They Live
Have you ever watch a film that has a general great consensus, is considered a brilliant affair and an instant cult classic? So much so that you are plagued by reviews and research with people hailing it as brilliant? So, needless to say, you head down to a screening or pick up a copy of the coveted film and sit down, ready for awesomeness to hit you square in the face. Instead, you are pummelled by the shovel of “what the fuck did I just watch?” And it just keeps slamming into your bones, making you question your entire film journalism career. That is exactly how They Live has made me feel.
Directed by John Carpenter, this is a science fiction mayhem that just doesn’t seem to calm down to focus entirely on the plot. They Live centres on nameless drifter who is only known by “Nada” (not so entirely nameless as one first thought, hmm?) He discovers that the ruling class, a class of the wealth, are in actual fact aliens. Hidden subliminal messages and an evil plot to take over humanity become apparent when Nada pops on the sunglasses and can see exactly what the evil doing Aliens are planning. With the truth uncovered, Nada uses this new revelation to enact war.
So I am not going to lie, Carpenter has inserted some pretty stellar themes here. Presented in the eighties where the yuppy culture had taken a definite high, Carpenter literally turns his gaze onto them and slices them with wit and horror. He showcases how the upper class could truly be out of turn with that of the working. Exploring the abuse and manipulation, Carpenters story politically and hilarious sends up the rich culture while similarly sending a chill down the spine of those of the 99%. It’s themes, and it’s tone are probably the main draw here as Nada battles with people of his stature and the aliens in order to find justice.
That being said, They Live offers some batshit insanity. A lot of that revolves around the terrible acting. Seriously, Nada played by Roddy Piper proves yet again that wrestling players as actors do not work. He chews his way through the gritty and hammy dialogue as though he is constantly trying to start a fight with the most banal things. He doesn’t offer much emotional depth as he struggles with discovering the truth, but just sits in his mouth like a piece of brick (much like his rock hard abs). It’s not as though the rest of the cast are amazing, one particular ridiculously prolonged fight scene springs to mind here and the whole film dissolves to more of a B-Movie type action flick taking away from the stellar set up of before.
I will say this. My fondness for this movie may eventually come through and I will grow to love it. After all, there is the immortal line that I will be quoting for the rest of my like.
“I came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I’ve just run out of bubble gum.”
Probably sounds better with milk though.
TTFN
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