They Live

1988 Sci Fi

John Carpenter wrote and directed this science fiction thriller about a group of aliens who try to take over the world by disguising themselves as Young Republicans. Wrestler Roddy Piper stars as John Nada, a drifted who makes his way into an immense encampment for the homeless. There he stumbles upon a conspiracy concerning aliens who have hypnotized the populace through subliminal messages transmitted through television, magazines, posters, and movies. When Nada looks through special Ray-Bans developed by the resistance leaders, the aliens lose their clean-cut "Dan Quayle" looks and resemble crusty-looking reptiles. Nada joins the underground, teaming up with rebel-leader Frank (Keith David) to eradicate the lizard-like aliens from the body politic.

Director: John Carpenter

Starring: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, George Flower,Raymond St. Jacques

Reviews

  • Has its share of underthought or overwrought moments. The tone keeps shifting radically. It has some silly lines, plot lapses and goofball action scenes. But you can forgive the movie everything because of the sheer nasty pizazz of its central concept.

    Michael Wilmington - Los Angeles Times

    11 May 2013

  • The looniest movie of the season and also one of the most engaging.

    Dave Kehr - The Chicago Tribune

    11 May 2013

  • A fantastically subversive film, a nifty little confection pitting us vs them, the haves vs the have-nots.

    - Variety

    11 May 2013

  • Carpenter is trying for a satire of advertising and consumerism under late capitalism, and although the film is great fun at first--especially when depicting the world through Nada's glasses--it rarely rises above the intellectual level of a comic book.

    - TV Guide

    11 May 2013

  • All in all, an entertaining (if ideologically incoherent) response to the valorization of greed in our midst, with lots of Rambo-esque violence thrown in, as well as an unusually protracted slugfest between ex-wrestler Roddy Piper and costar Keith David.

    Jonathan Rosenbaum - Chicago Reader

    11 May 2013

Awards

  • Best Music

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (1990)

     
  • Best Film

    Fantasporto (1989)