Saturday, February 17, 2024

They Live (1988)

They Live (1988)

starring Roddy Piper, Keith David
written and directed by John Carpenter

95 minutes

John Nada (Roddy Piper), a homeless drifter, discovers (by chance, thanks to a pair of special sunglasses) that there are zombie like people disguised as humans, living on Earth. He teams up with Frank (Keith David), a guy he has just met. They work together (once Frank finally puts on the glasses, he is resistant at first) to try and figure out what they can do to save the world.

Thoughts

John Carpenter is credited as the writer but the story itself is based upon a short story: Eight O'Clock in the Morning by Ray Nelson.

I could see some of the ideas behind the movie but the way the movie was put together and Roddy Piper's acting really didn't do it for me. It felt very sloppy and poorly planned. I laughed a few times but sometimes that was because I couldn't believe how bad the movie was. Just because a movie has a message that I like doesn't make it a good movie.

I have to admit that I was intrigued by a number of dialogue-free scenes early in the movie. These were scenes where the camera was just following Nada as he explored his surroundings. I think those moments raised my expectations for the rest of the movie.

I might have liked this movie more if I had seen it when it was first released or soon thereafter but I'm not certain about that. I don't regret watching this movie but I don't see myself ever watching it again.

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