The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Starring: David Bowie, Rip Torn
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Reel Snapshot: Sci-fi cult classic about alien seeking water for dying planet is dated, slow-paced, but remains a must-see for genre devotees. Memorable imagery also pleases art-house fans seeking original, offbeat fare.

Runtime: 118 minutes
Rating: R
Genre: Cult, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

RaM's Review: - Ok I hate to say it, but this one practically puts me to sleep. There's a few times the scenes are interesting, lots of times you wonder what is going on and the scenes are long and drawn out, so you may need to view this one a few times to appreciate it. Bowie, of course, is perfect as an alien character. A sad tale, again, of the corrupt and commercialized world we live in (as a fan of the music, of course, I can see the early development of the ideas that entail "Johnny" and the "I'm Afraid of Americans" concept). I think this movie could have been better - perhaps improving the cinematography which was quite bleak at times, but that was more than likely for effect - the starkness and blandness of how Bowie's character viewed Earth. Well I guess I would be rather bored too, if I couldn't eat any food and just drank water all day. Still, this one is a must-see for a Bowie fan. Of course, you just want to cuddle up that alien, make him feel better and take away his pain!


Niki from Gloucester, UK Review: -I had to see this three times and then it really became one of my favourite films .. It is the perfect David Bowie film using the "alien" character and it has a sad feel to it, especially the scenes where you see his little family... I think the story is a brilliant one and David Bowie and Candy Clarke play their roles superbly. You do have to concentrate the first time on seeing it......being a big Bowie fan you cannot just "ogle" over him otherwise you won't get the plot! perhaps thats what i did wrong the first time i saw it !! Just looked at him!

The mood of the film is very dark and rather sad...you do feel sorry for him!...but this kind of story really appeals to me.

David and the "space fascination thing" go together brilliantly and he plays the part perfect.It is a haunting film too.

Love the scene where he is watching all the televisions at once !!!!.."Chaos is killing me"..the lyric fits well there! I would always watch this film at any opportunity!


No1BowieLover from AOL Review: -
I bought this film, as I am a big fan of David Bowie, there were bits I didn't get, I think David Bowie is a good actor nevertheless, this has to be my favourite film partly because it has Bowie in it. I don't think they could pick Anyone to be the alien at that time, he looks the part.


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