They Live

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2:00

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

Times (UK)

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

Feb 2, 2024

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Gorptholemew T

🍅 6.5/10 Bro, got his GTA moment. I wanted to like this a lot more I really like the design of the creatures and the idea is very good. I liked a lot of the beginning but I feel like it doesn’t fully go for it. Still really enjoyable but I guess i was just a bit disappointed. And it doesn’t really flow well in my opinion. Still the end and the bank scene were really fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/21/24

Full Review

Garrett B

Pretty solid film. That’s not saying much

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

Full Review

Dionisis T

A classic 80s action movie!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

Full Review

Raiodesol S

Wow… I went into this movie without knowing a thing, just thinking it was a horror movie, just to be surprised by what unfolded. This movie has a very interesting twist with a very good execution, making it believable and shocking at the same time. The makeup is on point and the effects are good, helping the believability of it all. With a, still, modern plot, the film achieves a narrative that truly discusses issues that still roam society. The only problems with the movie are the extensive action sequences. While the movie has, as previously said, a fantastic story, it unfortunately resorts to a lot of action packed sequences that take too much time and eventually feel saturated. It’s interesting how the director of Halloween, that has very good “fight” scenes can repeat the quality but this time making it a bit tiring.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/15/24

Full Review

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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: Official Clip - Here to Chew Bubble Gum and Kick Ass

2:06

They Live: Official Clip - Fight in the Alley

2:23

They Live: Official Clip - Seeing the Truth

3:17

They Live: Official Clip - The Church Raid

2:46

They Live: Official Clip - Exposing the Aliens

3:08

They Live: Official Clip - TV Studio Attack

2:07

They Live: Official Clip - Aliens in the Grocery Store

3:10

They Live: Official Clip - The Fight Continues

3:43

They Live: Official Clip - Assault on the Hideout

3:25

They Live: Official Clip - The Power Elite

3:18

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They Live: Trailer 1

2:00

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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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