They Live (1988)
Genre: Scifi / Action
Duration: 94 minuten
Alternative titles: John Nada: De Hel Breekt Los / John Carpenter's They Live
Country:
United States
Directed by: John Carpenter
Stars: Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster
IMDb score:
7,2 (164.624)
Releasedate: 4 November 1988
They Live plot
"You see them on the street. You watch them on TV. You might even vote for one this fall. You think they're people just like you. You're wrong. Dead wrong."
John Nada mostly just wanders around the big city a bit, looking for a job. One day he accidentally finds a pair of sunglasses that allow him to see what some people really look like under their faces: they are aliens disguised as humans and they are planning to slowly take over the world. He'll have to stop them, but he's the only one who can see them. That is why John goes in search of the makers of these glasses to help them defeat the aliens.
Actors and actresses
John Nada
Frank Armitage
Holly Thompsen
Drifter
Gilbert
Street Preacher
Family Man
Bearded Man
Brown Haired Woman
Black Revolutionary
Reviews & comments
Chainsaw
-
- 8845 messages
- 3690 votes
They Live is and remains enormously amusing and deliciously campy satire by Mr. Carpenter. The nice thing about his work is that it is quite difficult to put a genre on many of his films. Take They Live for example; it's action, it's comedy, it's science fiction, it has touches of horror. It's basically everything. Carpenter takes some time to introduce things, only after half an hour the story really starts to roll. Until then, we meet lead actor Piper. Not an acting prodigy, but a very charming figure. The movie is at its best when Piper gets his famous sunglasses and - of course - when he tries to convince Keith David to put them on. That sequence may be framed. Like George Buck Flower, give that man a statue too. His supporting role is also nice, but actually everyone is nice in this film. Everyone except Meg Foster, but hey, John Carpenter apparently doesn't like memorable female roles. Despite the action, the film is not always as sharp during its third act. But one consistent factor is the entertainment, as the film remains entertaining from minute 1 to the very end. With a very nice ending anyway.
4 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Alathir
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- 2143 messages
- 1647 votes
A Carpenter film is usually original. Also this They Live, which entertained me well on several occasions. They Live is a film that is difficult to place under one denominator. There are sci-fi elements such as teleporting, but also for people who like a bit of action this seems like a nice movie. Especially the fight between the two main actors of the film is one to enjoy. Again and again they beat each other rotten and neither refuses to give up. Lovely to see! And that just to put on glasses. Talk about perseverance and stubbornness.
It's not Carpenters' best film, but that's difficult with gems like Halloween, The Fog and The Thing to your name. Certainly interesting to watch.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Vidi well
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- 553 messages
- 722 votes
Mediocre. The film has a nice campy premise, and a relevant take on the have's and have-not's, on capitalism and mass media. But I thought the effect was messy. The soundtrack is very boring, while Carpenter normally profiles himself with it.
They Live contains some nice scenes (I thought the final scene was the most successful, with the unmasking of the robots) but just as many bad scenes. The scenes with Holly are so bloodless that I can't imagine why he cares about her. But the most absurd scene is the one where he beats up his only friend for minutes to convince him of his new worldview. Extremely boring, unbelievable and stretched, as much of the action in this film feels.
The biggest flaw is the protagonist. Nada is a stupid macho, who walks around a bit the first half hour, spying a bit and is easy to catch. When he has his glasses on he suddenly changes into a kind of Rambo and starts shooting around in broad daylight. A rather bizarre transition. Sometimes he tries to be funny but lacks the charisma to do so. This weak character made it difficult for me to keep up with the action.
I found it remarkable that the film addresses themes that still play a role in certain circles today: Powerful organizations that want to dominate us, 5G radiation and reptilian people are modern variants of the dangers in this film.
I often like John Carpenter, but I didn't feel this one. Still 2.5 for the original story and the wonderfully dystopian setting.
2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View originalLatest News
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