They Live

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2:00

They Live

R

1988

1h 33m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

76 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

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Critics Consensus

A politically subversive blend of horror and sci fi, They Live is an underrated genre film from John Carpenter.

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Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

02/02/2024

It is a big, silly barrel of fun, with a delirious, tongue-in-cheek script...

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

10/25/2018

4/5

The film was was responding to the start of the US rust belt and Reagan-era consumerism, but its themes of working-class subjugation and omnipresent media control have only become more pressing.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

02/17/2017

Carpenter's primary objective was to make a tough action flick, which he does; it fits snugly into his filmography's subset of urban mayhem movies (alongside 'Escape from New York,' 'Assault on Precinct 13,' and parts of 'Big Trouble in Little China').

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

0/4

Swamped in cliches and bone-weary with lack of inspiration, "They Live" is a sad science-fiction comedown for director John Carpenter.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

09/13/2024

3/5

Piper handles the action scenes better than he deals with dialogue, but he is well supported by Keith David and Meg Foster.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

10/16/2023

[It] provides moments of catharsis, not to mention a measure of gloating-at-somebody-else’s-trainwreck satisfaction.

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Jason

12/29/2023

one of the best movies ever made probably more true than we know

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Cody

06/22/2022

A True Classic that rings true today.

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Squirt R.

@Squirt_Reynolds 5d

The ultimate anti-ZOG film.

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Cork B

@RT87142816 May 9

So they took a time machine in to the future, took notes, and went back to make this movie? Hilarious. Great concept, if maybe a bit poorly developed. Script is a bit weak, the action scenes and special effects, while great for the time, are really dated. Acting is bad. Piper seems like a nice enough everyman, but he can't squeeze out the emotion juice. And unlike Arnold, his one liners just aren't as impactful.

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Brant F

@destroyfascism Apr 1

There’s nothing subtle about They Live—it’s blunt, almost punk rock in the way it takes on corporate, political, and social control. But that’s part of its charm. Like all of John Carpenter’s films, there’s an honesty and transparency to the storytelling that makes its obviousness feel intentional, even essential. What could come off as overwrought instead becomes sharp, entertaining, and strangely enduring (and sadly even more relevant in 2026). I loved it as a teenager, and rewatching it now with my own kid, it still absolutely holds up.

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Ricky L.

@ricky707 Mar 24

This might sound blasphemous but I kind of want to see a modern retelling of this movie

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John Carpenter

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Roddy Piper

Nada

Keith David

Frank

Meg Foster

Holly

George "Buck" Flower

Drifter

Peter Jason

Gilbert

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They Live: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: John Carpenter
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Alive Films, Larry Franco Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 1988, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 3, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.3M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround