I had the pleasure of catching a midnight screening of this last night at the Dundee Theater. Though not a true classic, They Live is an engaging Orwellian-type urban thriller. Rowdy Roddy Piper (in a surprisingly effective performance) plays an unnamed drifter who finds a low level construction job and takes up residence in some type of squatter's camp near downtown L.A.. Things look like they still look in most U.S. cities today. The poor are desperate, and the rich seem to keep getting richer. But it seems that some of the residents of this camp are using the church across the street as a kind of a resistance center. But resistance to what? After putting on a pair of special sunglasses he finds at the church, Piper learns a terrifying secret. The well to do are actually aliens whose identities are revealed by the glasses. All sources of media are also subliminally ordering people to consume, obey, and procreate. Small drone aircraft buzz overhead to keep watch on things. The aliens seem to have people totally under their spell. When Piper tips his hand at his ability to see the aliens for what they are, he becomes a hunted man. Can he stay alive long enough to help the resistance expose the entire alien scheme? Who can he trust, if anyone?
They Live has too many serious over and undertones for it to be simply dismissed as a low budget exploitation flick. Still it relies heavily on old fashioned shootouts and ass whipping to get its point across. There is nothing subtle about it, despite its low-key first act. Piper is about as subtle as a cinder block thrown through a stained-glass window. At one point, he and Keith David have a long fight that seemed to be like a choreographed Wrestle Mania encounter. It brought plenty of guffaws from the audience. The conclusion is awfully abrupt, too. But this is still a solid and diverting picture, and as timely as ever. In this country, the gap between rich and poor is ever-widening. And people seem less inclined than ever before to "put on the glasses" and take a hard look at things. What are they afraid they might see? 7 of 10 stars.
The Hound.
They Live has too many serious over and undertones for it to be simply dismissed as a low budget exploitation flick. Still it relies heavily on old fashioned shootouts and ass whipping to get its point across. There is nothing subtle about it, despite its low-key first act. Piper is about as subtle as a cinder block thrown through a stained-glass window. At one point, he and Keith David have a long fight that seemed to be like a choreographed Wrestle Mania encounter. It brought plenty of guffaws from the audience. The conclusion is awfully abrupt, too. But this is still a solid and diverting picture, and as timely as ever. In this country, the gap between rich and poor is ever-widening. And people seem less inclined than ever before to "put on the glasses" and take a hard look at things. What are they afraid they might see? 7 of 10 stars.
The Hound.