They Live
Directed by:
John CarpenterScreenplay:
John CarpenterCinematography:
Gary B. KibbeCast:
Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, Peter Jason, Raymond St. Jacques, Jason Robards III, Sy Richardson, Susan Barnes, Tommy Morrison, John F. Goff, Al Leong (more)Plots(1)
John Carpenter visionary director of cult classics Escape from New York and The Thing presents a startling sci-fi dystopia - a world where They influence our decisions without us knowing, They numb our senses without us feeling it, They control our lives without us realising it - a world where They Live! It is a weary existence for John Nada (Roddy Piper) living in the slums and labouring to get by. Befriended by co-worker Frank (Keith David), their lives are measured by frustration and despair set against the desperation of an economic downturn. When John discovers a unique pair of sunglasses that allow him to see the truth, he realises aliens have not only infiltrated society but are hell-bent on taking over the entire world. With an underground movement in place, it's time for Nada to muscle up end make a stand against the alien foes and fight the subliminal machinations of the status quo before it's too late. (Umbrella Entertainment)
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The worst Carpenter I’ve seen so far, and that also includes Ghost of Mars. Unfortunately, I didn’t look at the genre category and I expected horror and what I got instead was a silly, satirical and almost self-parody of science fiction that becomes increasingly boring with every passing minute. Unfortunately, I can’t even highlight the music, because unlike other Carpenter films, this time it really got on my nerves.
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The degeneration of contemporary pop culture, which shows us stories of how a humble peasant came upon a great truth and then cleverly defeated it on his own terms, we can feel that They Live is actually a typical victim of 80s primitivism, where the truth is ideally reached with a fist, an elbow, or straight up with a shotgun. At least Carpenter does not mask in any way that the solution to the problem was basically reached by a muscular teenager who doesn't read Nietzsche in the evening, but rather Hustler and Guns & Ammo. The means by which he then seeks satisfaction simply correspond to this. And besides, Carpenter was very good at macho shoot-’em-ups and beat-’em-ups in the eighties, so it's a joy to watch.
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Photo © Universal Pictures
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