They Live: A Cult Favorite Alien Invasion Movie Unlike Any Other

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John Carpenter is a man of many creative talents. A prolific filmmaker, a proficient composer, and an occasional actor, Carpenter has earned avid acclaim as one of the most lauded directors of the 1980s. Graduating from an indie background with projects like Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13, Carpenter gained a newfound level of attention with his revolutionary 1978 slasher film, Halloween.

From there, the cult filmmaker only enjoyed increased popularity throughout the remainder of the decade, culminating in fan-favorite movies like The Thing, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Fog, among many others.

Nestled somewhere in the middle of Carpenter’s sprawling filmography is a 1988 oddity by the name of They Live. A rip-roaring sci-fi comedy with an endearing message behind it, They Live might not be the first movie people think of when they hear Carpenter’s name, but rest assured, it’s assuredly among his finest films.

Overarchingly comical yet also surprisingly thought-provoking in its thematic subjects, T hey Live is a masterclass in science fiction subtly wrapped around an over-the-top ‘80s movie. Without it, who knows what the current state of sci-fi might even be, with They Live helping to lay the groundwork for such later classics as The Matrix years down the line.

What Is ‘They Live’ About?

Set against the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles, They Live tells the story of the ambiguously-named Nada (Roddy Piper), an unemployed drifter struggling to find work in La La Land. As he wanders in search of employment, Nada soon comes across a mysterious pair of sunglasses that allow him to see an alternative version of his surroundings. Presented through crisp black-and-white visuals, this alternative reality offers a glimpse into the world as it truly is: a hellish dystopia where alien invaders have successfully conquered humanity.

Disguising themselves as average people living amongst us, these sinister alien overlords have managed to avoid detection by carefully constructing a reality for their hapless human adversaries. Distracting humankind long enough to transform Earth into the suitable living environment, these aliens hide behind their meticulous-curated reality when it comes to battling humans, using mass deception as their primary means of conquest.

A film that in many ways could have only been made in the ‘80s, They Live was very much a product of its time. Designed as a satirical treatment of ‘80s-era classism and socioeconomic policies, Carpenter provided a damning portrait of social phenomena that was only just starting to gain traction in American culture, including mass consumerism, corporate greed, and Americans’ growing obsession with material goods. Of course, Carpenter never tips his hand too much when it comes to his thematic subjects, balancing out his topical motifs with cliched action, kitschy humor, and enough ‘80s one-liners to fill the script for an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

Between the witty one-liners and extensive action, Carpenter might have assumed he had a hit on his hands when the movie hit theaters in the fall of 1988. Unfortunately, most critics and casual viewers lambasted  They Live for its attempts at social commentary, along with its tough-talking dialogue and equally ham-fisted acting.

A critical failure that quickly faded into the pop culture zeitgeist, They Live ’s esteem would only grow more favorable over time, contributing to its continued cult status today.

At the time, it’s fair to say that most people simply didn’t know what to make of a film as delightfully strange as They Live. After all, how many movies have a powerful critique of ‘80s capitalism and a comically drawn-out brawl that lasts a whopping six and a half minutes?

It’s more than likely that the movie’s satirical elements were simply too ahead of its day and age. In the decades since, contemporary viewers have hailed the film as a brilliant takedown of ‘80s consumer culture, as well as the ever-widening disparity between the wealthy elite and the lower-income working class. Yet, for all its social critiques, it’s hard to take any movie seriously that includes Roddy Piper saying, “Mama don’t like tattletales” with a straight face.

How ‘They Live’ Subverts the Standard Alien Invasion Premise

In more recent decades, more appreciative viewers continue to praise They Live for its effective satirical undertones. Perhaps most famously, the film has directly influenced the widely known Andre the Giant Has a Posse campaign — a street art movement that uses the movie’s line “Obey” as its foremost rallying crew. Shepard Fairey, the creator of the campaign, has even gone on record to say of They Live, “The movie has a very strong message about the power of commercialism and the way that people are manipulated by advertising.”

