A drifter (John Carpenter wanted a truly rugged individual to play Nada , he cast wrestler Roddy Piper in the lead role after seeing him in WrestleMania III , 1987) discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth . Wearing them, he is able to see the world as it really is , as he watches strange messages : Obey , Buy , Marry and reproduce , Consume , No thought , Stay sleep , Do not question authority , Watch TV , Consume , Obey and consume . The drifter named Nada join forces with a construction worker called Frank (second and final of two collaborations of actor Keith David and director John Carpenter who had previously both worked together on The Thing (1982) around six years earlier) and both of them take on an extraterrestrial threat . The Aliens keep humans in ignorance and they rule our world as they like. Nada and Frank seek other people aware of the situation to carry out a resistance against the hidden extraterrestrial from Andrómeda .
This exciting picture become a Cult Movie contains mystery , chills , noisy action , thrills , fights , social critical and bits of humor with tongue in cheek attitude . The movie is full of suspense , weird atmosphere with dark and surprising ending . Interesting screenplay , as Ray Nelson's short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning," which was the basis for 'They Live'. Roddy Piper and Keith David are pretty good and likable as two workers who unwittingly become involved into a fantastic world underneath . The famous big fight sequence between Roddy Piper and Keith David was designed, rehearsed and choreographed in the back-yard of director John Carpenter's production office . The fight between Nada and Frank was only supposed to last twenty seconds, but Piper and David decided to fight it out for real, only faking the hits to the face and groin. They rehearsed the fight for three weeks ; Carpenter was so impressed he kept the five minutes and twenty seconds scene intact. The film is partially shot in black-and-white which involved only the scenes and sequences where the aliens were visible to the audience when characters are wearing the sunglasses for most of the film , but this visual aesthetic ceases towards the end of the picture whereupon the aliens become visible in color for the film's final act . Adequate special effects , all the various aliens throughout the movie, both male and female, were portrayed by stunt coordinator Jeff Imada . Appropriate support cast such as Meg Foster , George 'Buck' Flower , Peter Jason , Sy Richardson , Raymond St. Jacques and John Carpenter uncredited, as the voice that says "sleep" . Is known for an unofficial "Carpenter's Repertory Group" of actors who he enjoys working with, including Peter Jason, George 'Buck' Flower, and various crew members . Nice electronic musical rightly fitting the action by the same director John Carpenter . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Gary Kibbe , Carpenter's ordinary .
Director John Carpenter is in familiar ground with this well-done tale on the style of comic books and old Sci-Fi serials . This was second and final of two times that director John Carpenter worked with Alive Films , the first was the previous year's Prince of darkness (1987). Writer-director John Carpenter has said of this movie that it was a critique of Reaganomics, a "vehicle to take on Reaganism". His films often feature important visuals shown from a video screen , as the end-of-the-world transmission from the future in Prince of darkness (1987), the Norwegian recordings of the expedition to uncover the aliens in The Thing (1982), various TV sets and the general anti-TV motif in this They live¨(1988), etc. ¨They live¨ was realized during his best period in the 70s and late 8os when he directed classics as ¨Halloween¨, ¨The fog ¨, ¨Christine¨, ¨1997 escape from N.Y ¨ , ¨Big Trouble in Little China¨ and ¨The thing¨ . The movie will enjoy to Science Fiction fans but packs a roller-coaster thriller and wholesome amusement . Rating : Above average. The film will appeal to John Carpenter enthusiasts.
This exciting picture become a Cult Movie contains mystery , chills , noisy action , thrills , fights , social critical and bits of humor with tongue in cheek attitude . The movie is full of suspense , weird atmosphere with dark and surprising ending . Interesting screenplay , as Ray Nelson's short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning," which was the basis for 'They Live'. Roddy Piper and Keith David are pretty good and likable as two workers who unwittingly become involved into a fantastic world underneath . The famous big fight sequence between Roddy Piper and Keith David was designed, rehearsed and choreographed in the back-yard of director John Carpenter's production office . The fight between Nada and Frank was only supposed to last twenty seconds, but Piper and David decided to fight it out for real, only faking the hits to the face and groin. They rehearsed the fight for three weeks ; Carpenter was so impressed he kept the five minutes and twenty seconds scene intact. The film is partially shot in black-and-white which involved only the scenes and sequences where the aliens were visible to the audience when characters are wearing the sunglasses for most of the film , but this visual aesthetic ceases towards the end of the picture whereupon the aliens become visible in color for the film's final act . Adequate special effects , all the various aliens throughout the movie, both male and female, were portrayed by stunt coordinator Jeff Imada . Appropriate support cast such as Meg Foster , George 'Buck' Flower , Peter Jason , Sy Richardson , Raymond St. Jacques and John Carpenter uncredited, as the voice that says "sleep" . Is known for an unofficial "Carpenter's Repertory Group" of actors who he enjoys working with, including Peter Jason, George 'Buck' Flower, and various crew members . Nice electronic musical rightly fitting the action by the same director John Carpenter . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Gary Kibbe , Carpenter's ordinary .
Director John Carpenter is in familiar ground with this well-done tale on the style of comic books and old Sci-Fi serials . This was second and final of two times that director John Carpenter worked with Alive Films , the first was the previous year's Prince of darkness (1987). Writer-director John Carpenter has said of this movie that it was a critique of Reaganomics, a "vehicle to take on Reaganism". His films often feature important visuals shown from a video screen , as the end-of-the-world transmission from the future in Prince of darkness (1987), the Norwegian recordings of the expedition to uncover the aliens in The Thing (1982), various TV sets and the general anti-TV motif in this They live¨(1988), etc. ¨They live¨ was realized during his best period in the 70s and late 8os when he directed classics as ¨Halloween¨, ¨The fog ¨, ¨Christine¨, ¨1997 escape from N.Y ¨ , ¨Big Trouble in Little China¨ and ¨The thing¨ . The movie will enjoy to Science Fiction fans but packs a roller-coaster thriller and wholesome amusement . Rating : Above average. The film will appeal to John Carpenter enthusiasts.