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.

[–] Jones70 (6862) 6 years ago

I found it very entertaining.

[–] BurningSun (717) 5 years ago

My dad has always said They Live is one of the most stupid films he’s ever seen, mostly in part to Roddy Piper, who called “a blubbering idiot”. So you’re certainly not alone in thinking this movie sucks.

I think the first half of the film is a tad bit clunky. Nothing too bad, and the plot is still intriguing enough to hold your interest, but it could’ve been a lot tighter and a lot better. Piper’s one liners are the lamest part of the movie for, as they just don’t fit with the rest of the movie. However, it’s the second half of the film where it truly gets good. The plot becomes tighter, and the stakes become higher. The first time I saw it, I was about 30 minutes in and I was saying to myself “it’s good I guess, but maybe a bit overrated” but then the second half started and I found myself fully engaged in the plot and characters, and the film ends on a fantastic note.

[–] chilone (18316) 5 years ago

I think it was really, REALLY bad and not even "so bad, it's good" bad. Just bad and stupid.

[–] Druff (1845) 5 years ago

I suppose it's safe to say it's very overrated by a lot of people. It's silly, it's kitschy... but it is a great bit of pointed social commentary that's even more relevant today than when it came out, and that's impressive. And for that reason, I'm willing to give it a pass.