As profound They Live ’s attack on the capitalist system is, it’s also worth mentioning the movie’s radical take on the stereotypical alien invasion vehicle. In the decades prior, most sci-fi films featured a more outright depiction of alien attacks, with our extraterrestrial nemeses using technologically advanced weaponry and military superiority to bend humanity to its will. In They Live, Carpenter trades in unique gadgetry for a far more insidious contraption: mass manipulation.

Rather than relying on ray guns and deadly lasers to subdue humankind, They Live ’s alien adversaries employ mass media, advertisements, and material possessions to lull humans into a more docile state. Controlling us through subliminal messages that encourage everyone to “consume,” “conform,” “reproduce,” and — most importantly — “obey,” these aliens have learned that it’s far easier to trick humans than it is to face them in a physical conflict.

As a result, Carpenter paints these alien overlords as the secret society controlling our every thought, turning the greatest aspects of our society (wealth, entertainment, and fulfilling careers) against us.

How ‘They Live’ Forever Changed Science Fiction

Through this new, subtler depiction of an alien invasion, Carpenter managed to add a fresh new spin on age-old story concept in science fiction. Sure, movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers had pioneered the idea of disguised aliens living among us, but Carpenter took that idea one step further. Rather than aliens replacing us outright, Carpenter wondered aloud whether those same aliens could manipulate us into becoming our own worst enemies.

Lulled into a false sense of security through careful manipulation and rampant consumerism, They Live ’s alien invasion succeeds because humanity wants to be tricked. So long as we’re free to acquire wealth, power, and the pursuit of individual happiness, why should we care about aliens exploiting us for their own gain? I mean, let’s be honest, doesn’t that essentially describe the average American workplace?

It was a bold concept that proved somewhat too sardonic and cynical for the happy-go-lucky days of Ronald Reagan’s America. Yet it’s for this very reason that They Live remains every bit as enjoyable now as it did three decades ago.

Mixing humor and action together with some ever-present topical discussions, Carpenter offered a far different kind of alien invasion than audiences had ever seen before. While viewers at the time might not have appreciated it, the themes examined in the film ended up resonating with viewers in each subsequent decade, stylistically informing later films like 1999’s The Matrix.

On the surface, it’s hard to see any similarity at all between the Wachowskis’ original Matrix film and Carpenter’s work on They Live. In the case of the former, the Wachowskis dovetailed classic kung fu action with a rogue A.I. unit as sinister and omnipresent as Terminator ’s Skynet. With the latter, Carpenter used tongue-in-cheek comedy and outlandish action to lampoon the traditional alien invasion film. Only when you examine each movie more closely do the resemblances start to emerge (not unlike Nada’s first glimpse at the monochrome world beyond our own).

The Matrix tells the story of Keanu Reeve’s Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer by day and hacker extraordinaire by night. Using the criminal alias “Neo,” Anderson uncovers the dark secret surrounding the seemingly ordinary world around him: that it is, in fact, a hyper realistic construct created by machines to keep humans at bay. Awakening from this artificial reality, Neo joins a group of resistance fighters attempting to destroy their robotic counterparts, freeing humanity from the yoke of their oppressors.

Again, it’s difficult to see the similarities between The Matrix and They Live, but they are indeed present. Like the alien antagonists in They Live, The Matrix ’s machines rely on a carefully-curated depiction of reality to subdue humankind, distracting us with our seemingly mundane surroundings as they use us as a literal power source.

Using deception and manipulation in lieu of outright violence, The Matrix ’s antagonists need humanity to believe in the Matrix to ensure their survival — an attribute shared by the conniving aliens in They Live. In the case of each film, The Matrix and They Live even recruit human collaborators to their cause, promising them a chance for a heightened version of their artificial reality. (In the case of The Matrix, said collaborator takes the form of Cyrus, while in They Live, it’s Holly.)

While it’s highly unlikely the Wachowskis looked to They Live as its primary source of inspiration, the influences are certainly ingrained in the film, nestled alongside the repeated references to Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and the filmography of Bruce Lee.

They Live might veer towards political satire and The Matrix might opt for more an existential approach, but the core ideas are the same in each film. For this reason alone, They Live would be worth remembering. On the other hand, admiring its narrative influence on The Matrix is just one more reason to love this under-appreciated 1988 action comedy, along with its effective humor, satisfying performances, and Carpenter’s characteristically vibrant imagination.