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They Live
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Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Keith David, Roddy Piper
  • Summary: They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. THEY LIVE. A rugged loner (Piper) stumbles upon a terrifying discovery: goulish creatures are masquerading as humans while they lull the public into submission through subliminal advertising messages. Only specially made sunglasses make the deadly truth visible. (TheOfficialJohnCarpenter.com)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 4 out of 9
  1. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    80
    Has its share of underthought or overwrought moments. The tone keeps shifting radically. It has some silly lines, plot lapses and goofball action scenes. But you can forgive the movie everything because of the sheer nasty pizazz of its central concept. [4 Nov 1988]
    All this critic's reviews
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    60
    All in all, an entertaining (if ideologically incoherent) response to the valorization of greed in our midst, with lots of Rambo-esque violence thrown in, as well as an unusually protracted slugfest between ex-wrestler Roddy Piper and costar Keith David.
  3. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    38
    Live dies around the time Carpenter allows 10 minutes of gratuitous Piper-David eye-gouging, an apparent bone to wrestling fans. Forget the amusing premise; a full crate of magic glasses couldn't make this a bearable movie. [7 Nov 1988]
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See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. jcoles
    10
    The movie was well ahead of its time if one considers contemporary affairs (2011). The premise is both satirically hilarious and compelling on its own terms. The execution is admirable. This is a must see cult-classic.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. RyanH.
    10
    This movie rocks. there is absolutely no reason not to watch it! it is funny, intense, and generally all around bad-ass.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. jemas42
    7
    John Carpenter, at least when he's on form (and YES we're back on John Carpenter) usually makes movies that fit into one of two categories: SHOCKINGLY solid horror films (The Thing, Halloween, The Fog, Prince of Darkness etc.) and silly, but well made, action/comedies. And while They Live is firmly in the latter category, if you can ignore some leaps in logic, a few plot and character turns that don't make a whole huge amount of sense and a JARRING shift in tone near the end, it's a silly action/comedy that works incredibly well in all the moments that count. Which is all you can ask from a movie like this anyway. Full review: http://arenorproductions.blogspot.com/2011/09/second-age-reviews-they-live.html… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 7 User Reviews

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