They Live

The sci-fi genre has been a mainstay in film since the early days of cinema and since then numerous takes on the genre exist whether that's sci-fi horror, sci-fi drama, sci-fi action, and much more. Within the genre numerous great directors have made their mark on film including the likes of Ridley Scott, David Cronenberg, and Stanley Kubrick to name a few. Today's subject comes from another great director and one who is known more for their classic horror films. A movie that came at the tail end of the eighties, telling the tale of an unemployed man in Los Angeles who stumbles over a pair of sunglasses that alter his world view. A film, starring a legendary professional wrestler that continues to entertain to this day.

So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that’s a glass of bourbon from our friends at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed

They Live is a movie about an out of work drifter who lands in Los Angeles. Finding a job in construction he makes a friend named Frank and finds a place to stay within a shantytown. One day while walking around the city he happens upon a box of sunglasses in an alley. Liking the look of them, he takes a pair from the box and tries them on. What he sees changes the way he sees the environment around him and from that point on, nothing about his life will ever be the same again. For when he puts the glasses on, the blanket covering the world and its inhabitants, is peeled away, revealing the ugly truth underneath.

They Live is a film with a great mix of elements. It’s firmly in the science fiction genre, but also has hints of action and humor that make it stand out from other science-fiction films. The result is an entertaining experience with a lot of memorable shots, scenes, and quotes.

Released in 1988, They Live is directed by the legendary John Carpenter. Up to this point in his career, John Carpenter had made several successful movies including Assault on Precinct 13, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, and Halloween. As one of the most popular directors of the time, everything he touched seemed to turn to gold.

He began writing They Live after discovering the story in a comic, titled “Alien Encounters #6”, published by now defunct, Eclipse Comics. Within this issue was a seven page story titled “Nada”. The comic is written by the same man who wrote the short sory it’s based on, titles, based on titled, “Eight O'clock in the Morning” by Ray Nelson and illustrated by Bill Wray. There are many aspects that would end up in the movie, including certain scenes and character traits. There’s even a connection more subtle than those in the movie as well, one only known to those with knowledge of this linkage. Throughout the movie the film’s hero is never audibly introduced, however, he’s credited as “Nada”.

During the making of the project, Carpenter shot on location within a real homeless camp and used the inhabitants of the camp as extras.

When John Carpenter was casting his new film he new he wanted someone to play his lead that look strong and capable. His search for his lead would harken back to a meeting he had earlier. Carpenter is a lifelong wrestling fan and in 1987 he attended WrestleMania III, the event made infamous when Hulk Hogan body slammed Andre the Giant. At the time Carpenter was still looking to cast the hero of They Live, but knew he wanted someone strong, tough, and someone who people would believe could fight. While watching the matches one performer in particular caught his eye. After the show Carpenter got a chance to meet him and he knew immediately that he was the perfect fit. He was fit, had scars, and knew how to handle himself in a fight. After learning that he was already considering entering into acting Carpenter proposed the role to him and thus history was made with the casting of Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Despite Piper having interest to star in the film his boss, Vince McMahon was not thrilled with The idea of losing him for an extended period of time, so Roddy quit to pursue the role. Casting the other main character of proved to be much easier for the veteran writer and director. The role of Frank was written specifically for an actor that he had collaborated with in the past. Wanting the same attributes for Frank as the main character, Carpenter thought of an actor from his 1982 remake of The Thing, Keith David, who played Childs. The casting choices were fantastic and the chemistry between the two stars is quite palpable.

Of course we can’t talk about They Live without discussing the scene revolving Frank trying on the sunglasses. If you haven’t seen They Live there is a chance that you’ve heard about this sequence alone. In the film our hero wants his friend to put on the sunglasses to see what he sees. Frank is hesitant to this and denies the offer, which makes our hero frustrated. The two trade verbal arguments, which leads to pushing, which leads to a full blown fight. This fight scene is iconic in the world of cinema for its content and length. The two trade physical attacks for five minutes on screen in a choreographed sequence that is something to behold.

Despite this sequence’s fluid nature and rawness, the journey of filming the scene was anything but simple. Leading up to that scene Piper and David trained for months to get all the moves, timing, and sequences correct prior to filming. They would meet and practice together everyday to ensure that every step, fall, roll, and attack was angled, executed, and timed correctly. Even filming the scene was arduous, taking multiple days to film the finished product.

