They Live | Rotten Tomatoes

They Live

R

Released Nov 23, 1988

1 hr. 33 min.

Sci-Fi

TRAILER

for They Live: Trailer 1

List

86%

74 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Jason

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

Full Review

Cody

A True Classic that rings true today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/22/22

Full Review

Memphis A

A Great flim overall. The most important movie in the world for its message. Great action, Great Acting, and just a Great Flim. The design for the aliens is perfect, it shows a gross disgusting version of humans which is a great way of showcasing the message. You should definitely watch They Live atleast one time in your life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

Wayne L

Brilliant from start to finish

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Ilson SimÃ£o S

Como nunca tinha visto antes?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

Full Review

Jay H

I first saw this on Election Day 1988. Sadly, not much has changed.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

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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: Official Clip - Here to Chew Bubble Gum and Kick Ass

2:06

They Live: Official Clip - Fight in the Alley

2:23

They Live: Official Clip - Seeing the Truth

3:17

They Live: Official Clip - The Church Raid

2:46

They Live: Official Clip - Exposing the Aliens

3:08

They Live: Official Clip - TV Studio Attack

2:07

They Live: Official Clip - Aliens in the Grocery Store

3:10

They Live: Official Clip - The Fight Continues

3:43

They Live: Official Clip - Assault on the Hideout

3:25

They Live: Official Clip - The Power Elite

3:18

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They Live: Trailer 1

2:00

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Chris Bennion

Times (UK)

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

Feb 2, 2024

Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

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.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2018

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

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').

Feb 17, 2017

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

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

Oct 16, 2023

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Both outlandish and prescient, Roddy Piper exudes charm and director Carpenter is fully confident in this crowd-pleasing, sci-fi dystopia.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 22, 2023

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

The best John Carpenter film ever made...

Aug 17, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

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
Executive Producer: Shep Gordon, Andre Blay
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
Sound Mix: Surround

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