They Live!

The end is near.

THEY LIVE (1988) is one of those "80s" movies that eluded me as I was growing up. The two adjectives that you hear most about "80s" movies are 'dated' and 'trivial'. But a funny thing has happened to movies in the 00s. Most movies now are really indistinguishable from each other, no matter what the genre. Summer movies are big on special effects, with no story or good characters. Non-summer movies are either boring Indie flicks or dull mainstream bids to win Oscars. And every other movie is now a remake or a reboot! But in the 80s, it seemed like a movie could be about almost ANYTHING and still be entertaining! Even a lot of "bad" ones are getting re-discovered as cult classics! Go figure.

They Live is another 80s movie that has managed to reach the level of cult status, but that's not surprising given the source...John Carpenter! Who is fast moving up my list of favorite directors! I already had been a big fan since the 80s of his no-holds-barred cult action comedy Big Trouble in Little China and have recently gotten around to watching (and loving!) his atmospheric and spooky horror flick The Fog. There's a nonchalance and unassuming quality with which Carpenter directs his flicks that is really inviting. He doesn't overdo it with camera action or music. Rather, he focuses on the characters and dialog allow them to drive the action, rather than the other way around, and sets a tone and mood that permeates throughout his movies. 

Are you sure this is a Sci-Fi film?

I mean, really.

They Live starts off very methodical and slow, establishing the main character and a couple of minor ones very well while setting an ominous, foreboding tone, and once it gets going, it REALLY gets going! It had been years since I'd seen it until recently, but I remember totally liking this effort and now have come to appreciate for how psychic and clever it really is!

They Live stars 80s wrestling icon Roddy Piper (in a surprisingly persuasive performance) as a "John Doe" style drifter who finds work at an LA construction site. There he meets fellow worker Frank (a solid Keith David) and the 2 live at a local shelter that is run by Gilbert (reliably played by Peter Jason, who later played a role in Carpenter's anthology flick Body Bags). Piper's character finds out that the shelter is a front for a secret organization, that gets raided by the police, but not before Piper finds a box of sunglasses in the group's hideout. After donning a pair of the glasses, he sees the light! The world has been infiltrated by aliens who have worked their way up through societal ranks and hold key positions of power and authority (businessmen, police, newscasters, politicians) and all the signs and media carry subliminal messages that force the general populace to conform, submit, and obey! Then there is this long sequence where Piper discovers the magnitude and scope of the alien threat via the sunglasses that is truly spooky and scary, and he proceeds to go on an alien-killing spree! During his escape, he kidnaps a local yuppie named Holly (played by the beautiful Meg Foster in an all-too-small role) and tries to convince her of the alien threat.

WTF! mineral water is more expensive than a can of pop??

You're so fucked Nada!

While They Live has several moments of hilarity (most notably in some of Piper's dialog) and has a comic air about it at times, it is mostly a serious film with an important message. Piper's blasé dialog actually complements the horror and action scenes as it's coming from a character that is at a crossroads in his life: he's homeless, with little to no hope of a good future, and is in "last straw" mode, BUT he also has a heart (as illustrated in his connections with both Holly and Frank) and morals and defeating the aliens is his way of saying that he does count and can make a difference.

Yeah, I know it all sounds cheesy and cliché, but the movie never feels like that to me. While the effects are cheap (which is intended since this is a very low budget B movie) and the dialog is purposefully tongue-in-cheek, the message and the way Carpenter tells the story is most certainly NOT cheesy or cornball! They Live is actually one of the more provocative low-budget flicks I've ever seen! The drab black-and-white world that is relayed through the sunglasses is actually pretty scary-looking, relaying a cold and empty feeling. The movie is actually pretty disturbing and violent, with the big alleyway fight scene, as well as the attacks on the shelter and the underground basement, and of course in the climax. The main stars Piper, David, and Foster really do a great job with the serious moments and making the viewer believe in the imminent threat.

There's no such thing as global warming.

I'm a sellout & I suck alien dicks.

The film's ending is simply smashing, simultaneously ambiguous and yet somehow uplifting. They Live is a pleasing blend of horror, satire, comedy, action and is grounded in a lot of truth! My fave from John Carpenter! 

Overall, a classic only the 80's could have delivered so brightly. Besides, John Carpenter's vision on how we live our lives is very accurate as we're somehow secretly enslaved by the powers that be. Nevertheless, there are countless films dealing with all sorts of conspiracies but, believe you me, this is the one, the ultimate. Not even the Matrix trilogy can show you how deep the rabbit hole is. They live, and they've always have. Be careful my fellow readers...  

Let's kick ass!

a True American hero.

Now, since They Live is a cult classic, this review wouldn't be complete if it didn't come with the usual trivia section everyone likes so, 

They Live and their 16 Trivia Facts you probably (already) know.  

3 Weeks fight.

The fight between Nada (Roddy Piper) and Frank (Keith David) was only supposed to last 20 seconds, but Piper and David decided to fight it out for real, only faking the hits to the face and groin. They rehearsed the fight for three weeks. Carpenter was so impressed he kept the 5 minute and 20 second scene intact.

Poetry.

The line "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum" was ad-libbed by Roddy Piper. According to director John Carpenter, Piper had taken the line from a list of ideas he had for his pro wrestling interviews.

Who ya gonna call?

 

The communicators that the guards use are the P.K.E. meters from Ghostbusters (1984).

an Unnamed lead role?

 

Roddy Piper's character never gives his name nor is he referred to by name throughout the entire movie. He is simply referred to as "Nada" in the credits, which means "nothing" in Spanish. The name is most likely a reference to George Nada, the main character of Ray Nelson's short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning," which was the basis for 'They Live'.

Southpark's homage. 

 

The eponymous scene in South Park: Cripple Fight (2001) was taken blow-by-blow from the fight between Frank and Nada in the alley.

We're in this together pal.

Kick ass!

Tough & Married.

 

Roddy Piper, being a married man at the time of filming, refused to take his wedding band off. That's why in several scenes you can see a wedding ring on.

Obey.

Graffiti artist Shepard Fairey got his "obey" name from this film.

Homage?

 

There is a thinly veiled jab at Siskel & Ebert (1986), with both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert as aliens. "Siskel" is denouncing George A. Romero and John Carpenter as too violent. (In fact, Siskel had written a scathing review of Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968).)

Full name, please.

 

The only character given a first and last name is Holly Thompson (Meg Foster).

 

The Chosen one.

 

John Carpenter wanted a truly rugged individual to play Nada. He cast wrestler Roddy Piper in the lead role after seeing him in WrestleMania III (1987). Carpenter remembered Keith David's performance in The Thing (1982) and wrote the role of Frank specifically for the actor.

Alive Films partnership.

 

The second and final time that John Carpenter worked with Alive Films. The first was Prince of Darkness (1987).

Carpenter, the voice behind mind control.

 

John Carpenter does the voice that says "sleep."

The Ultimate Quote.

 

The line "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum" was used in the classic 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D (by Duke himself).

Even Stuntmen are aliens in this movie!

 

Stunt coordinator Jeff Imada appears as various aliens throughout the movie.

Revelation scene reference.

 

SQ1's video for "Can You Feel" references the scene of revelation in "They Live".

 
Here's the movie trailer and don't forget to get your sunglasses to make sure you're surrounded by evil aliens from outer space!