One of John Carpenter’s most enjoyable films, They Live features Roddy Piper as a drifter who decides to take action when he discovers (after donning a pair of special sunglasses) that America has been taken over by aliens that occupy the top jobs and send out subliminal messages instructing the working man to conform. The film’s political message is clear enough, and Carpenter delivers it with the kind of imagination and skill that makes for great entertainment. ‘I’m here to kick ass and chew bubblegum,’ says Piper, ‘and I’m all out of bubblegum.’