|
''They Live'' was ranked #18 on ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' magazine's "The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83" list in 2008.<ref name="EWCult">{{cite magazine | title=The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83 | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | url=https://ew.com/gallery/cult-25-essential-left-field-movie-hits-83 | access-date=August 16, 2016 | publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=August 27, 2008 | author=EW Staff | archive-date=July 13, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713120750/http://www.ew.com/gallery/cult-25-essential-left-field-movie-hits-83 | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[Rotten Tomatoes]] ranked the fight scene between Roddy Piper's character, Nada, and Keith David's character, Frank Armitage, seventh on their list of "The 20 Greatest Fight Scenes Ever".<ref>{{cite web | last=Ryan | first=Tim | title=Total Recall: The 20 Greatest Fights Scenes Ever | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/Total-Recall-The-20-Greatest-Fights-Scenes-Ever/ | date=April 17, 2008 | access-date=December 14, 2016 | publisher=[[Fandango Media]] | archive-date=February 19, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219190200/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/Total-Recall-The-20-Greatest-Fights-Scenes-Ever/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The fight scene influenced the 2008 film ''[[The Wrestler (2008 film)|The Wrestler]]'', whose director, [[Darren Aronofsky]], interpreted the scene as a spoof.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/07/31/roddy-piper-they-live-dead|title=Remembering Roddy Piper's rowdy film career|last=Frannich|first=Darren|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=July 31, 2015|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-date=June 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603102036/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/31/roddy-piper-they-live-dead|url-status=live}}</ref> The fight scene was parodied by the TV show ''[[South Park]]'' in the episode "[[Cripple Fight]].". [[Shepard Fairey]] credits the film as a major source of inspiration, sharing a similar logo to his "[[Andre the Giant Has a Posse]]" campaign. "''They Live'' was…thewas...the basis for my use of the word 'obey',", Fairey said. "The movie has a very strong message about the power of commercialism and the way that people are manipulated by advertising.".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://slashfilm.com/cool-stuff-shepard-faireys-they-live-mondo-poster |title=Cool Stuff: Shepard Fairey's 'They Live' Mondo Poster |work=[[/Film]] |date=June 9, 2011 |access-date=March 8, 2013 |first=Germain |last=Lussier |archive-date=May 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517001849/http://www.slashfilm.com/cool-stuff-shepard-faireys-they-live-mondo-poster/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Novelist [[Jonathan Lethem]] called ''They Live'' one of his "favorite movies of the eighties, hands down". He said, "It's a great movie...Look at what it does to people, look at how it emboldens and provokes...It's disturbing and ridiculous and outrageous and uncomfortable, but I think it's the kind of great movie that doesn't really need defense, it just needs to be given the air.". Lethem wrote a book-length homage to the movie for the [[Soft Skull Press]] ''Deep Focus'' series.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kachka |first=Boris |url=https://vulture.com/2010/10/jonathan_lethem_says_tk.html |title=Jonathan Lethem on John Carpenter's They Live and His Own Move to California |publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York Media]] |work=Vulture |access-date=July 29, 2012 |date=October 28, 2010 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205423/http://www.vulture.com/2010/10/jonathan_lethem_says_tk.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The 2013 video game ''[[Saints Row IV]]'' features an extended parody of ''Theythe Live'',film with Roddy Piper and Keith David voicing fictionalized versions of themselves in a recreation of the fight scene between Nada and Armitage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-new-saints-row-rings-the-death-knell-for-silly-game-1847571588|title=The New Saints Row Rings The Death Knell For Silly Games|quote=A game in which they hired Roddy Piper and Keith David to recreate their famous fight scene from ''They Live''.|last=Walker|first=John|website=[[Kotaku]]|date=August 27, 2021|access-date=December 27, 2021}}</ref>
Rock band [[Green Day]] paid homage to ''They Live'' in their music video for "Back in the USA" from the album ''[[Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-green-days-they-live-inspired-back-in-the-usa-video-w512075|title=See Green Day's 'They Live'-Inspired 'Back in the USA' Video|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=December 13, 2017|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=November 17, 2017|archive-date=December 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214015230/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-green-days-they-live-inspired-back-in-the-usa-video-w512075|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, punk band [[Anti-Flag]] used the film as inspiration for their 2020the music video, for their song "[[20/20 Vision (Anti-Flag album)|The Disease]]". [[David Banner]] and [[9th Wonder]] also used the film as the influence behind their 2010 video for "Slow Down".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wallace |first1=Emanuel |title=DAVID BANNER & 9TH WONDER :: DEATH OF A POP STAR |url=https://www.rapreviews.com/2011/04/david-banner-9th-wonder-death-of-a-pop-star/ |website=rapreviews.com |publisher=Rap Reviews |access-date=2023-03-04}}</ref>
Minnesota-based alternative hip-hop artist [[P.O.S (rapper)|P.O.S.]] used scenes from the film interspersed with clips of himself for the song, "Roddy Piper" offfrom his 2017 album, ''[[Chill, Dummy]]''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}
In July 2018, the film was selected to be screened in the Venice Classics section at the [[75th Venice International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/news/restored-films-venezia-classici |title=Biennale Cinema 2018, Venice Classics |work=labiennale.org |date=July 13, 2018 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-date=23 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723003653/http://www.labiennale.org/en/news/restored-films-venezia-classici |url-status=live }}</ref>
The film is noted for a popularly quoted line spoken by Nada: "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum.".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sovereignman.com/investing/i-have-come-here-to-chew-bubblegum-and-kick-ass-and-im-all-out-of-bubblegum-17318/|title=I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum.|date=2015-08-03|website=Sovereign Man|language=en|access-date=2019-03-02|archive-date=2019-03-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302210325/https://www.sovereignman.com/investing/i-have-come-here-to-chew-bubblegum-and-kick-ass-and-im-all-out-of-bubblegum-17318/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The main character [[Duke Nukem (character)|Duke Nukem]] in the video game ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'' was made to be a mix of 80's and 90's action moviefilm stars, including Roddy Piper, [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], [[Bruce Willis]], [[Kurt Russell]], and [[Bruce Campbell]]. His look was partially based on Nada's appearance, sporting a similar sunglasses and quoting many lines from the moviefilm.
===Home media===
|
