They Live (1988)
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A drifter in Los Angeles discovers that the ruling class are actually camouflaged aliens and embarks on a quest to expose them.
The story
Nada, a homeless man in Los Angeles, encounters a preacher warning that the ruling elite are actually aliens who have taken control of humanity. After finding work at a construction site, Nada becomes aware of the hidden truth. When a hacker takes over television broadcasts to alert the public, Nada begins a journey to uncover the truth. He eventually acquires a pair of special sunglasses that reveal the world as it truly is, exposing the alien masters hiding behind human facades and the subliminal messages they use to control the masses.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Nada, a drifter in Los Angeles, discovers that the ruling class are camouflaged aliens. After a preacher and a hacker are targeted by police, Nada finds a pair of sunglasses that reveal the truth: the world is being manipulated by aliens who use subliminal messages and high-tech surveillance. He discovers that many people are 'ghoulish, bug-eyed aliens' and that the government is complicit. Nada teams up with his coworker Frank, who eventually puts on the glasses and sees the truth for himself. The duo joins a human resistance and learns about the aliens' plan to use global warming to terraform Earth. They eventually infiltrate an alien-run news network. During a final confrontation at a transmitter, Nada's companion Frank is killed by a collaborator. Nada destroys the transmitter and is shot by police as he dies, while the public finally sees the aliens for what they are.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Carpenter
- Writers
- John Carpenter · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Roddy Piper · Nada; Keith David · Frank; Meg Foster
- Genres
- science fiction; action; horror
- Themes
- anti-capitalism; consumerism; government conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- dark; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- alien invasion; conspiracy; dystopian
- Source material / true-story basis
- Eight O'Clock in the Morning by Ray Nelson
- Reception
- Initially received negative reviews from critics, but later experienced a significantly more favorable critical reception and is now regarded as one of Carpenter's best films.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 76; Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Production trivia
- The film's title was changed to Invasion Los Angeles for its release in Europe.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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