They Live (1988)

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Written by Ray Nelson, John Carpenter

Directed by John Carpenter

Running Time: 93 minutes (approx)

Production Year: 1988

Rating: 18 Certificate

Production Country: USA

Filmed in Black and White

This movie is a sci-fi social satire penned by the great John Carpenter.

John Nada (Roddy Piper) is an unemployed construction labourer who wanders the city aimlessly looking for something to entertain him.

When he finally lands a job working on a construction site, things start to look up - he is now employed and has somewhere to sleep at night.

It isn't long before Nada finds a pair of sunglasses, but these are no ordinary sunglasses - in fact they are far from ordinary. When Nada puts them on they give him the special ability to see the world as it really is, and people, as they really are, their true selves.

What he sees isn't something he likes too much; he sees the general public being constantly bombarded by media and governments with such messages as "Stay Asleep", "Submit Now to Authority" and "Have No Imagination" which otherwise goes unnoticed.

However the scariest thing he 'sees' are the many normal looking people whom he probably passed by unnoticed many times before, but this time he sees that these people, who take up a large portion of the population, are in fact very ugly aliens who have come from the Andromeda to take total control of this submissive campaign to keep humans subdued.

Not only do these aliens look like everyday people, they are also very important and high-seated members of society.

It is now up to Nada to find the rest of the men that know what's happening in the world (those who made the strange sun-glasses) and join them in the fight against the aliens.

Cast

Roddy PiperNada
Image for Keith DavidKeith DavidFrank
Meg FosterHolly Thompson
George 'Buck' FlowerDrifter
Peter JasonGilbert
Raymond St. JacquesStreet Preacher
Jason Robards IIIFamily Man
John LawrenceBearded Man
Susan BarnesBrown Haired Woman
Sy RichardsonBlack Revolutionary
Wendy BrainardFamily Man's Daughter
Lucille MeredithFemale Interviewer
Susan BlanchardIngenue
Norman AldenForeman
Dana BrattonBlack Junkie

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