The Man from Earth
Reviews
Andres Gomez
A great idea for a movie developed in a witty script. Well done and with a decent cast. Perfect for being played also in the theaters or watched under the blanket at home.
furious_iz
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! Maybe that statement is a little facetious, but I feel it is true. I read **_AMAZING_** reviews for this film. I went in with high hopes, expecting a well acted, thoughtful, existential and quiet science fiction film. Instead I saw a film so poor I wondered what's the scam here? How could this film possibly have a score in the high 7s. The premise is solid at first glance, but as the film moves along it delves deeper and deeper in to melodrama, and then eventually patronising and insulting trash. I am agnostic, but I found the religion bashing heavy handed and unnecessary. Most of the actors were doing the best they could with the script, but everything comes across flat and lifeless. None of the characters rang true. None of the dialogue sounded like how real people actually talk. If you want to make a science fiction film that shies away from special effects, and instead relies on realism and storytelling, you had better make the dialogue realistic, and the storytelling compelling. Sadly neither are found here. The look of the film, I get that it is a low budget film made on a single location, but the quality of the film stock! It may seem petty, but I could not get over the thought that I have seen better looking lifetime films. Honestly I have seen better looking daytime soaps from the 80s. Basically I don't get why anyone would call this film good, let alone a masterpiece. I have read rave reviews, 10/10 reviews, gushing about how thought provoking and challenging this film was. My thoughts were ones of disdain. My challenge was to finish this abysmal film. Many of the reviews seem to fixate on the fact that the writer of this wrote for the original Star Trek series. That to me is not a good enough reason to rate this film highly. I honestly felt ripped off by this film. I've been told I didn't get it, but sadly I did. I understood every scene, I understood the implications, I understood the moral dilemmas and deeper meaning of what was being said. It's just that the deeper meaning was shallow and unconvincing. I've been told maybe I should have watched Transformers instead. Just for the record, I was looking forward to a slow, intelligent film minus explosions. Instead I got, this. 3/10, avoid unless you have already drunk the kool-aid and are pre-conditioned to love the film because the writer worked on Star Trek.
Hossein
I'd like to invite you to **believe the hype**. This movie is very well written and simply great. Keeps you at the edge of your seat and doesn't fail to amaze you till its very last second.
RalphRahal
The Man From Earth is a rare gem in indie filmmaking, a movie that relies solely on its thought-provoking writing and concept rather than flashy visuals or high-budget effects. Directed by Richard Schenkman and written by Jerome Bixby, the film unfolds entirely through dialogue, as a college professor reveals an extraordinary secret to his friends during an intimate gathering. The story is the heart of the movie, blending history, philosophy, and science fiction into a compelling narrative. It challenges viewers to think deeply about humanity, mortality, and the nature of belief. Despite its minimalist approach, the script is captivating, offering twists and intellectual depth that keep the audience engaged. However, the performances are uneven. While Richard Riehle stands out with a grounded and heartfelt portrayal, David Lee Smith as John—the enigmatic central character—falls flat. His portrayal lacks the emotional depth needed to make such a profound character relatable or compelling. Given John's fascinating background, this detachment feels like a missed opportunity to connect with the audience on a deeper level. The rest of the cast, including John Billingsley, deliver serviceable performances, but none leave a lasting impression. What makes The Man From Earth truly unique is its appeal to open-minded viewers. It thrives on its ability to explore big ideas and timeless debates, inviting its audience to ponder questions about history, religion, and the limits of human understanding. While the lack of cinematic flair and some stiff performances may detract slightly from the experience, the strength of its writing and concept make it a must-watch for fans of intellectual storytelling. This is a film that may not resonate with everyone, but for those willing to engage with its ideas, it’s a deeply rewarding journey.
Movie Recommendation
The Man from Earth: Holocene2017-10-1314,000-year-old "Man from Earth" John Oldman, now teaching in northern California, realizes that not only is he finally starting to age, but four students have discovered his deepest secret, putting his life in grave danger and potentially destroying the world's most popular religion.More...
