They Live (1988)

Sadly Over-hyped

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

31 Days of Spookoween: DAY EIGHTEENFilm #18: They Live (1988)Review: Inhale, exhale, and dive right in to this insane action packed thriller of a horror comedy! Tons of genres are squished into one, wholly enjoyable 90 minutes that not only excites with its sometimes creepy visuals and intense (and hilarious) action sequences, but also provokes with its satirical edge. "They Live" is a film made memorable and immortal not only because of its entertainment value and abundance of fun scenes, but also because of its sharp social commentary that is almost Orwellian in nature. Tons has already been said about this movie, and it really is a film worth watching right away as a review cannot truly encapsulate how much excitement and intrigue this film really contains. It's wonderfully made, wittily written, and damningly (if somewhat obviously) critical of American politics, society, consumerism, and so on.

I think the apparent goofiness and cheesiness is mocking the standard bestselling action blockbusters, their shallowness and lack of real substance. If the action scenes were high budget and attempted to be serious, they would muddle the film's intent. Their character was perfect for hitting the anti-consumerism sentiment close to home.

The core message is one I agree with, too bad this movie lacks in all the fundamentals. This is one of the flattest movies I've ever seen. Rody Piper and Meg Foster are terrible. There are so many reaction shots of Piper where he puts on a thousand-yard stare. Thank god for Keith David! If not for him I don't think I could finish the movie.There is one piece of the flattest, dullest "blues" music that just keeps playing over and over and over again. It changes slightly here and there but it seriously feels like 50% of the film is set to the same eight bars of music.The heroes win by being totally impervious to gunfire, accept the one time they get shot and die, because otherwise there wouldn't be a conclusion to the story, I guess. So much of the movie is the heroes running down hallways and shooting frantically at the bad guys while the bad guys spray them back and hit nothing. Piper's character just seems to stumble from scene to scene. He literally falls through a hole to find the alien's lair. He never comes up with a plan other than, "run and shoot the aliens." No explanation is given for how his character obtained his action star abilities.Plot holes:The aliens recruit a homeless man to be one the co-conspirators in their regime. This is after we see the aliens tear down an entire shanty town of homeless people. What the aliens get out of having this homeless person as an ally, I have no idea. This character's return not only is a plot hole, it totally goes against the themes and spirit of the film.The protagonist succeeds by shooting the alien's broadcasting dish. The one dish they have that they use to control all of the people's perceptions in LA. There's no backup plan if, for whatever reason, the aliens loose their one dish. And these guys have faster-than-light space travel.

This is one of those movies that is simple and yet has quite a bit of depth to it. In fact the depth when it comes to the social commentary in this is quite effective and yet entertaining to watch. This is one of my favorite John Carpenter film that really got my attention even when watching it as a kid. The societal study of covert factious regime is the main factor at it's core that drives this story. With deep messages on being blinded by the media, entertainment and what politicians has to say. All are manifestations created by aliens to subdue and control the human race. It's actually compelling. Sure it has the B movie vibe going for it and can be corny at times but the corniness actually makes this more of a fun ride. Instead of it being overly serious and dark, it's corny and yet ingenious. I also liked it's portrayal of how the poor are quicker to see things for they really are. While the rich and people with status only care about controlling others and taking advantage of people. And only does things when there is something in it for them. So I found it ironic when most of the aliens were people that work in the entertainment industry, media coverage and politics. The subtle parts when the characters get headaches when they see and hear the truth for a period of time to add to the satire. Even one of the scenes that show a long fight between two friends near a dumpster has a meaning to it. Because the main protagonist is trying with all his might for his friend to see the truth for what it really is. And how society lacks integrity and can easily be bribed for position of power and wealth. While succumbing to turning a blind eye to the truth in the process. So overall, this is a movie I would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys films in general and not just science fiction fans. Because before "The Matrix" there was this cult classic masterpiece. 10/10