten. This little flick is as forgettable as they come. I suggest not wasting your time with this rotten egg. There's no talent, there's no climax, there's very little dialogue.

Somewhere along the way I began to think "I wonder if this writer is going to just do the obvious?" Yes!!!!! That's exactly what happened!!! Unfortunately, no ones knows why! No one knows what! No one cares!!!!
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1/10
Perfect example of critics vs public!
scottedunlap30 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
To be honest, this review is more about the average viewer vs I guess Hollywood elite perception of what is good and what is not. The pace of this movie is snail like. It is filled with scenes like someone standing alone in a park, thinking to themselves, or remembering, or speaking telepathically with someone else who is standing alone in another park, or in a bridge. The faces show a range of emotion from slightly confused to that of a frog about to tongue slap a fly! Action scenes include a few people walking somewhere, or getting out of bed, or approaching another person standing alone in a park or on a bridge. The only action comes near the end of the film when they PLAY THE ENTIRE MOVIE IN FAST REVERSE. How someone could praise this is so beyond me much less receive awards?

Spoiler alert: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME.
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8/10
Better than reviews suggest
cchapman-482594 December 2022
Before this movie disappears under bad reviews, I'd like to add that I enjoyed it. The premise was explained by one of the main characters and follows an archetypal theme of two creator gods at odds with each other over the capacity of humanity to wake up from its immersion in the images of the unconscious. Within this context, it seems to me that it does make psychological sense, but I'm guessing that those who would enjoy it most would have an interest in archetypal psychology. It's certainly worth a viewing if you enjoy a slow paced but interesting movie, and I would guess it will gain an groundswell of interest over time.
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7/10
Existentialism allegory?
msmith-565 December 2022
Like most art, this film seems to be as much a reflection of the audience as it is a message apart. In some way, this might be interpreted as a modern story about the dawn of subjective consciousness. In another, it could merely be pointing out how we really do not fully understand the world we have created for ourselves, and how trying to do so becomes an exercise in futility. Some might just see it as a meaningless piece of existential banality. Each interpretation is probably correct in reflecting the interpreter's view of the movie. All that aside, the production values were excellent, the pacing was even, and the acting was generally well done. There is no powerful story to carry the viewer through the roughly ninety minutes. It is more like interpretive dance than ballet. As such, character development was practically non-existent. It was very hard to get invested even in the main character, Daniel, who played a pawn in a poorly defined game.

Some say art is something that creates emotion without agenda, be it love or hate, excitement or numbing, joy or disgust. 'Them' seemed to provoke frustration in the way the Assistant and her brother, Sleepwalker, acted upon Daniel, who was more like a project than a person. The Assistant, Rebecca Calienda, had some particularly compelling moments, well shot, but was relegated to an excessive amount of voice-over narrative. The Sleepwalker, played by Alex Reece, could be easily mistaken for a James Marsden performance. There may be a small lesson about the ineffectiveness of immense power, but that just might be me.

If my review does not seem to tell you anything, you probably will not want to watch the movie.
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1/10
The most pointless waste of time
ckperry-416829 June 2023
I watched this twice, thinking I was obtuse for missing some arthouse deep meaning. Nope. It doesn't exist. No explanation for the plot. It's not even a mind trick. It lacks plot, substance, explanation, dialog. Totally pointless waste of time.

Are they gods or aliens? They used to be human. What are they now? How can some be woken, but others not? Do they communicate telepathically? Because there is very little dialog except "report".

There was no resolution, no explanation whatsoever. The symbolism might have been evident to the writer, but based on reviews, it was completely lost on the audience. A complete failure.
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