Dear Internet,
I seem
to be a sucker for a good alien movie, especially one where the aliens are
trying to take over the Earth. I have
perhaps seen "Independence Day" about twenty or more times. There is just something rather charming about
fighting off grotesque cosmic horrors that wish to use us like cattle or want
to squash us like bugs. The concept is very
similar to the tales of giants above the clouds, biding their time to come down
and claim the ground. Within such
stories, the various protagonists are tested to determine if they are willing
to set aside their differences for the survivability of the group. When faced by a force so much grander and
powerful than the single individual, group dynamics are created, even
temporarily, so that life may continue. "They
Live" takes these various "aliens vs. humans" themes and
transplants them from being two forces fighting above and below to being an intermingling
fight where each force must contend on nearly the same field.
"They
Live" follows John Nada, a drifter who comes to Los Angeles. There he takes on a job at a construction
yard and befriends Frank Armitage, who shows him to a shanty town where the two
are able to live and sleep. Across the
road from this Hooverville, is a church that houses some strange
individuals. Meanwhile, every now and
again, someone seems to hack into the local television airwaves and tells the
viewer to wake up to the subliminal messages being put out. Nada, like the rest, does not think much of
the "tin-foil hat" rantings until he notices that every time they
occur, a certain individual in the camp runs over to the church across the
road. Nada investigates and finds a chemistry
lab filled with sunglasses. The next day
or two, the police show up, storm the church, bulldoze the shacks, and
mercilessly beat down a number of people.
Nada goes back to the church and finds a few sunglasses that the police
were unable to find. When he dons the
specs, he sees that behind every single piece of advertising and marketable
object is a subliminal message. Bold
black words messages like "Obey" or "Stay Asleep" jump out
at Nada as he roams the streets. He
comes across a businessman, who when viewed through the glasses, is as kinless,
bulging eyed alien. From there, the
conspiracy is no longer a theory.
"They
Live" is a very enjoyable movie filled with fun twists and turns. The aliens are a real treat to see. They are disgusting only a little while, but
they never become old hat. It might be
because every time that they appear, for the most part, is when the camera looks
through the special lenses. Each time it
happens, the film cuts the color right out and becomes good old black and
white. Even Nada had to shake his head a
few times when looking through the lenses the first time. The black and white is a wonderful nod to the
classic horror films that had to do much with such a little pallet. There is also the fact that black and white has
a great impact in the mind of viewers.
It is not a natural way to look at things, and when it occurs, it jars
the viewer because of it. At the end of
the film, there are a few shots that show the aliens in full color. When it does, the effect is comical because
of their multi-colored designs, which is exactly the kind of feel that the
movie is aiming for at that moment.
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The
film is filled with over the top action.
From shotguns to automatic rifles, the second half of the movie goes
from suspense to full on action movie.
It is a weird shift, especially since it happens so quickly. Nada goes from disbelieving the power of the shades
to ridiculing the aliens to their face to blowing them apart in about ten
minutes. At least the film had the
decency to explain that since the glasses block out the hypnotic waves that the
aliens put out, he is acting violently in a manner that mirrors a drug addict's
withdrawal symptoms. On top of the
already over the top gun violence is a fight sequence that occurs between Nada
and Frank. The all mighty Wikipedia clocks
the fight at five a half minutes, but it definitely feels much longer than
that. The fight is supposed to separate
the storyline from Nada being alone to when he has an ally on his side. It could even be interpreted as a sequence illustrating
how difficult it is to make the common man believe the truth despite the otherwise
ease of proof. All Frank had to do was
put on the glasses to see what Nada was saying was true. Instead, Nada had to fervently bust Frank
apart to force him to wear the glasses. While
the fight could be seen as an effort in almost futility to make the unbeliever
believe, it is somewhat long to the point of interrupting the flow of the plot.
There
is one thing that the film does not address within the fact that aliens are
living among the human population. The
film goes to great lengths to press the concept that the aliens are the secret
ruling class. This is not a new
concept. Tales of secret organizations
pulling the strings behind curtains goes back centuries if not millennia. The difference in "They Live" is
that they intermingle to such a degree that they are almost common. They eat with the humans. They work with them. They even have sex with them, which bring up a
whole lot more questions. The biggest
thing that struck me was that the aliens are using the same objects that the
humans are using. There is one alien
that buys a newspaper, something that is clearly shown to be one of the
brainwashing items. Why does he do this? The item is of no real use to him, since he would
see through the object in the same manner that Nada does with the use of the
glasses. It is more likely an attempt to
keep up appearances with the other humans around. If it is an attempt to do so, then the aliens
have to jump through a number of loops themselves. What else do they have to do for appearance's
sake? Eating, socializing, and working
right alongside humans most likely. At
that point, the aliens are being forced to conform to the norms that they are placing
upon the populace. The pivotal difference
is that they are selected to benefit more than their human peers. It is almost as if the aliens act just as
much as sheep as the humans they hypnotize.
There is
one quick thing that I want to get out of the way. There is a character late in the story that
appears before Nada and Frank. He had
sold out to the aliens and was rewarded by being given money beyond his wildest
dreams. The character is apparently the
drifter shown early on in the film, something that the film hopes you
realize. However, the film does such a
good job of transforming the character from a homeless bum to a tuxedo wearing
weasel that I could not recognize him. I
even went back to the earlier scenes hoping to figure out who he is, but failed
to identify him. While I admit that the complete
change of dress did completely change the character's image, I wish the film
had at least given a line to his identity so I would not feel so lost, but
maybe I am the minority in this small trouble.
"They
Live" is a fun movie that knows how to prey on our paranoia. The only problem is also its biggest
draw. It does not take itself seriously
enough, and perhaps it should not. While
the various action sequences are lively, pulling the audience in and making
them wonder how the characters are going to overcome each obstacle, there is a
certain level of camp flowing through the movie. The whole thing is a bit corny, but not to
the point where it detracts from the plot.
It is not like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" which has a
creeping menace constantly in the forefront. Nor is it like "Mars Attacks" which
cranks up the comedy to the point of being a satire of the alien doomsday
genre. "They Live" takes its
own road that delivers one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had watching
aliens get splattered. Also the ending and
ultimate fate of Nada is perhaps one of the best and gutsiest finishers out
there.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
P.S. Tomorrow is "Ano Natsu de Matteru" or
"Waiting in the Sumer."
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