Apart from the actor’s dedication and performances, the method of capturing the scene was also flawless. The camera movements are minimal, only really moving to show different angles of the action or to follow the actors around as they trade blows. It's one of my favorite fight scenes because we can see everything that is happening and the fluidity of the scene is smooth. In some fight scenes there is a lot of zooming, quick cuts, shifting angles, and if done incorrectly it can feel dizzying. Here however, everything feels purposeful and hard hitting...it's a terrific approach.

With They Live however the camera instead acts like a bystander, staying out of the way and letting the action unfurl before us. It reminds me a bit of a fight scene from a film we've previously featured on Glazed Cinema, John Ford's The Quiet Man. In both fight scenes the camera stays out of the way for the most part while showing us see what’s happening, letting the performers dictate the action, rather than the camera. The effort and approach of They Live surely paid off, as it is regarded as one of the best fight scenes in cinematic history.

Outside of the fight scene there are several other iconic scenes in They Live. Who can forget the sight of all the billboards that contain short and oppressive messaging like Obey, Stay Asleep, and Submit. Then there are the great quotes like “I’m here to chew bubble gum and kick ass…and I’m all outta gum”.

There are some great scenes in this movie, but one of my favorites is when our hero dons the glasses for the first time and sees the world for what it really is. Turning to a billboard that advertises a computer environment he puts the dark lenses in front of his eyes and in the ads place is something different. Instead of a colorful billboard in midday, we see a black and white view with a blank billboard with the word "Obey" in all caps. Taking them off, everything returns as it was before. In disbelief he dons them again and the scene returns. Repeating this in quick succession he is beside himself. Looking at an add with a bikini clad woman on a beach advertising the Caribbean he puts them on again and in its place is the same scenery, except this time the words read, "Marry and Reproduce". This is a glimpse of the world being introduced to our hero. However, soon another truth will be revealed, one all to surreal to explain.

They Live is a splendid film with a lot of meat on the bone. Carpenter went for something different with this film than the others previously. Here he gets more into social and political commentary, wrapped by an entertaining finished product. There's actually quite a bit that Carpenter is commenting on here. It's a film that that touches on the disparity between the economic classes, the control of popularized media, and conformed authority. All of this is done in such a as to not be preachy or somehow self-righteous. Instead it acts as satire, blending comedy to maintain its entertainment factor. The end result is a captivating movie for all audiences.

They Live was a hit upon release. It was made on a budget of 3 million dollars and grossed 13 million, becoming number one at the box office and spent two weeks in the top ten. Roddy Piper went back to wrestling after filming was concluded and became a top tier talent at WWE, entertaining wrestling fans for years afterward. Apart from his wrestling influence, his role in They Live had industry influence as well. Other actors had played roles in movies previous to this one, but they were always small or supporting roles. Whether that was Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips in Rocky III, Andre the Giant as Fezzik in The Princess Bride, or Jesse Ventura as Blain in Predator. However Roddy Piper was the first wrestler to play the leading role of movie that was number one at the box office. This success, opened doors to future wrestlers like The Rock, Dave Bautista, and John Cena to do the same.

I was around fourteen when I first saw this film. My dad loves John Carpenter and one of his favorite films is Halloween, which I also really enjoy. So when I heard about this film, it sounded so different from his other films that I had seen like Halloween, The Thing, The Fog, and Assault on Precinct 13. Plus, it had Roddy Piper in it and as a pro wrestling fan, what more did I need to press play? From the start there was a familiar feel to it, a mark of any great director. The content was so different though and really captured my attention and imagination. I was a fan of this film early on and when the credits rolled I was even more enthralled with it.

They Live is a very entertaining movie with a lot to offer its audience. If you’re a fan of the lighter side of sci-fi this one should be right up your alley. It has humor and action while still offering that surreal out of this world sensibility that comes with the genre. Likewise, if you’re a fan of John Carpenter’s films and you have yet to watch this eighties gem don’t miss out on this one.

If you’d like to watch They Live you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on Peacock. Peacock is a streaming service with great offerings and a variety of pricing options, including a free tier.

Apart from Peacock, you can also find They Live on services like YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and Prime Video for $3.99 to rent.

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