They Live (1988)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

Ray Nelson (short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning")
John Carpenter (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Who are they? And what do they want?

Plot:

A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Sunglasses | Television | Drifter | Everyman

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Roddy Piper	...	Nada
Keith David	...	Frank
Meg Foster	...	Holly
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Drifter
Peter Jason	...	Gilbert
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Street Preacher
Jason Robards III	...	Family Man
John Lawrence	...	Bearded Man
Susan Barnes	...	Brown Haired Woman
Sy Richardson	...	Black Revolutionary
Wendy Brainard	...	Family Man's Daughter
Lucille Meredith	...	Female Interviewer
Susan Blanchard	...	Ingenue
Norman Alden	...	Foreman
Dana Bratton	...	Black Junkie

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's They Live (USA) (complete title)
They Live! (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (#29297) | Sweden:15 | Ireland:18 | Australia:M | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alive Films

Trivia:

The line "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum" was ad-libbed by Roddy Piper. According to director John Carpenter, Piper had taken the line from a list of ideas he had for his pro wrestling interviews.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the money, from Nada's point of view, changes from regular bills to the "THIS IS YOUR GOD" bills, the folds in the paper are different and there is one less bill.

Quotes:

Gilbert: The world needs a wake up call, gentlemen. We're gonna phone it in.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in WWE Legends of WrestleMania (2009) (VG)

Really good movie; Intelligent, deep, funny, entertaining...

... And of course very well made, because it's from Carpenter from his good ole days (actually I haven't seen his recent films, from the nineties or so, so I cannot say how good his "days" are now; They might be good also). The plot is bravely "stupid" (if you look the surface), but also "secretly" intelligent and deep, just the same thing as in very many scifi, horror, and even action movies: You have to look at them with open eyes to get the messages. I think this movie is much more interesting, and much more realistic and intellectual, than let's say some french art movie (Farthenheit 951 or something). This is real art. It's from this world, not from some artificial art movie marshmallow fantasy-world. Of course it's very funny film also. You may see the main actor (he's some pro-wrestler?) as some kind of a walking joke. But actually he is perfect for this role. He is like some mythological hero, just like Schwarzenegger or so. He is a symbol. The movie is filled with really good jokes and one-liners that you'll never forget. For example, when the main character comes to a bank, in his intent to kill some "aliens", he shouts: "I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass! And I'm all outta bubblegum..." And another comment from him, after he has had a ten-minute long fight with somebody: "Ain't love great!" This is a great cult movie. I'm sure there are many people who watch this regularly, with or without friends, and remember all (at least the good) lines. Perfect entertainment. Recommended.