The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7

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  1. pb_ee1
    Sep 11, 2011
    5
    A very, very, very weird movie (and I mean it). The summary says it all: this is ART. But art that was made more than 40 years ago doesn't always age without any hurt. The movie navigates between sex (a lot), the story and some scenes that are so totally bizarre that you will certainly laugh of it. The movie expresses some ideas but in a way that clearly shows the limitations of the special effects of that time: the first few minutes demonstrates it perfectly. Whereas it is understandable that effects couldn't be as good in 1976 as what we are used to see nowadays, the movie unfortunately got really old since it was released. The spectator is most of the time not transported, ideas are indeed presented in an old fashioned way that doesn't work anymore. The Man Who Fell to Earth isn't the worse movie of all times however. The acting of David Bowie is transcendent and the criticism of the society, that doesn't accept differences, is well done. But it's probably the weirdest movie that you will ever see.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    Aug 25, 2011
    75
    There's an inherent contradiction at the film's core: this sexually explicit motion picture, seemingly made by and for altered consciousnesses, is all about how an innocent newcomer falls prey to gin, sex, and television.
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  2. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Jul 21, 2011
    75
    It's not just the grainy stock and bad sound - technically, we've come a long way. It's the cheesy sex, the awkward edits, the hammy symbolism, the mix of art-house aesthetics and exploitation cliché. Strange creature, this is.
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  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Jul 14, 2011
    75
    Bowie, slender, elegant, remote, evokes this alien so successfully that one could say, without irony, this was a role he was born to play.
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