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  • Title:
    They Live
  • Product Group:
    DVD
  • Special Features:
  • List Price:
    $14.98
  • Lowest New Price:
    $8.15
  • Total New:
    36
  • Total Used:
    11
  • Sales Rank:
    2758
  • Description:
    An economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work. What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism. His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned. Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens. The conceptual breakthrough is hilarious while keeping its roots in darker matters. Although some fault the film for settling into its action plot, the ending has a great payoff. And the direction by John Carpenter is handled with superb workmanlike aplomb. One unforgettable set piece has Piper in a back-alley fistfight with a friend who won't put on the glasses that goes on and on, and just when you think it's over it goes another round. One of the most subversive films ever made in Hollywood, They Live was released on the eve of the 1988 elections. The first TV ads had two hideous alien politicians debating, then one accusing the other of being "No John Kennedy!" --Jim Gay

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  • EAN:
    9780783255309
  • Publisher:
    Universal Studios
  • Actor:
    Roddy Piper
  • Actor:
    Keith David
  • Actor:
    Meg Foster
  • Actor:
    George 'Buck' Flower
  • Actor:
    Peter Jason
  • Format:
    Closed-captioned
  • Format:
    Color
  • Format:
    Dolby
  • Format:
    DVD
  • Format:
    Subtitled
  • Format:
    Widescreen
  • Format:
    NTSC
  • Audience Rating:
    R (Restricted)
  • Director:
    John Carpenter
  • Original Release:
    1988-11-04
  • Release Date:
    2003-09-23
  • Product Group:
    DVD
  • Region Code:
    1

  • Average Rating: 4.5

  • Total Reviews: 223


  • Rating: 5

  • Name:
    Archegos
  • Location:
  • Summary:
    Find the glasses, see the truth
  • Content:
    If you have found the special sunglasses then you know what this movie is about.

  • Rating: 4

  • Name:
    The Piper at the Gates
  • Location:
    Bakersville, North Carolina
  • Summary:
    "I've got one that can see!"
  • Content:
    They Live has always been one of my all time favorites. I grew up with this film, watching it on TV so many times, recording it onto VHS, and then finally getting the DVD. As a kid, I might not have picked up on everything John Carpenter was trying to say, but as the years have passed, I have even more appreciation for this film. Yes, on the surface, it seem just another sci-fi action film, but its a lot more than that. The subjects of social decline, over-commercialization, politics, etc. are the underlying themes that make the film that what it is. To me, this movie gets far less credit than it deserves, and it ranks up there with some of the best work Carpenter has ever done. Not only is the overall storyline really good, but Roddy Piper does an excellent job as the main protagonist, and looking back, its hard to imagine anyone else portraying that character so well. Another thing I enjoy is the ghoulish look of the aliens. True, maybe its not the most "special" of special effects, but that look has always seemed creepy to me, and I think the black and white aspect adds to that as well. The reveal when Nada (Piper's character) first puts on the glasses is my absolute favorite scene. I love seeing all the subliminal messages.."Sleep", "No Independent Thought", and my personal favorite the money that says "This is Your God", which rings so true for so many people today. In fact, a lot of people today are doing exactly all those things...except "Marry and Reproduce", I think its more just "Reproduce"! And speaking of which, I thought it seemed interesting that the aliens would say "Marry and Reproduce", and not just "Reproduce", maybe they don't believe in sex before marriage! Now I may get into some trouble when I mention this next thing, but you can't talk about this film without talking about the epic fight scene with Piper and Keith David. I've read how so many people love this scene, and yes, its a really good fight scene, but my problem is its a bit over the top for me. Maybe that was the point Carpenter was trying to make, but a 6 minute fight scene over putting on some glasses kinda seems a bit ridiculous. Again, the fight itself is great, its just the premise of the whole fight that gets me. Every time I watch that scene, I'm saying "Would it be that hard for the guy to just put on the damn glasses?!" But as far as that goes, that's the closest thing you'll get to hearing a complaint about this movie from me. I'm not saying its some amazing masterpiece, but like I said, its not just some average sci-fi movie to me. It has something to say, and says it well. And this is definite purchase for anyone, even if you just like the action aspect of it and you just wanna see some guy kill aliens, its still worth the buy. I just really hope that they would release a special edition of this, with some commentaries and special features though.

  • Rating: 5

  • Name:
    J.V.
  • Location:
    Lone Prairie
  • Summary:
    PUT THESE ON !
  • Content:
    YAY, Roddy Piper, alien adventure, kik-ass action, great actors.
    A must have for action, scifi fans

  • Rating: 4

  • Name:
    Keith Mirenberg
  • Location:
    www.spaceanimations.org
  • Summary:
    They Live (1988)-Good old sci-fi flick
  • Content:
    I first saw They Live on DVD, as I completely missed it in the theaters. I enjoyed this four star sci-fi flick and thought (incorrectly) that it must have been a complete failure in the theaters even with sci-fi fans. However, I just noticed that Amazon.com's sci-fi fans did indeed enjoy this film. I recently re-screended it and felt compelled to note that it was ahead of its time as far as large scale conspiracy stories are concerned. This theme, which has now become very common in sci-fi and horror, was employed in many recent movies since the mid-90's to date.

  • Rating: 5

  • Name:
    blah
  • Location:
  • Summary:
    they live
  • Content:
    there is a anoying syntazizer sound that is played throughout the movie it gives me a headache, i love the movie but that sound makes me hate watching it.