# They Live

12 Hacker News commenters recommended They Live and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as an entertaining cult satire of consumerism and authority that shaped how they think about advertising and conformity. Critics find it uneven and the subliminal messages distracting.

## Why people recommend it

- Sharp satire of consumerism (2 comments): "the other half is a thoughtful commentary on the age of consumerism" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48105323)) "They Live is such a good metaphor for so much of the modern world" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48109178))
- Entertaining cult classic, fun (4 comments): "I love the film - blew my mind when I saw it on cable just after it came out." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48106299)) ""They live" was a cult classic, and great fun if you were a Roddy Piper fan." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104633)) "it's just an eminently entertaining movie" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104322))
- Lasting influence on worldview (2 comments): "I think it was a healthy formative influence for me and primed me for rejecting fads / peer pressure, distrusting authority, etc." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104075)) "I'd been inoculated by this movie" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104162))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Blade Runner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blade-runner.md): 54 recommend
- [Colossus: The Forbin Project](https://hackerapproved.com/p/colossus-the-forbin-project.md): 35 recommend
- [Jurassic Park (1993 film)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jurassic-park.md): 32 recommend
- [The Fifth Element](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fifth-element.md): 24 recommend
- [Terminator 2: Judgment Day](https://hackerapproved.com/p/terminator-2-judgment-day.md): 21 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "They Live", https://hackerapproved.com/p/they-live/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).