Review of They Live (1988) by Jj M — 10 Nov 2012

One of the most underrated sci-fi movies of all time, "They Live" is cheesy, over-the-top, and effortlessly original (especially for its time).

Quotable and entertaining, "They Live" is John Carpenter's slightly-political commentary on society, equivalent to what George Romero did with "Dawn of the Dead." Roddy Piper plays the 'everyman' (aptly named John Nada) who discovers an alien plot of infiltrating the human populace (in disguise as normal humans, who can only be seen through the headache-induced use of special sunglasses).

The film also provides a near-six minute fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David, that to this day has been unmatched in hilarity and badassery in pop culture history.

*Video game character "Duke Nukem" is partially inspired by the character and lines spoken by Piper's John Nada.