Reviews: They Live (1988) Movie Review
Subgenres: Aliens, Cult Classic, Sci-Fi
They Live (1988) shocked audiences with its ending. Our spoiler-free review explains the scares, themes, and what makes this film unforgettable.
John Carpenter‘s "They Live" has an awesome plot. However, casting wrestler Roddy Piper as the lead role was a slight mistake. The movie’s ideas and story are awesome, but Roddy Piper is pretty corny with his punch lines. However, he doesn’t totally ruin the film, and well into the film you get used to his over the top acting, and the movie is great. Nada (played by Roddy Piper) is a homeless man looking for work. He gets a job as a construction worker and becomes friends with Frank (Keith David). Frank takes Nada to the shelter he lives at for a place to stay and a good meal. Nada begins to stumble upon something strange, as he spies on a few of the people in the shelter who seem to have a cult. He finds a box full of weird
Nada (played by Roddy Piper) is a homeless man looking for work. He gets a job as a construction worker and becomes friends with Frank (Keith David). Frank takes Nada to the shelter he lives at for a place to stay and a good meal. Nada begins to stumble upon something strange, as he spies on a few of the people in the shelter who seem to have a cult. He finds a box full of weird sunglasses but thinks nothing of it the shelter is raided and everything is destroyed by the police. Nada later tries on a pair of the sunglasses and something extremely frightening happens to him. When he puts on the glasses he see’s a whole other world. The real world. Where people appear as they’re true selves, hideous monsters, and the media brainwashes us.
Nada later tries on a pair of the sunglasses and something extremely frightening happens to him. When he puts on the glasses he see’s a whole other world. The real world. Where people appear as they’re true selves, hideous monsters, and the media brain washes us. The movie has some very cool ideas and is carried out very well. The long fight scene between Frank and Nada is so classic, and the ending is ****ing great. This movie is highly recommended to John Carpenter fans, Roddy Piper fans, and fans of good sci-fi, disturbing stories. Very good movie!
The movie has some very fresh ideas and is carried out very well. The extended fight scene between Frank and Nada is so classic, and the ending is f*****g great. This movie is highly recommended to John Carpenter fans, Roddy Piper fans, and fans of good sci-fi, disturbing stories. Very good movie!
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Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- They Live Rating Scores
- Our Score: 7/10
- Overall Score: 7.09/10
- IMDB: 7.2/10
- MetaCritic: 5.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 8.7/10
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