Bleach2018-07-20High school student Ichigo Kurosaki lives an ordinary life, besides being able to see ghosts and the blurry memories of his mother's death under strange circumstances when he was a kid. His peaceful world suddenly breaks as he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a God of Death.More...
Love2011-02-02After losing contact with Earth, Astronaut Lee Miller becomes stranded in orbit alone aboard the International Space Station. As time passes and life support systems dwindle, Lee battles to maintain his sanity - and simply stay alive. His world is a claustrophobic and lonely existence, until he makes a strange discovery aboard the ship.More...
The Method2005-09-22Seven candidates to a high executive position on a multinational company show up for a selection test in a skyscraper at the financial district. Among them, the most disparate personalities: the winner, the aggressive, the insecure, the critic, the indecisive…More...
Heist School2006-10-20Five high school students plans to steal University Entrance Exam booklets.More...
K-PAX2001-10-26Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.More...
The Sunset Limited2011-02-12A deeply religious black ex-con thwarts the suicide attempt of an asocial white college professor who tries to throw himself in front of an oncoming subway train, 'The Sunset Limited.' As the one attempts to connect on a rational, spiritual and emotional level, the other remains steadfast in his hard-earned despair. Locked in a philosophical debate, both passionately defend their personal credos and try to convert the other.More...
Quest for Fire1981-12-16In the prehistoric world, a Cro-Magnon tribe depends on an ever-burning source of fire, which eventually extinguishes. Lacking the knowledge to start a new fire, the tribe sends three warriors on a quest for more. With the tribe's future at stake, the warriors make their way across a treacherous landscape full of hostile tribes and monstrous beasts. On their journey, they encounter Ika, a woman who has the knowledge they seek.More...
Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu2013-04-20One year after the events of the anime, Rintarou begins to feel the repercussions of extensive time travel, and eventually completely fades from reality. Kurisu, being the only companion to remember him, now must find a way to bring him back.More...
Green Book2018-11-16Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.More...
The Suicide Shop2012-09-26In a cold French city where suicide is a common urge, there is a colorful shop, managed for many years by the Tuvache family, where it is very easy to obtain the necessary tools to satisfy the sinister desires of so many depressed citizens.More...
Frost/Nixon2008-10-15For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harboured doubts about their boss's ability to hold his own. But as the cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.More...
Starbuck2011-07-27David Wozniak is a perpetual adolescent who discovers that, as a sperm donor, he has fathered 533 children. He is advised that more than 100 of his offspring are trying to force the fertility clinic to reveal the true identity of "Starbuck," the pseudonym he used when donating his sperm. To make matters worse, his girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child, but doesn't feel that he is mature enough to be a father.More...
World of Tomorrow2015-01-22A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future.More...
Magic1978-11-08A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.More...
The Man from Laramie1955-08-19Will Lockhart arrives in Coronado, an isolated town in New Mexico, in search of someone who sells rifles to the Apache tribe, finding himself unwillingly drawn into the convoluted life of a local ranching family whose members seem to have a lot to hide.More...
Common Wealth2000-09-29Julia, a real estate agent, finds an enormous amount of money hidden in a dead man's apartment, a stroke of luck that will force her to face the wrath of the very peculiar inhabitants of the community, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the money.More...
The Road Home1999-10-16Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.More...
Udta Punjab2016-06-17Drug abuse and the darker side of Punjab rear their heads in the intense, interwoven tales of a policeman, a doctor, a migrant worker, and a rockstar.More...
Nine Dead2010-03-09Communication is the key to the survival for nine strangers who have been kidnapped by a masked gunman and told that one of them will die every ten minutes until they discover how they are all connected. Who of the nine lives and who dies?More...
