They Live Reviews

YOU EITHER LOVE OR YOU HATE IT... I LOVE IT.

The title says it all. This is one of those films that most people like but won't admit to it. It has one of the more believable 'alien invasion' plots and at least it could theoretically work.

Carpenter is one of the most underated directors of our time- (The Thing, Halloween, Big Trouble in Little China) these are great films, but They Live is so full of goodness it's like an apple pie. Yes he has made some truly awful films but who hasn't. this film looks gritty and low budget because it is, but that lends itself to the crappy world the characters live in. I like Piper, yes it is because I'm a wrestling fan. But it's more than that. He makes a believable Drifter almost like Eastwood in A Fist Full of Dollars. The fight scene, one of the longest ever is so over the top that it is wonderful.

Don't listen to any criticism of this film, just sit back, and let go. You'll thank me for it in th end.

fantastic movie which dates well, roddy pipper hangs up his lycra and takes on the aliens in this carpenter masterclass of sci fi horror. sit back and enjoy one of the craziest fight scenes in movie history. you will never look at advertisments the same again. this movie kicks ass and chews gum - and its all out of gum!!!

Obey Consume Conform

Aliens exist and they have already taken over the world. We exist only to feed their desires. This is a film about class conflict in a weird kind of way, because the aliens are actually the rich people. Living off of us-the poor working joe. That makes this a 'revolution' film.

It has some nice conspiracy elements in it. And maybe even David Icke nicked portions of his 'philosphy' from this.

This is severely limited in budget but John Carpenter does well with it. It's up there with his other great movies- The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness.

Give this man more money to make films. NOW!!

Still Cool

Remembered thinking this was great when I watched it as a teenager. Thought I'd revisit it all these years later but had reservations that I would find it dated.

It looked dated but the concepts will never be out of date.

Beautiful in it's simplicity. Carpenter takes what is wrong with the world today and makes it into great sci fi (I don't think you can class this as a horror).

Obey, watch this movie then marry and reproduce.

They Live again and again

The first time I saw this film, I knew this was going to be one of those films that will always stick in the back of my mind. The hammy acting, the bad special effects and slow story. It all added up to a bad choice, but then, I found myself saying little quotes from the film, things like, 'I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum.' I couldn't believe what I was saying. So 7 years later, I knew I had to watch it again. I was very dissapointed with my first analasys. Who cares that the acting was bad, so what if the special effects were poor and what if the story was a bit slow. Rowdy Roddy Piper made a great action hero by any standard, and Meg Foster will always have a place in my heart, her steel, grey eyes held me as though I had been hypnotised. Her little twist was excellent, and Roddy Pipers final gesture made the film in my opinion. I don't know what I was thinking of first time around, but I thoroughly enjoyed it the second, third and forth time.

We live

Classic dystopic myopic topic.

Aliens taking over the world!!

This could have been an episode of the X-Files. The plot is very simple in that there are Aliens which are essentially ruling the world and most of us don't even know it. However, someone (and we never know who or how!!) has invented glasses that enable its wearers to see the aliens for what they really are! It definitely has the feel of a John Carpenter film, especially through the music. Its not a bad film, however, I found it difficult to mark it higher than 3 Stars (had John Carpenter had a bigger budget it might have been more!). Its certainly worth watching if you are a fan of JC or just an action-horror fan. However, as with most of these films, don't expect first class acting!! I especially liked the, what could be described as, 'Commando' moments when the badies have the most miserable aims ever, missing someone standing right in front of them!! All in all, good fun as long as you don't expect too much from it!!

classic

one of carpenters best movies love it

Ran all out of bubblegum!!

Good start, good middle but ended just too soon with no real explanation of where, when and how the aliens got there. But a good story line none the less and not bad acting from Rowdy. Cheesy with some funny lines. Worth a watch!!

The film is almost brutally slow in getting started, but once your in, your most definately in. Roddy Piper performance is as good as I'd always heard it was. In particular, the sunglass-vision was decidely well done and the end was cracking. A two rating for the first 30 minutes, a four for the last hour, so on average a high three.