Essi vivono

I discovered very lately this legendary film, during an « UGC culte » evening, in Paris. Essi vivono (1988) has certainly aged a lot but the diatribe against the exacerbated consumerism of the 70s and 80s is sadly still relevant. A decade after the well-known Halloween - La notte delle streghe (1978), John Carpenter delivered a smart and well-built movie. Nowadays, it's definitely cult and a must-see!

I remember first seeing They Live when I was 10 and I totally fell in love with this film. How could a ten year old not? There's wrestlers, aliens and a plot to take over the world. My friends and I quoted this film for weeks on end with the Bubble gum and kicking @$$ line being a favourite among all. The only real complaint that I have about the film is that the aliens when finally revealed are far too human. They basically look like a skeleton with bug eyes. Not a whole lot of energy seemed to go into their design. While They Live will never be remembered as a film that redefined the way films were made, it still to this day holds a place in my heart as one of the films that just defines your youth. It is fun, action packed and has just enough cool storyline to keep you interested from start to finish.

A fun film with a serious message.

More relevant now with 'social media' than ever.

If only more people would put the glasses on.

I discovered this movie when I was younger and fell in love. Rediscovering it now that I'm older makes me an appreciate the nuances in its meaning. It's a great tongue-in-cheek jab at consumerism and control.

John Carpenter does a great job at blending aliens living amongst us with the idea of governmental control and manipulation through advertisements. What would you do if you discovered you were being conditioned and manipulated by a non-human entity? Would you grab some bubble gum and kick some ass? Or would you give in to the powers that be and stay submissive? The decision is up to you.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs n enjoyed the film as an action entertainer. Read about the underlying themes as years passed on but revisited it today. This movie is very relevant for today's time too n it is still very entertaining. The alley fight scene stayed with me since the late 80s. Roddy Piper n Keith David gave memorable performances.