MovieChat Forums > They Live (1988) Discussion > Am I the only one who thinks this movie ...

Am I the only one who thinks this movie is hilariously bad?

posted 15 years ago by cdhanger-1
72 replies | jump to latest

I mean, the music, which is the work of /two minds/ according to the credits, is the same three or four seconds of bass, over and over again, through the entire movie. The dialog is silly ("I ain't daddy's little boy no more!") and the story, although not a bad one, could have been told in a small fraction of the time, if they had left out a thousand minutes of people staring blankly at each other, seemingly trying to remember whose line it is. Not to mention a half-hour-long pointless fight-fest...the only thing I could think of during that so-called "best fight scene ever" as one thread on this forum calls it, is "This guy doesn't believe you, so how about trying to show your glasses to one of the other 6 billion people in the world?"

I don't mean anything personal against people who do like this movie, and I'm sure a lot of people who like it will see this post, as this is a forum dedicated to the discussion of this movie. I'm simply stating my feelings, and would enjoy civil, non-personally-demeaning responses, regardless whether I'm agreed or disagreed with.

Mr. Daniel?
....I'm finished.

[–] scumorama 13 years ago

You're not alone.

[–] lathe-of-heaven 12 years ago

WE are not alone...

I have over 4000 films, many of them very rare and OOP. I LOVE to trade. PLEASE ASK!

[–] Neuronhead 13 years ago

Am I the only one who thinks this movie is hilariously bad?

We have one who can see!

I choose to believe what I was programmed to believe

[–] komedydude85-203-796954 13 years ago

This movie was a great metaphor for a lot of what David Icke talks about. It was low-budget, a B movie, but the message was amazing. It was not the best movie ever made, and it had tons of flaws, but you have to admire the courage it took to make this movie, with the message it was sending out. Carpenter was an insider, and the satellite dish was symbolic of the Moon, believe it or not. The fight scene is symbolic of how hard it is for people to accept a truth that is not mainstream or their current belief system. I don't know why that guy just didn't put on the glasses. I think on some level he knew what would happen...he'd see the world for what it really was.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 13 years ago

I thought it was quite good from the early going and especially when he first puts on the glasses, up until he spouted that cheesy "bubblegum" line in the bank and it started to turn into a brainless action movie. I still give it a marginal "thumbs up" status just because of that early part and the brilliance of the premise. But I have always hated shows like the A-Team or movies like Rambo etc., so the cheesy action movie aspects really tarnished it for me.

[–] Rena_Mahone 13 years ago

"This guy doesn't believe you, so how about trying to show your glasses to one of the other 6 billion people in the world?"

lol, agreed.

Boycott movies that involve real animal violence! (and their directors too)

[–] alekesam 12 years ago

by - Rena_Mahone on Sat Jun 9 2012 17:56:25 "This guy doesn't believe you, so how about trying to show your glasses to one of the other 6 billion people in the world?"

lol, agreed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, but of those other 6 billion people in the world, he trusts THIS guy. Who knows, maybe if he kept to that the chick that threw him out of a window to drop for four stories wouldn't have got him and his friend killed at the end.

Just my one cent since I can't afford two.

[–] Zero1020 12 years ago

Just like the fight scene, forcing people to see how good of a movie this is is difficult.

[–] GeneticSugarKane 12 years ago

I was disappointed half way through this film because going in I had expected a horror film along the lines of much of Carpenter's other work. Once I realized it's a scifi/comedy I tempered my expectations and enjoyed it much more.

=====
My Horror-centric IMDb Lists: http://www.imdb.com/user/ur5570856/lists

[–] Lisa_Kay 12 years ago

lol I completely agree. I remember watching this movie in the early 90's, but couldn't remember many details of it. So I decided to watch it again a few days ago. And my oh my, how bad was it? lol The music didn't fit the movie at all. The dialogues were terribly cheesy. And what's the deal with the main character?

The fight in the middle of the movie was wayyyy too long and boring and pointless.

I could list a bunch of things that ruined this movie, but I'll just say that I still think the actual concept of the story is quite good and had potential. If someone with more talent would remake this, I'd definitely give it a shot.

[–] yfguitarist 12 years ago

My friend and I certainly had the same reaction, as we found much to laugh at.

[–] lenlarga 12 years ago

In some sense you are right- but I would call this the best "bad" movie of all time. So bad it's good. And I think the 5 or 6 minute sequence when our main character puts on the glasses will go down in history as one of the most bizarre and funny social commentaries in cinema history.