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They Live

They Live (1988)

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88

Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 34
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 4

A politically subversive blend of horror and sci fi, They Live is an underrated genre film from John Carpenter.

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 2

A politically subversive blend of horror and sci fi, They Live is an underrated genre film from John Carpenter.

audience

76

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 34,337

My Rating

Movie Info

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

Oct 10, 2000

MCA/Universal Pictures

Cast

All Critics (34) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (4) | DVD (12)

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

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

All in all, an entertaining (if ideologically incoherent) response to the valorization of greed in our midst.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Chicago Reader
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Credibility isn't the problem with John Carpenter's They Live... but execution is.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comments (4)
New York Times
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The plot for They Live is full of black holes, the acting is wretched, the effects are second-rate.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comments (5)
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A loopy movie that got its messages right.

May 9, 2012 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

They Live is thought-provoking while maintaining its B-movie credentials.

April 15, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

An erratically amusing throwback to the science-fiction paranoia films of the 1950s.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Carpenter's ability to fuse the bawdy humor and action with an intelligent script make for a genre film that is both thoughtful and entertaining

August 19, 2006 Full Review Source: Cinematic Reflections | Comment

great cult flick

July 22, 2006 Comment

The black-and-white visuals disturb for only so long, and while themes of indoctrination and conspiracy prove initially intriguing, the film quickly descends into fistfights and gunfire.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comments (3)

An excellent Carpenter film, if you can get past the fight scene.

September 7, 2005 Comments (3)
7M Pictures

The loopiest, and coolest, entry in the director's canon.

May 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | Comment
Lessons of Darkness

Kicks ass and chews bubblegum -- metaphorically speaking.

September 16, 2004 Comment
New Times

Piper is easily the star of the show, making They Live Carpenter's best film -- I don't care what you say.

September 25, 2003 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | Comment
Filmcritic.com
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for They Live

They Live is simple, not truly outspoken or new but enjoyable because there is an effort and finesse to the way this was made. Carpenter, who I never seemed to understand beforehand, is growing on me as a director, because his style may not be refined, or practical, but it does relate to the audience. I so wanted to

October 14, 2010
FrizzDrop

Super Reviewer

I don't think it's a secret that I'm not a big fan of John Carpenter's work as I think I've mentioned it before. He's a competent director, but his ego looms over his work and everything ends up feeling detached. They Live is another one of his films that are like that. Sure it's cheesy and awful with a lot of

April 3, 2008
FilmFanatik
Tim Salmons

Super Reviewer

    1. Frank: Dirty motherfucker!
    – Submitted by Patrick F (2 days ago)
    1. John Nada: Life's a bitch, and she's in heat.
    – Submitted by Brandon P (30 days ago)
    1. Bearded Man: Our impulses are being redirected. We are living in an artificially induced state of consciousness that resembles sleep. (...) The poor and the underclass are growing. Racial justice and human rights are nonexistent. They have created a repressive society, and we are their unwitting accomplices. Their intention to rule rests with the annihilation of consciousness. We have been lulled into a trance. They have made us indifferent to ourselves, to others. We are focused only on our own gain. Please understand. They are safe as long as they are not discovered. That is their primary method of survival. Keep us asleep, keep us selfish, keep us sedated.
    – Submitted by bill t (34 days ago)
    1. John Nada: Call the cops? You know what you need? A Brazillian plastic surgeon-
    – Submitted by Nash A (4 months ago)
    1. John Nada: I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum.
    – Submitted by Rocky F (10 months ago)

Movies Like They Live

Latest News for They Live

April 11, 2011:
Matt Reeves Hired for They Lives (Non-) Remake
Universal has tapped Matt Reeves to write and direct an adaptation of Ray Nelson's "8 O'Clock in the...

December 4, 2008:
They Live All Over Again
Who will be all out of bubblegum this time? Universal has announced plans to remake John Carpenter's...

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