Great cinematic moments and characters remain timeless and constant. They live on through the impact they leave on our younger selves. But sometimes, they might just be a bit ahead of their time. When that happens, it can be 30 years before you finally revisit a classic and realize just how spot on it was. Maybe they’re a deliberate message from the future, coming to us in our dreams to warn us of a future not yet set in stone. Maybe they’re just an excuse to watch two badass 80s legends wail on each other for 7 minutes. Regardless, it’s Friday, and that means it’s time to reflect as we close in on the weekend.

So, for this Flashback Friday, This Guy’s watching. . .

John Carpenter’s They Live

A drifter (never named, but credited as Nada) strolls into LA looking for work and finds himself joining a construction job. Fellow unfortunate, Frank, leads Nada to a shantytown where he can find food and a place to sleep. While there, Nada is drawn to some strange activity nearby, including a preacher screaming for people to wake up, and an intermittent TV signal warning of oppression and control. The shantytown is soon cleared out by cops, and nada finds himself in possession of a stash of sunglasses he snatched in the chaos. The sunglasses allow him to see through the curtain of the world, showing a network of subliminal messages and brainwashing on behalf of an invading alien force.

“Brother, life’s a bitch. And she’s back in heat.”

John Carpenter is the Alpha and Omega when it comes to 80s badassery. And They Live fits right alongside his other classics like Escape From New York and Big Trouble In Little China. Roddy Piper is an awesome action hero, and the flick filled with tons of memorable one-liners. Not to mention, hands down the most incredible fist fight in movie history.

Alley brawl aside, the biggest thing people tend to remember about They Live is the fact that its message of unrestrained capitalism, class warfare, and the rampancy of the “1%” is truer today than even when it was released. Cheesy makeup and mullets aside, the movie could’ve been written today and nothing else need be changed. It’s unfortunately become a timelsss message, and an oddly eerie one at that with the state of today’s political climate and media.

Ultimately, whether you’re interested in the politics of the time or not, They Live remains an absolute classic piece of 80s history. It’s a cleverly written actioner, with a great hero, scary villains, and a kickass Carpenter (not that one) soundtrack. So, tool up, put your shades on, and see this movie for the treasure it is. Obey. Obey. Obey. . .