They Live

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They Live

R,

1988,

1h 33m,

Sci-Fi

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86%

78 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

78 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)

Feb 2, 2024

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

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

Oct 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

Feb 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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Mike Pearson

Denver Rocky Mountain News

Jun 22, 2026

Keith David, Roddy Piper and Meg Foster deliver competent performances, and the story's climax is infinitely more satisfying than its sluggish beginning.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7, 2026

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

Sep 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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Anakin W

Apr 16, 2019

Awful. Just awful...

Rey M

Mar 19, 2019

Excellent John Carpenter film

Han S

Mar 8, 2019

Cult classic and a must watch. Brilliant movie and a sci-fi classic

Leia L

Feb 25, 2019

The part that everyone misses is that John Carpenter apparently knew that aliens were actually living among us just as he depicted in the movie. We are not alone, and some of them look just like us. This is a documentary.

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Jan 28, 2019

Carpenter on the hight of his powers offers an awesome critique on capitalism, and our consumerist way of life. An absolute must see flick that resist the test of time.

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Theodore L

Jan 24, 2019

An extremely fun tongue-in-cheek social and political action farce. Slow at first but once this movie gets going, it's a perpetually growing ball of absurdity with clever jabs at the modern world. Beautiful and uncomfortable depictions of the aliens are portrayed in a manner that resonates with just about everyone because we have all asked this question, "what if these crazy unnamed forces that control are lives not from this world?". This movie answers that with in insane ride you get to partake in.

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John Carpenter

Director

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

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