"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum."
The above is spoken by Roddy Piper per his character, (George) Nada, in writer/director John Carpenter's They Live, which is being re-released for its 35th anniversary in select theaters by Fathom Events. (The presentation comes with a reflective prologue by Carpenter, which is certain to delight fans.)
They Live is based on Ray Nelson's 1963, Twilight Zone-ish short story, "Eight O'clock in the Morning," and was said to reflect dissatisfaction with growing, economic concerns of the time, even though the financial climate was (ironically) prosperous. They Live, however, has grown more identifiable in recent years, mirroring U.S. financial angst and all its accompanying, conformist demands within a sagacious, sci-fi/modern-western context.
The tall tale tells of a secret, alien invasion, wherein the extraterrestrials use Orwellian, subliminal transmittals to control humans, keeping them in lowly, downtrodden conditions. Along the way, a drifter named Nada enters L.A. in hopes of landing work, only to encounter immense squalor and in the process discovers the startling cause through specialized glasses that allow him to see the aliens for who and what they are.
Piper gives a grand ol' performance, combining everyman enlightenment with unapologetic, save-the-day virility. The supporting cast is as impressive, which includes Keith (The Thing '82) David, Meg (Masters of the Universe) Foster, Raymond (Voodoo Dawn) St. Jacques, George "Buck" (Escape From New York) Flower and Peter (Alien Apocalypse) Jason.
For the thought-provoking fun it spins, the allegory stands as one of Carpenter's tip-top best; so grab a pack of chewing gum (though prepare to kick some ass, if only vicariously) and relive They Live: a speculative fable that holds more pertinent paranoia now than it did in foretelling 1988.
They Live will re-occupy Fathom screens Sept 3 & 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment