They LiveA conspiracy theory is only a theory until you have proof; but what happens when that proof manifests in the form of a secret invasion? For our hard-working hero--who goes unnamed in the film, but is referred to in the credits as "Nada" (Roddy Piper)--the answer is to go on a rampage to expose the alien corruption masked as us, so ingrained in our world and concealed so well, the only way to detect them is with the aid of a special pair of sunglasses. The idea sounds crazy, and the skeptical like Nada's work buddy, Frank (Keith David), push back--make that "punch back"--at having that wool ripped away from their eyes.
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John Carpenter's They Live is a satire wearing the clothes of an action flick. There is no shortage of machine gun battles, explosions and one-liners to make it seem to those who squint that this was merely another Eighties-era Ah-nold flick, sans Schwarzenegger. But that's kind of the point in a way; Carpenter deftly exploits our expectations of an action movie, only to conceal a message--much like those in the billboards--that we are being kept under the thumb of a dominant power. In They Live, the power elite adopt the roles of politicians, the wealthy, and other suit-wearing captains of industry. Their human accomplices are lured to the dark side with the promises of wealth, the great carrot dangled in front of all of our faces, making us do and say things we probably wouldn't if we were actually in control. Nada starts out a bit this way--although it's pretty evident he's a loner and rebel from the start, a nomadic drifter looking for a hot meal and a bed. He convinces himself that playing by the rules will get him what he wants, and accepts that times are tough...for a while. Nada's struggle should be familiar to anyone who's lived or heard about the plight of the unemployed, the homeless, and the destitute--people who want to work but find that--like told in Frank's story--they are pitted not only against the system, but one another in the race for survival. Nada's curiosity gets the better of him when he realizes something funny is going on at the church across the way from the homeless camp, discovering some kind of clandestine operation he cannot as of yet wrap is mind around. It's only when the full force of the brutal police come charging in to round up (or even exterminate) the meek that he begins to understand that theirs is some kind of resistance movement. But the true revelation does not come until he finds that the bizarre purpose of the resistance is to secretly distribute sunglasses. When Nada tries a pair on, his world changes forever--or, rather, his view of it. His eyes have been opened, and he knows that everything is a lie--subliminal messages concealed in billboards, magazines, and dollar bills, all components of a consumer system. And the occasional well-off person--or otherwise someone in a position of power, like the police--are actually ghoulish-looking monsters from another world.
After the initial shock wears off, Nada openly attacks the system he had played a part in, if only by his silent acquiescence. One might describe They Live as a "blue-collar sci-fi movie", considering who the good guys and bad guys are when the curtain is pulled back. Nada's shotgun frenzy is the kind of insane assault which has become commonly portrayed in the media as being perpetrated by psychological outliers and maniacs; the aliens spin it thus, but we know the truth--if seeing is believing--that Nada is only interested in slaying the evil menaces which have placed a stranglehold on the world. Nada's not a planner, but he triumphs by virtue of all of the classic action hero movies reasons: he has conviction, he's strong, and he's a good guy; but turn it around and consider it from the point of view of an indoctrinated citizen, and he looks like a psychopath. Fortunately for us, we get to see what Nada sees through the looking glasses, a world of black and white with aliens and flying saucers, something right out of a Fifties B-movie; even the title feels like an homage to that style evoked by Carpenter in how he chooses to expose his insidious antagonists (and even his detractors in a nod to criticism around the end of the film). Many of the John Carpenter tropes are here: a synthesized score composed by the director himself, a sense of paranoia and mistrust about the status quo, and the feeling that a principled man--regardless of his origins--can make a difference when he stands up for what he believes in. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was a particularly astute casting choice; while not a "traditional" action hero, his professional wrestling roots get a workout. His famous "bubblegum" declaration was something he ad-libbed, the kind of proclamation of violence yet-to-come which wouldn't be out of place on Monday Night Raw, or the equivalent--it was even intended to be used for that purpose. And the lengthy brawl between Roddy Piper and Keith David--when these two rebels both refuse to back down over trying on the mysterious sunglasses--is an intense fight, where only the head and groin shots were apparently faked by the actors, and should offer Piper fans plenty of exposure to suplexes, clotheslines, and more ring-centered moves. In a way, it's a shame that our world isn't as "black and white" as the one in They Live, where the answer to all the socio-economic problems is because of aliens who can be exposed when the signal is cut. Our world is more like if instead of the aliens, the opportunistic humans supporting their "higher power", their testament of greed, were really the ones in charge, and are the middle management to keep us lesser folk subdued. Of course the implication here is that in our world, the aliens would have already won, a prospect too riddled with despair to make for the expected "happy ending" of They Live; maybe the conspiracy runs deeper than we could even imagine.
Recommended for: Fans of a sly action film, which rewards viewers looking for bullets and brawls, but is really intended for an audience with a sense of irony, seeing the political message concealed within. Grab your shades!
After the initial shock wears off, Nada openly attacks the system he had played a part in, if only by his silent acquiescence. One might describe They Live as a "blue-collar sci-fi movie", considering who the good guys and bad guys are when the curtain is pulled back. Nada's shotgun frenzy is the kind of insane assault which has become commonly portrayed in the media as being perpetrated by psychological outliers and maniacs; the aliens spin it thus, but we know the truth--if seeing is believing--that Nada is only interested in slaying the evil menaces which have placed a stranglehold on the world. Nada's not a planner, but he triumphs by virtue of all of the classic action hero movies reasons: he has conviction, he's strong, and he's a good guy; but turn it around and consider it from the point of view of an indoctrinated citizen, and he looks like a psychopath. Fortunately for us, we get to see what Nada sees through the looking glasses, a world of black and white with aliens and flying saucers, something right out of a Fifties B-movie; even the title feels like an homage to that style evoked by Carpenter in how he chooses to expose his insidious antagonists (and even his detractors in a nod to criticism around the end of the film). Many of the John Carpenter tropes are here: a synthesized score composed by the director himself, a sense of paranoia and mistrust about the status quo, and the feeling that a principled man--regardless of his origins--can make a difference when he stands up for what he believes in. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was a particularly astute casting choice; while not a "traditional" action hero, his professional wrestling roots get a workout. His famous "bubblegum" declaration was something he ad-libbed, the kind of proclamation of violence yet-to-come which wouldn't be out of place on Monday Night Raw, or the equivalent--it was even intended to be used for that purpose. And the lengthy brawl between Roddy Piper and Keith David--when these two rebels both refuse to back down over trying on the mysterious sunglasses--is an intense fight, where only the head and groin shots were apparently faked by the actors, and should offer Piper fans plenty of exposure to suplexes, clotheslines, and more ring-centered moves. In a way, it's a shame that our world isn't as "black and white" as the one in They Live, where the answer to all the socio-economic problems is because of aliens who can be exposed when the signal is cut. Our world is more like if instead of the aliens, the opportunistic humans supporting their "higher power", their testament of greed, were really the ones in charge, and are the middle management to keep us lesser folk subdued. Of course the implication here is that in our world, the aliens would have already won, a prospect too riddled with despair to make for the expected "happy ending" of They Live; maybe the conspiracy runs deeper than we could even imagine.
Recommended for: Fans of a sly action film, which rewards viewers looking for bullets and brawls, but is really intended for an audience with a sense of irony, seeing the political message concealed within. Grab your shades!