They Live (1988)

Taglines: Who are they? And what do they want?

They Live movie storyline. There are some movies, when the generics start to flow after the last scene, it creates a feeling of emptiness in the audience. When the generics come to an end, the audience is left alone with dozens of questions. It is no longer possible to return to ordinary everyday life; because his view of life has changed irreversibly. That’s what these films say; most are faced with one of their fathers.

They Live is one of John Carpenter’s overlooked films, especially his character Michael Myers, which marked the horror-thriller in the 80s and 90s. Carpenter’s screenplay, kısa Eight O’clock in the Morning, zat is a screenplay that revolves around a homeless person who realizes that the world has been taken over by aliens by chance wearing glasses. The reason why the film stood in a place so different from the classic alien invasion; unaware of people being invaded.

In fact, our unaware hero Nada (in Spanish: nothing!) Only realizes that subliminal messages and people’s lives are guided by wearing these glasses. This is the point where this fictional story is perfectly intersecting with our non-fiction real lives. While you think you’re watching an inexpensive science fiction film from the 80s, you suddenly find yourself in the midst of a rigid system criticism that has gone down in film history.

With the awakening scene that we see the world in the real state behind the glasses, it is undeniably a call for awakening for the audience. The short and simple messages behind advertisements, billboards and posters all over the city show not only the lives in the film but also the reality behind our own lives.

For example; the message behind a product ad is “Consume”, while behind political propaganda “Obey”. In addition to these explicitly processed hard messages, capturing the messages that are trying to be covered implicitly adds a taste to the film. The fact that aliens disguised as human beings are mostly found in banks and supermarkets and the protection of the deciphered by the police are just a few of the subtle references.

And what is the reason why this wonderful film doesn’t see the value it deserves? Answer: The film is too static for an action production, especially if it takes a lot of patience to endure the first 15 minutes. The most visible reason for this situation; bad acting in the film, which I personally thought was made intentionally. Nada, who didn’t open his mouth during the film, was played by Roddy Piper, one of the famous wrestlers of my time.

The scenes and dialogues in the film are often absurdly unnatural, and the best example is the endless legendary fight scene of Nada and her best friend who tries to put on the glasses that show the facts. Although some people claim that Roddy Piper is an actor in this scene, he wrestles with his identity as a wrestler and that Carpenter is filmed without interruption. I prefer to believe that the scene is long to emphasize how stubborn people are not seeing the truth.

As a result; Despite all its drawbacks, this film inspired the anti-system masterpieces such as The Matrix and Fight Club. Especially in the days when the films that send messages do not attract the ordinary stories, and the films that attract the stories do not have any messages, They Live is an indian fabric with a message that strikes the face like a slap and an extraordinary story. I will say that the bride stop consuming and obeying for two hours and enjoy this uprising with Carpenter.

Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, George ‘Buck’ Flower, Peter Jason, Raymond St. Jacques, Jason Robards, Lucille Meredith, Susan Blanchard, Susan Barnes, Norman Alden
Screenplay by: John Carpenter
Cinematography by: Gary B. Kibbe
Film Editing by: Gib Jaffe, Frank E. Jimenez
Set Decoration by: Marvin March
Art Direction by: William J. Durrell Jr., Daniel A. Lomino
Music by: John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: November 5, 1988