They Live
1988 · Directed by John Carpenter
Original language: English
- science fiction
- action
- thriller
The story
A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
What it’s like
Flat, sun-bleached Los Angeles under a washed-out haze, with grimy shantytowns against glass towers and a palette of dusty beige, pale blue skies and sickly neon-pink signage. John Carpenter's wide, mostly static frames sit back and let the grit do the work, while his own synth score pulses with a cold, repetitive menace that can turn to deadpan humour at a moment's notice. The mood is gritty, paranoid and sardonic, a working-class satire that gets blunt about consumerism, the bland noise of billboards and the sense that everyone is being quietly pacified. Pacing is loose and episodic, with long stretches of wandering and talk broken by sudden, clumsy bursts of action, and the central figure's arc is a plain-spoken loner forced into a reluctant solidarity with a more cautious partner. Violence is real but mostly brisk: brawls with scuffed, unglamorous fists, some gunfire and a few sharp shocks, plus one famously long, awkward fight scene, and occasional sexual content that is brief and played for comedy. Best for viewers who like B-movie scrappiness, blunt political jabs and a rough, retro sci-fi texture rather than polish.
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