John Carpenter built his reputation on the horror icons of the 70s and 80s: "Halloween", "The Thing" and "The Fog" are all his works, names now synonymous with the golden age of Hollywood slashers and the conception of brilliantly gory visual effects.
"They Live" is a slightly different beast, concerned less with visuals and more with the story. It's a shame that the acting is so horrendous and absurd that it doomed this movie to the B-list, because otherwise I really enjoyed this refreshingly well-executed tale.
"They Live" revolves around a special pair of sunglasses and a curious protagonist, messily played by former wrestler Roddy Piper. His strongest asset is his mullet; his weakest is his acting talent. Keith David isn't bad (a long-time collaborator of Carpenter's), but otherwise, the acting leaves a lot to be desired.
Elsewhere, I actually loved this film's art design, a great mix of dystopian and menacing, all under the veil of a normal society. The 80s aesthetic is utilised by making the alien presence minimal but starkly contrasting, doing a damn sight better than nearly every other production of that era.
Furthermore, 'their' willingness to blend in is a great mixture of amusing and potentially terrifying. It's infrequent that extraterrestrial films have a 'fun' element to them, so this should be appreciated,
"They Live" is a film that should be enjoyed light-heartedly, ignoring sci-fi stereotypes and forging its own, slightly askew, path. Some people might even enjoy the over-the-top acting, but otherwise, you're just getting a solid alien flick.
"They Live" is a slightly different beast, concerned less with visuals and more with the story. It's a shame that the acting is so horrendous and absurd that it doomed this movie to the B-list, because otherwise I really enjoyed this refreshingly well-executed tale.
"They Live" revolves around a special pair of sunglasses and a curious protagonist, messily played by former wrestler Roddy Piper. His strongest asset is his mullet; his weakest is his acting talent. Keith David isn't bad (a long-time collaborator of Carpenter's), but otherwise, the acting leaves a lot to be desired.
Elsewhere, I actually loved this film's art design, a great mix of dystopian and menacing, all under the veil of a normal society. The 80s aesthetic is utilised by making the alien presence minimal but starkly contrasting, doing a damn sight better than nearly every other production of that era.
Furthermore, 'their' willingness to blend in is a great mixture of amusing and potentially terrifying. It's infrequent that extraterrestrial films have a 'fun' element to them, so this should be appreciated,
"They Live" is a film that should be enjoyed light-heartedly, ignoring sci-fi stereotypes and forging its own, slightly askew, path. Some people might even enjoy the over-the-top acting, but otherwise, you're just getting a solid alien flick.