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Last updated: 28 Jun 2026 at 06:07 UTC

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Review of by Geraint B — 27 Dec 2010

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The line 'I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum!' pretty much sums up the asinine machismo of John Carpenter's They Live, a film that purports that 80s yuppiedom was actually a guise for alien subversion! The skeletal aliens, whose appearance is only revealed through a pair of nifty shades, try to enslave humanity through subliminal slogans such as 'WATCH TV' and 'CONFORM,' giving They Live all the allegorical subtlety of a sledgehammer, a metaphor that becomes particularly apt when star 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Keith David beat the ever-loving shit out of each other for six minutes in a fight sequence complete with headbutts, groin stomps, body slams, and suplexes.

It doesn't get any dumber than this...or more awesome.

This review of They Live (1988) was written by on 27 Dec 2010.

They Live has generally received positive reviews.

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