They Live

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They Live

R

Released Nov 23, 1988

1h 33m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

75 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)

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

Feb 2, 2024

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

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.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2018

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

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').

Feb 17, 2017

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

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

Rated: 3/5

Sep 13, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

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

Oct 16, 2023

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Both outlandish and prescient, Roddy Piper exudes charm and director Carpenter is fully confident in this crowd-pleasing, sci-fi dystopia.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 22, 2023

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Jason

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

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Cody

A True Classic that rings true today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/22/22

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Jonathan N

I came to write a review and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum... yeah what can be said here, brilliant film. Very much a critique of tptb... Pay attention! We sleep, they live!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/12/25

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D.M. J

It is from a time and a place, but we can feel echoes of that time and place now. I think this movie still has something to offer to modern audiences. It is brash, loud, and in your face. It also holds a giant mirror up to our social, political, and media worlds, with a biting commentary of conformity and control.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/10/25

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William H

This is a classic but don’t think it’s not true

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

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Claudio C

They Live (1988) One of the Best John Carpenter's Films (11,896 – 31 Aug 2025 / 19 Jul 2024 / 15 Sep 2020 / 22 Aug 2015 / 15 Jul 2013 / 21 May 2011 – by Claudio Carvalho) The unemployed construction worker George Nada (Roddy Piper) drifts to Los Angeles and finds a job. He befriends the worker Frank Armitage (Keith David) that is a conformist and invites Nada to camp in the homeless settlement where he lives. Nada finds a box with pairs of sunglasses. When he wears the glasses, he discovers that the average people are being dominated and subdue by subliminal messages, and several people are aliens indeed. "They Live" (1988) is a B-movie by John Carpenter and one of his best films. Years before the red pill from "Matrix", a simple worker finds the real world wearing a pair of very special sunglasses. I do not recall how many times I have watched this film, and it is still great. I am a big fan of John Carpenter and in my opinion, this great director, writer and musician deserves an Oscar for his magnificent filmography. If you want to read my complete review, see my Blog. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Eles Vivem" ("They Live") My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/04/25

Full Review

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John Carpenter

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Nada

Keith David

Frank

Meg Foster

Holly

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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

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