The Man Who Fell To Earth Reviews

Nicolas Roeg's Best Film?

A previous review seems to illustrate 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' is a love it or hate it experience. I personally love it - I think it's the best film Nicolas Roeg ever made and possibly my favourite film ever. The great thing about it is that it is so multi-layered that it appears different every time you watch it. With each viewing you notice fresh details and nuances.

Bowie's performance is impeccable - can you imagine anybody else in this role? Easily his best film performance. And he looks fantastic! A classic - Five stars!!

Ground Control To Major Tom...

The film that launched Bowie's acting career. This will please Bowie and Sci-Fi fans alike. David brings all his unique wierdness to the part. The alien lost on Earth storyline is by no means unique but the exploration of the character's feelings and 'human' flaws is a pleasant change from the usual 'them and us' scenario, and, for once the aliens are not out to conquer or destroy mankind. I watched this at the cinema in 1976 and for me the film has stood the test of time.

wonderfully thought-provoking

This is a very arty film but with a convincing and effective story. The images are beautifully representative and capture the feelings while improvising the detail.

David Bowie is excellent. His emergence as an alien using commercial means to escape this planet is captivating in its audacity. He almost succeeds, but for the corrupt and corrupting influences upon him. Cindy looks to him for her salvation but he is quite unable to provide it. Nor can he save his family on their alien planet. Everyone will have his own understanding of this great film. For me this is an alternative outcome to a biblical analogy which I find very satisfying. An important film.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Loving The alien

I first saw this film as a child, on a small black and white tv around 1980 when I was a fanatical Bowie fan. And Bowie's presence in this film is essential - even when I read the original novel I needed to imagine Thomas Jerome Newton as David Bowie. Without Bowie its easy to imagine that this film would have been much less interesting. But with Bowie, a whole new area opens up. TJN is Bowie. A man nervous of his new found fame and noteriety. A shy and private man necessarily thrust into the spotlight in order to acheive his mission on earth.

Bowie was imploding at the time. Drugs, rock n roll and a tremendous amount of sex was having an impact on his health, physical and mental. This film acts as a full stop to that period in Bowie's life, just before he relocated to Europe - his Berlin period. He should have used this as a full stop to his actiong career too. we would have remembered him for his one magnificent and eccentric performance.

This is not only Bowie's finest perfomance, but also, Candy Clarke's performance as TJN's girlfriend/wife is probably the best of her career. There's the peeing scene when she sees Tommy without his makeup and contact lenses; a study in pure terror. Then she loses her grip on sanity and becomes batty and middle aged. All convincingly acted.

The story - not all that complicated really, although many people become confused and consider it to be weird. But you do have to pay attention - easier if you have a pause and rewind button.

Go on give it a shot. You'll either love it or hate it.

Oh dear....

Being a big Bowie fan (aint we all?) I was hoping that this was gonna be great... All I can say is what a shame. Bad acting from all, a story line that feels like it was made up the day filming started the list goes on.... Does not change my opinion of David however, still think he's fab. I do think that he should stick to what he's good at though and stay away from the screen.

Classic movie, probably Roegs' best.

This movie is quite long but the direction and screenplay keep the intelligent viewer engaged.

To say it is thought provoking is an understatement - this will be lost on the 'nanosecond attention span' MTV generation as most previous reviews testify.

[Highly rated reviewer]

So so, brilliant at times, terrible at others

Horribly flawed, in that it starts off briliantly, very stylish, and Bowie is amazing when he doesn't need to speak/act. Wasted idea overall, as it just goes on and on, over 2 hours, and the last hour is mostly jibberish, with silly stories going on totally disjointed, and very slow. Lacking any style or substance.

Worth watching for sure, but the 1st and 2nd half are like 2 different films.

Down to Earth with a bump

The plot can require a little effort from time to time, but the rewards are there.

Hollywood has a habit of casting english actors as bad guys or foreigners but this time they've pushed the frontier further, and engaged David Bowie as an eccentric and reclusive alien. Remake this today, and Michael Jackson would be totally at home in the leading role.

The storyline pays homage to the "only in America" concept that our cousins are fond of announcing, but simultaenously projects society on a "warts and all" basis with a rough and raw quality about it that bumps along.

One could also accept this film as the "germ of the idea" that ultimately led to "Men in Black" with the "aliens are already here... how do you think we got CDs" revelations.

What is disturbing is that Bowie's alien comes to Earth, merely seeking a discreet trade of technology for a payload of water, and the authorities react in a knee-jerk mafioso fashion.

A wagging finger and "tut tut" is aimed at society (via the medical profession) when Bowie's valid concerns about physical damage are ignored as the rantings of a lunatic during an examination; as if to say to us all "don't be so quick to make assumptions".

Xenophobes and plebians... you'll waste your time with this film, but if you have a more open mind, watch this film, and you will be rewarded.

Give it a miss Bowie, you've got music to redefine

Good script, good director, superb music artist = sub standard movie.

I don't like to say this, but this would of been a really good film, if Mr. Bowie was not in the lead role.

Plus, this was when he was on a musical high with Station to Station and it still didn't work!

Great director, detailed scenes, very watch able, but try to pretend that isn't Bowie and you'll probably enjoy it.

nothing ch ch ch changes

it's david bowie.. playing an alien who fell to earth 'disguised' as an androgynous orange haired multi-millionaire alcoholic scientific genius... if u like bowie you'll love it, if you don't you'll probably not have the patience to sit thru it (it is very long and confusing)....

i spent most of the early 80s watching this over and over on video and now it's on dvd!

as for the idiots who wrote 'it's weird' and bowie 'looks weird' .. derrr... what did u expect... it's bowie... he was light years ahead of everyone then, and still is

great movie... great performance from bowie, well, he just plays bowie but he does it so well!