The 1988 John Carpenter film featuring sunglasses that reveal aliens hiding among humans is They Live.
Roddy Piper stars as John Nada, a drifter who discovers a hidden resistance and a supply of special sunglasses. When he puts them on, the world appears in stark monochrome: subliminal messages such as “OBEY” and “CONSUME” become visible, and some apparently human people are exposed as skull-faced aliens.
The glasses are more than a science-fiction gadget. Carpenter uses them to dramatize the idea that ideology and advertising can conceal exploitation in ordinary life. The aliens have taken control of institutions and collaborate with wealthy humans, while consuming Earth’s resources and altering its atmosphere. The film’s satire was influenced by Carpenter’s dissatisfaction with Reagan-era economics and commercial culture.
They Live also became famous for its extended alley fight between Nada and Frank Armitage, played by Keith David. The movie was initially modestly received but became a cult classic, remembered for its political premise, blunt slogans, and the line “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass.”