They Live

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They Live

R

1988

1h 33m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

02/02/2024

It is a big, silly barrel of fun, with a delirious, tongue-in-cheek script...

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

10/25/2018

4/5

The film was was responding to the start of the US rust belt and Reagan-era consumerism, but its themes of working-class subjugation and omnipresent media control have only become more pressing.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

02/17/2017

Carpenter's primary objective was to make a tough action flick, which he does; it fits snugly into his filmography's subset of urban mayhem movies (alongside 'Escape from New York,' 'Assault on Precinct 13,' and parts of 'Big Trouble in Little China').

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

0/4

Swamped in cliches and bone-weary with lack of inspiration, "They Live" is a sad science-fiction comedown for director John Carpenter.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

09/13/2024

3/5

Piper handles the action scenes better than he deals with dialogue, but he is well supported by Keith David and Meg Foster.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

10/16/2023

[It] provides moments of catharsis, not to mention a measure of gloating-at-somebody-else’s-trainwreck satisfaction.

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Jason

12/29/2023

one of the best movies ever made probably more true than we know

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Cody

06/22/2022

A True Classic that rings true today.

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Tubular T.

@RT64815993 Jun 14

If the 80s were distilled down into one movie, I think this would be a worthy contender for that position. It has it all: Sci-fi, action, horror, grunge, drama, conspiracy, romantic interest, mullets, flannel, city streets, social and political commentary/allegory, cheesy one liners, wrestlers-turned-actors, fun body prosthetics, and of course.. sun glasses. 😎 This movie holds up surprisingly well and gets better with age. Check it out at least once in your life. "Beat your feet, Mac"

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Josh

Jun 9

Must watch and Roddy Piper and Keith David were great every time watch it

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Jason H

@RT50328122 May 28

Better dead than Red.

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Julian C

@juliancooper_12 May 27

The most underrated John Carpenter film that talks about consumerism in an entertaining way

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John Carpenter

Director

Roddy Piper

Nada

Keith David

Frank

Meg Foster

Holly

George "Buck" Flower

Drifter

Peter Jason

Gilbert

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They Live: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: John Carpenter
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Alive Films, Larry Franco Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 1988, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 3, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.3M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround