"They Live" at the AFI Silver (Aug. 1 - 6)

August 4, 11:49 AMClassic TV ExaminerDoug Krentzlin

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From the very beginning of the genre, there have been science-fiction films with political overtones. (Some that come immediately to mind are “Shape of Things to Come,” “The Thing from Another World,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”)

John Carpenter’s “They Live” (1988), however, is so looney-tunes and over-the-top that it transcends the genre and qualifies as a goofy, guilty pleasure. The film’s decidedly unsubtle premise is that the rich and powerful that run this country are alien invaders. Literally.

Unemployed construction worker Roddy Piper is the story’s Everyman who stumbles upon the truth when he finds a pair of sunglasses that reveal who is an alien and who isn’t. One “highlight” that has to be seen to be believed is a fight in an alley between Piper and Keith David that seems to go on forever.

The AFI Silver is showing “They Live” as part of their 80s festival on Friday (Aug.1) and Saturday (Aug. 2) at 11:45 p.m. and Wednesday (Aug. 6) at 10:20 p.m. (For tickets, call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/silver). The showtimes might fall short of 12 p.m., but this is definitely “midnight movie” material at its most gloriously kitschy.