"I like the humor of the picture, the hilariously long fight scene between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David, and the sense of outrage. They Live is one of the best films of a fine American director. " - Martin Scorsese
For John Carpenter's birthday, we watched They Live, a strange little science fiction film in which a down on his luck construction worker (Roddy "Rod" Piper of all people) sees his world fall apart when he discovers the world is run by the 1%, and that 1% is alien. Mayhem ensues. It starts off slow, and you might think of giving up during the first act. The unfolding mystery seems padded by Roddy's long walks through slums, but this is all part of the point. Once he has his epiphany and the ability to see the truth, he becomes a violent 80s action hero, that violence tempered by Carpenter's wry sense of humor. If you were a bystander in this story, it would be a dark and upsetting tragedy. In Roddy's head like we are, it becomes an absurdist comedy, though one with a very real message about the proverbial opiate of the masses. By the time you reach the improvised 9-minute fight, you'll have completely forgotten that dull-ish first act. This thing's even more relevant today than when it was made at the tail end of the Reagan era - discover it!
Incredible mind-blowing film. It's easy to watch it as a bizarre horror-comedy flick but the message behind it is so powerful and coherent that, once you realize it, that's the real scarry shit. Superb!
Great movie.
Maker of phrases heard even today, like "The golden rule, that who has the gold makes the rules" or "Im here to chew some gum and kick some ass, and im all out of gum".
Well, yeah, watch it. Carpenter's finest.
This one has probably been on my mental watch list for something like 15 years. It's a decent film, not hard to see why It's become something of a cult classic. It seems rather pointless to say the message is hamfisted because it is never intended to be subtle in the first place. Definitely the kind of film that seems to only become more relevant as time goes on. Plenty of quotable lines here.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 20
zexthatico
there is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie." You, you're okay. This one: real fuckin' ugly"
monty
"I like the humor of the picture, the hilariously long fight scene between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David, and the sense of outrage. They Live is one of the best films of a fine American director. " - Martin Scorsesewizardhat
In a way, I wouldn't be surprised if this movie was a documentary.neocowboy
I thought that fight scene would never end.While it starts off slow, once it picks up the pace it never lets up. John Carpenter is just so much fun.
Oh, are the scanners 'they' have at the end an homage to Ghostbusters or just recycled props?
Siskoid
For John Carpenter's birthday, we watched They Live, a strange little science fiction film in which a down on his luck construction worker (Roddy "Rod" Piper of all people) sees his world fall apart when he discovers the world is run by the 1%, and that 1% is alien. Mayhem ensues. It starts off slow, and you might think of giving up during the first act. The unfolding mystery seems padded by Roddy's long walks through slums, but this is all part of the point. Once he has his epiphany and the ability to see the truth, he becomes a violent 80s action hero, that violence tempered by Carpenter's wry sense of humor. If you were a bystander in this story, it would be a dark and upsetting tragedy. In Roddy's head like we are, it becomes an absurdist comedy, though one with a very real message about the proverbial opiate of the masses. By the time you reach the improvised 9-minute fight, you'll have completely forgotten that dull-ish first act. This thing's even more relevant today than when it was made at the tail end of the Reagan era - discover it!justwannaboogie
MAMA DON'T LIKE TATTLETALES!Jashezilla
That super-long alley-way fight scene made the movie for me. The definition of awesome.ivanrs
Incredible mind-blowing film. It's easy to watch it as a bizarre horror-comedy flick but the message behind it is so powerful and coherent that, once you realize it, that's the real scarry shit. Superb!HenriqueMontalvao
Fight scene explained by Slavoj Žižek:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwKjGbz60k
tommy_leazaq
Awesome. My favorite Carpenter so far. Loved how he made a dig at himself at the end..MrArarat
Great movie.Maker of phrases heard even today, like "The golden rule, that who has the gold makes the rules" or "Im here to chew some gum and kick some ass, and im all out of gum".
Well, yeah, watch it. Carpenter's finest.
chris714n
Wanna see the real reason for out financal-crisis?! ;)Thanh
A good idea, good actors and best fight scene ever!DisneyStitch
This one has probably been on my mental watch list for something like 15 years. It's a decent film, not hard to see why It's become something of a cult classic. It seems rather pointless to say the message is hamfisted because it is never intended to be subtle in the first place. Definitely the kind of film that seems to only become more relevant as time goes on. Plenty of quotable lines here.zufatzen
Does anybody know what those writings on the wall meant during the wrestling scene?Showing items 1 – 15 of 20