Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘They Live’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​The power of the conspiracy theory is something that has always managed to fascinate me. In part because the people that subscribe to them, staunchly believe in them through and through, to the point where they will defend said theory to no end, all in the hopes of convincing others to join them in their beliefs. But they also captivate me due to the fact, that the amount of detail and thought that goes into them, is downright incredible. I mean, just pick a theory, and look it up, and you’ll get an idea of how much work has gone into these theories in order to give them credence.
 
Now, I personally don’t subscribe to these theories simply because I don’t think mankind is capable enough of pulling such feats off when we can’t even agree upon the notion of treating one another with respect and kindness. But I do check these out from to time because they are fine works of imagination, the kind that would make for great stories. And thankfully, one filmmaker took the time to toy with the notion that something or someone far more sinister in the world is truly pulling our strings to control us, a common theme in these theories, and by tinkering with this idea on the big screen, John Carpenter created quite the amazing motion picture in They Live.
 
Now, the finer details of the plot for this film will take the back burner today, simply because there’s so many other wonderful things about this motion picture to discuss instead, like how Carpenter does an amazing job of world building in this tale, which is pure necessity to make a plot this wild work. And the sheer mystery that Carpenter puts together when it comes to the aliens that are conspiring against us is outright magnificent because everything that builds up to their first appearance draws you into the story and quite frankly, this buildup ends up paying off in spades because you simply don’t see the big reveal coming. 

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If anything, considering Carpenter’s track record for serious horror, the first time I watched this film I expected something evil to pop up on the screen, not pompous and posh aliens that live for the finer things in life and well… that twist works in large part simply because these aliens represent the zeitgeist of the time, since the 80’s were an era of excess and status. But all subtle social commentary aside, the discovery that this fictional world is controlled by creatures from another world is chilling to say the least, but really what makes this movie so memorable goes above and beyond its creepy villains, it’s that Carpenter flat out has fun with this movie.
 
Case in point, there is some serious comedy to be found in this motion picture and all of it is driven by ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper since his performance as Nada in this film is one for the ages simply because, his character delivers some of the finest one liners to ever grace the silver screen and his interactions with Keith David’s character, Frank, are pure gold. I mean come on, the fight in the alley is one of the most memorable showdowns of the past thirty years, to the point where even South Park featured their own ‘homage’ to it back in 2001 with a shot for animated shot remake, which underlines just how epic and iconic that moment turned out to be.
 
However, all fun aside, there are plenty of Carpenter trademarks to be found in this picture as well, specifically John’s ability to build incredible amounts of tension. Because that third act, with all of its action and surprises, outright keeps you on the edge of your seat. If anything, this movie is simply a blast to watch, and it’s wonderful to see John return to his non-horror roots with a story that keeps you on your toes and plasters a smile on your face and on the off chance you haven’t seen this one yet, do it as quickly as you can simply because this one is a true gem through and through, thanks to the fact it plays one of hell of a game of ‘What if?’

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