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"They Live" (1988)

Posted by barryb on February 18, 2013 at 11:48:00

SPOILER ALERT

To the unaware, this film may seem like a silly, meaningless and uneventful sci-fi effort. This could not be a more inaccurate description, however. The movie is intensely meaningful and applies to our current society more than ever. I could imagine many viewers wondering what the point of numerous seemingly insignificant scenes may be, when in fact, every single scene is carefully chosen, thought out and directly applicable to the world today.

The story is about a drifter played by wrestling legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He walks the streets of Los Angeles with is backpack full of possessions, looking out of place in our consumer driven culture. After taking a construction job, he notices some organized activity in a nearby church. One night, he follows the men into the church and discovers that the church choir we hear is just an open reel tape deck to provide a cover story for the clandestine meetings. Before leaving he stumbled onto a box of sunglasses.

Upon putting on a pair of sunglasses, discovers that they show a very different world. The sunglasses allow him to see the world as it actually is in reality. The sunglasses let him see that the billboard advertising is really directing people to OBEY, CONFORM, SPEND, MARRY, and WORK 8 HOURS, among other things. Currency gives us the message to WORSHIP [IT] AS A GOD. Most horrifyingly, he sees that most of the police and successful people are not human at all, but a frightful, skinless aliens which resemble a de-skinned Terminator. These monsters actually control the media, big business and the police force. They are essentially stripping the planet of its resources, while having humans mindlessly controlled to do the work. People are urged to not make waves and go along with the plan. Those humans who are aware and still conform, do so for the sake of the almighty dollar.

In one scene Roddy Piper tries to have his friend from work put on the glasses to see. The friend refuses and they get into a lengthy, violent fight about it. This struck me as being so similar to the impassioned resistance and vile hatred one can receive from someone who does not wish to look at the 9/11 reality.

It is particularly disturbing to see that the police work for these monsters and terrorize the local poor and beat them up for no reason. It was a disturbing scene of brutality that could be taken right from today's news. The police also set out to murder the secret underground of resistance. They engage in a well communicated, coordinated effort between helicopters and ground patrol to take down these resistors. I was immediately reminded of some of the brutality that was reported of the police on the young occupiers.

I was impressed with what kind of insight and understanding writers Jay Nelson and John Carpenter possessed, especially in 1988. The reality was clear to them at that time and is even more poignant today. I whole heartedly recommend this film, not as a mindless sci-fi flick , but as some thoughtful viewing for those already awake and those who wish to be awake.

• John Carpenter's   (Open in New Window)

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