Movie, 1988

One of those full-bloodied action films, where the excuse of the machismo being ‘of its time’ partly but doesn’t wholly expunge the embarrassment of some, and particularly the longer buddy punch-up scene. And yet, ‘They Live’ offers plenty of invention and wit in the way things are set up at the beginning of the film. Things are believable and persuasive and the dystopia the characters are living through feels genuinely chilling. When the plot jumps and swings and the holes start appearing, viewers will either go with the flow or won’t. I enjoyed the film immensely, and feel the humour and invention won through. And while wildly over-done and a bit Phillip K Dick, even the more dumbed down tricks in the film had something about them.