RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

martinrking The core message is one I agree with, too bad this movie lacks in all the fundamentals. This is one of the flattest movies I've ever seen. Rody Piper and Meg Foster are terrible. There are so many reaction shots of Piper where he puts on a thousand-yard stare. Thank god for Keith David! If not for him I don't think I could finish the movie.There is one piece of the flattest, dullest "blues" music that just keeps playing over and over and over again. It changes slightly here and there but it seriously feels like 50% of the film is set to the same eight bars of music.The heroes win by being totally impervious to gunfire, accept the one time they get shot and die, because otherwise there wouldn't be a conclusion to the story, I guess. So much of the movie is the heroes running down hallways and shooting frantically at the bad guys while the bad guys spray them back and hit nothing. Piper's character just seems to stumble from scene to scene. He literally falls through a hole to find the alien's lair. He never comes up with a plan other than, "run and shoot the aliens." No explanation is given for how his character obtained his action star abilities.Plot holes:The aliens recruit a homeless man to be one the co-conspirators in their regime. This is after we see the aliens tear down an entire shanty town of homeless people. What the aliens get out of having this homeless person as an ally, I have no idea. This character's return not only is a plot hole, it totally goes against the themes and spirit of the film.The protagonist succeeds by shooting the alien's broadcasting dish. The one dish they have that they use to control all of the people's perceptions in LA. There's no backup plan if, for whatever reason, the aliens loose their one dish. And these guys have faster-than-light space travel.

denis888 This is a semi-forgotten classic of 1988, John Carpenter's lost gem, his acid attack on Reaganomics, consumerism and very clever Left Field critique of a society that thrives on TV and propaganda. The great late Roddy Piper plays Nada, a man who opens a terrible secret to himself and who becomes a powerful warrior for the right cause. Keith David plays his sidekick with his usual gusto, while Meg Foster provides a very brief but nevertheless awesome role of a traitor. You have to watch this excellent movie which shows a typical Alein Invasion thing at a very unusual glance, and what is a bit saddening here, is a lack of proper character development as well as some depth of plot. Anyway, this is a clever and subtle message which is clear and loud. The world of mindless indifference and languid self-liking lads to certain abysses and losses

jimw-63592 John Carpenter is one of my all time favorite Directors. I grew up watching his movies, but missed this one until I saw it on TV when I was in my early 30's. Everything about this movie is awesome! Surprising is Roddy Piper was really good for a guy who was a former pro wrestler. Davied Keith was excellent as well, he is such an underrated actor. The two played the "buddy" duo very well. Piper and Keith's 5 minute fight scene is epic alone. I also love the soundtrack, it's very edgy. I bought this movie on Blu ray from Shout Factory and it is an excellent transfer both video and audio. I highly recommend it for your home theater library.

Mopkin TheHopkin And I am all out of bubblegum (and my reviews stink). They Live! is a John Carpenter film starring Roddy Piper as our hero, Nada He is a drifter, who wanders the homeless camps of big cities looking for work. One day,he stumbles upon a conspiracy, and a big one! Aliens are actually in control of the Earth. They use subliminal propaganda and staff all the major agencies to maintain control over the rest of the Earth's humans.How is this plot discovered? Magical sun glasses! Putting on these glasses allows you to see the aliens real messages, and allows you to see through their human disguise. Nada teams up with his work buddy Frank to try and infiltrate this alien organization, and take them down! They Live! is a Carpenter film, and so is very simple on the plot side. The acting is hammy, the plot predictable, and the film features a whole lot of camp. However, this film is very enjoyable (in the style of many of Carpenters films). It does not take itself seriously, delivers some campy lines and is a blast to watch. The film has some fun action scenes, the effects are wonderful on the practical effects side, and the dialogue and overall camp charm that the film features will leave you smiling. This may not be Carpenter's best film overall, but it is fun, delivers one of films best lines, and has a unique charm that many of Carpenter's films possess. All in all, a worthy watch if you are looking for something fun, light, and entertaining.