John Carpenter's They live

[Mofo Rising]

I love that fight scene, WildHoosier09.

This has actually turned out to be a great movie to turn on "normals" to bad movies. Even people who don't like bad movies remember that scene. Heck, I can surprise myself by yelling "Put on the glasses!" and seeing how many people know what I'm talking about. (A surprising number.)

Then again, I like it for the sheer pointlessness of it. I guess they thought they needed to get their wrestling money's worth from Rowdy Roddy Piper?

THEY LIVE is good '80s fun. I think this is Carpenter at his silliest, right around the time he made BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA.

Weird note, Carpenter made PRINCE OF DARKNESS, which I consider one of the finest philosophically horrifying films ever made, in between those two films.

[Vik]

The fist fight was long for a purpose. It was to show how hard it is to get some people to wake up to reality.

[ulthar]

Vik, you've seen ESCAPE FROM LA but not ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK?  Gotta see the first one, man;  if you are a Carpenter fan, ya GOTTA see NEW YORK.  Classic stuff.

I love THEY LIVE.  I saw it in theater when it came out and have rented/watched on TV numerous times since.  It's the essence of Carpenter - great entertainment fun with a message, but you can take or leave either as your personal taste dictates.

I remember being skeptical about casting Piper, but upon watching, that role was made for him.  And yes, the fight scene is iconic.

One thing's for sure:  you'll never look at advertising the same way after watching this movie.   

[Vik]

Vik, you've seen ESCAPE FROM LA but not ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK?  Gotta see the first one, man;  if you are a Carpenter fan, ya GOTTA see NEW YORK.  Classic stuff.

I' watched it a while ago, and I couldn't agree more 

[Hammock Rider]

I actually saw They Live in theaters back when I was 13 and it originally came out. The movie has aged pretty well considering it's a complete indictment of Reaganomics.

Roddy Piper delivers a surprisingly good performance and Keith David is his usual great self as well.   

  I think the anti-consumerist message is just as powerful now as it was back then, maybe even moreso.

  And man I wish Rowdy Roddy had done more films. The last thing I saw him in was an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which included a parady of The Wrestler. He was spot on.

[Sersonius]

The scene when he puts the glasses for the first time is truly memorable (Obey... Reproduce... Consume  ). For this part alone its worth watching.
The second best Caprenter movie in my book but i never was a great fan of Escape from NY. The Thing being the best one of curse.

Yes - i do think the fight scene is too long.

[Flick James]

This could easily turn into a John Carpenter appreciation thread. John Carpenter's early career, up to the 80's, is a body of B-movies that are a combination of quality film-making and classic cheese that few other filmmakers can rival.