Similar Movies
Fisher
2021-11-17In the small town of Eden, Tennessee, a neglected and naive teenage girl named Clara Banks has made a habit of deceiving people online for gifts, a gambit known as "catfishing." She thinks it's all fun and games until she hooks the attention of the wrong person. A short time later, events set into motion spiral out of control as someone begins stalking Clara and her friends. As the consequences of her actions return to haunt her, twisted messages start showing up at Clara's home, causing her to fear for her life. Will she ever feel safe again now that the evil has come knocking?Alex/October
2022-09-30A desperate man places a bizarre classified ad to end his life, but a strange turn of events occurs when an aimless girl decides to answer. As their lives collide, they realize the smallest choices can be the difference between life and death.Zardoz
1974-02-06In the far future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.Executive Decision
1996-03-15Terrorists hijack a 747 inbound to Washington D.C., demanding the release of their imprisoned leader. Intelligence expert David Grant (Kurt Russell) suspects another reason and he is soon the reluctant member of a special assault team that is assigned to intercept the plane and hijackers.Jesus
1999-12-05Jesus, a carpenter living a simple life, discovers his destiny as the biblical Messiah.Westworld
1973-08-15Delos is a futuristic amusement park that features themed worlds populated by human-like androids. After two patrons have a run-in with a menacing gunslinger in West World, the androids at Delos all begin to malfunction, causing havoc throughout the park.The Island of Thirty ...
1979-09-21The story takes place in 1917. Véronique is a young woman of 35 years, nurse at the military hospital of Besançon. She suddenly learns of the murder of her husband, the mysterious Count Vorski, whom she has not seen for fourteen years. Her research will also lead her to the track of her father and son whom she believed to have died in a shipwreck, already a long time ago. From clue to clue, here we are in Brittany, on this island with a name so ill-fitting... Brutal deaths, enigmatic words written... by whom? A frightening prophecy, the superstitious terror of the island's inhabitants, and suddenly, Veronica d'Hergemont can no longer leave this island. She's stuck alone. Almost alone...Joseph
1995-04-10Joseph, favored son of Jacob and great-grandson of Abraham, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Rising to become prime minister of Egypt. Joseph governed the country during a seven year famine, during which his brothers visit Egypt seeking grain, only to encounter their brother, presumed long dead.The Greatest Story Ev...
1965-04-09From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ's crucifixion and miraculous return.The Nativity Story
2006-11-30Mary and Joseph make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this retelling of the Nativity story. This meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in a quiet manger and Jesus is born.Porté disparu
1995-07-06Twenty years after his disappearance and while everyone believes him dead, Jacques returns home incognito under the name Laurent Dupas. He finds his wife Hélène, who has remarried Eric, a bank manager. They all look happy. But behind this idyllic family picture lies a mystery.Battlefield Earth
2000-05-12In the year 3000, man is no match for the Psychlos, a greedy, manipulative race of aliens on a quest for ultimate profit. Led by the powerful Terl, the Psychlos are stripping Earth clean of its natural resources, using the broken remnants of humanity as slaves. What is left of the human race has descended into a near primitive state. After being captured, it is up to Tyler to save mankind.Moleman 4: Longplay
2017-03-24It is the year 2546. Corporations rule the world, and an agent is on a secret mission to explore the untold stories of the past. His journey leads him into a secret virtual reality where one corporation has recreated the 1980s, an era that witnessed the birth of video game development, an event in which a politically and economically restricted small European country, Hungary, had a significant role. He discovers a strange but exciting world, where computers were smuggled through the Iron Curtain and serious engineers started developing games. This small country was still under Soviet pressure when a group of people managed to set up one of the first game development studios in the world, and western computer stores started clearing room on their shelves for Hungarian products.The Girl of the Mount...
1974-03-09An unbaptized woman is killed because of the regressive mentality existing in the mountains of northern Albania.Salò, or the 120 Days...
1976-01-10Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.Queen Bee
2020-08-08There is no descriptionMark of the Dead Man
1961-10-12Mad scientist brings his dead mad scientist grandfather back to life and makes a Frankenstein-type monster out of him.The Shout
1976-10-26Based on the works of Sterjo Spasse. Kujtim Morava goes to work in a remote village. He assists in the destruction of churches and mosques since they spread a regressive mentality.The Night of the Hunt...
1955-07-27In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.Battle Royale
2000-12-16In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.