BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

CinemaClown A biting satire of modern society that actually makes more sense today than it did at its time of release, John Carpenter's They Live is a cleverly envisioned, intricately layered & rivetingly told sci-fi horror that was far ahead of its time, and its critical take on the power of commercialism & influence of advertising on the masses is only growing more relevant with time.The story of They Live follows a drifter who arrives in Los Angeles looking for work and stumbles upon a pair of sunglasses that allows him to see everything around him for what it really is. As he learns that subliminal messages in mass media is part of a hidden agenda by aliens masquerading as human beings to keep the human civilisation subdued, he tries to reveal the truth to the world.Written & directed by John Carpenter (best known for Halloween & The Thing), They Live takes its time to establish its bleak atmosphere, and only escalates once all the pieces on the board are set. Keeping a firm grip on the pacing & build up, the director paints a grim portrait of what mankind is reduced to but it is the film's close proximity with our current scenario that makes it compelling on so many levels.Carpenter doesn't hold back in illustrating the corrupting power of mass media, and captures the omnipresent subliminal commands behind every advertising banner for what they are. Greyscale photography is utilised to illustrate the truth while coloured segments represent the world that's completely oblivious to the reality it's living in. Carpenter's score may not rank amongst his finest compositions but it still works.Coming to the performances, the cast is led by noted WWF icon "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and features Keith David & Meg Foster in supporting roles. Piper is surprisingly low-key here, compared to his volatile in-ring persona, and chips in with a measured input that finely articulates his character's emotions & confusion. David delivers a sturdy performance that stands neck to neck with Piper's, while Foster's work has an enigmatic quality to it.On an overall scale, They Live is a brilliantly directed, deftly scripted, exquisitely witted, skilfully photographed, expertly edited, splendidly performed & nicely scored example of its genre(s) that paints an unsettling portrait of the world we live in, and is another underrated gem from Carpenter that's well deserving of its cult following. Smart, subversive & stimulating, this political satire has aged like wine and will continue to resonate strongly & more deeply as the years roll on.

Predrag "They Live" is gloriously over the top and wonderfully eccentric. This is John Carpenter having loads of fun and the audience is along for the ride. A drifter arrives in the city looking for work and a roof over his head. He accidentally stumbles into an alien invasion which no one, apart from a small selection of locals, has noticed. The aliens are disguising themselves by brainwashing everyone through their televisions. It isn't until he finds a pair of sunglasses that have the ability to see past the brainwashing and see who is human and who is alien that he realizes what is really going on.Carpenter often has something to say in his films and here it seems to be that the world being blinded by consumerism and not seeing what is in front of their own eyes. Here the message is a little haphazard and doesn't come across that well as it is lost amongst the outlandish action and over the top set pieces. Carpenter does subversive sci-fi and it's a whole bunch of fun. Stripped back it's evident that "They Live" is Carpenter's wry observation on the politico posers who endorse the rich getting richer and everybody else sliding down the pole; to where they stop nobody knows! It's also a blatant paean to the glorious years of the 1950's when paranoia based sci-fi schlockers and creaky creature features ruled the air waves. It's also a wonderfully macho driven action movie, laced with comedy as well. You can rest assured there will be plenty of shooting, punching, dodging and spoken lines to make you smile.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Rodrigo B. Yes. It's horrible. The acting is horrible, makeup is... weird, and the props, the action are all terrible. If you wanna see a good movie, then this is not that. This is really poorly executed, and lacks any commitment. It seems like a "gig" to everyone involved. BUT, if in other hand, you don't mind a flaky production for a good idea, then it's a pretty good movie. I like to judge books, movies, music in three different areas: production, capacity to surface ideas and overall use of the language. Whilst this fails miserably with both the first and the last, it excels on the second area. It will (potentially) make you revisit a lot of your pre conceived thoughts. The six is an average of all the fore mentioned areas: 4, 9, 5.

jimw-63592 John Carpenter is one of my all time favorite Directors. I grew up watching his movies, but missed this one until I saw it on TV when I was in my early 30's. Everything about this movie is awesome! Surprising is Roddy Piper was really good for a guy who was a former pro wrestler. Davied Keith was excellent as well, he is such an underrated actor. The two played the "buddy" duo very well. Piper and Keith's 5 minute fight scene is epic alone. I also love the soundtrack, it's very edgy. I bought this movie on Blu ray from Shout Factory and it is an excellent transfer both video and audio. I highly recommend it for your home theater library.