It's always great to find an old classic that you haven't seen in years and you enjoy it every bit as when you first saw it. This movie is one of the jewels of John Carpenter's career that has been running strong since Halloween was released in the seventies. Having Roddy Piper star as the action lead here was a stroke of genius, he plays the rugged construction worker to a tee and when it comes time to kick ass, well what can I say, he does have some experience there. Using science fiction to talk about current social situations isn't new, but how Carpenter uses it here is very well done. A lone drifter discovers that aliens are slowly taking control of the government and the rich upper class, and keeping the rest of us in line through manipulation and subliminal messages. This is not a big special effects movie but what they do use is very good and not over done. One of the best lines in a sci-fi movie is used here, "I've come to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum," the line is delivered straight forward by Piper and works for the situation and the character. The movie moves so fast that you don't even realize that an hour and a half has gone by, and by the end your left breathless and wanting more.
If you've never seen this film, you're definitely been missing out, it's one of those hidden gems that most people have heard about but haven't seen. I wish that Piper had gone on to do other action films, he shines here and comes across as a seasoned actor, and given the right role he could have soared into stardom. But what we're left with is a project that showcases the excellent talent of one of the greatest directors that we've seen in years and the budding talent of an actor who could rival the likes of Willis or Schwarzenegger
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