The Man From Earth Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he is an immortal who has walked the earth for 14,000 years.
| John Billingsley | Harry |
| Ellen Crawford | Edith |
| William Katt | Art |
| Annika Peterson | Sandy |
| Richard Riehle | Gruber |
| David Lee Smith | John |
| Alexis Thorpe | Linda |
| Tony Todd | Dan |
| Steven Littles | Moving Man #1 |
| Chase Sprague | Moving Man #2 |
| Robbie Bryan | Officer |
| Richard Schenkman |
8.20 out of 10 (13719 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A Great SF Movie
posted on 26 Aug 2009I've recently seen two movies that really impressed me. I subscribe to Stephen Hunt's British science fiction/fantasy e-zine: www.SFcrowsnest.com. In a movie review (http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/features/arc/2008/nz13093.php) one of their reviewers raved about "The Man From Earth," writing that "The Man From Earth very probably will be one of the best science fiction films of this decade." Well, I couldn't help but adding it to my Netflix list. With no special effects and set mostly in a professor's living room, I must agree this is a most amazing movie. It is a movie of ideas not action, so don't expect anything remotely similar to Hollywood. But the ideas and the way they are expressed kept me glued to the story and at times finding my jaw dangling.The screenplay writer was Jerome Bixby who contributed stories to both The Twilight Zone and Star Trek. The Star Trek connection is continued here with some of the actors having appeared in the TV series. I don't want to say any more as not to give away what's going on here. You can read the review, but really – you have to see it! Visit my website: www.aadalia.com and its linked blog Wuxia Novelist!
Nice idea, but too absurd to be funny - contains SPOILERS!
posted on 18 Aug 2009First of all: it is hard to categorize this movie. Until the last minute, I was not sure what to make of it. But then, when the final credits came up, I could just - laugh.I am a bit surprised that most comments take this movie for a serious Sci-Fi movie. Admittedly: the plot is not that bad, the dialogues are entertaining (even though they are trying a bit too hard to be intellectual and witty), and it seems to make sense somehow - but then the story gets so exaggerated that it just draws the whole film down to ridiculous.There are (at least) two points which deprive the movie of all its credibility, so you just can't take it seriously any more: the role the protagonist claims to have played in the bible age, and the role of the psychiatrist. Until this point, you can still follow the line, enjoying the discussion of the characters involved; but then - the whole plot gets blown into pieces by that absolutely absurd and ridiculous statement, which is too nonsense to make you actually think and too cheap to actually make you laugh.I can, for the life of me, not see in what respect this movie could be considered intellectual. It is based on one interesting idea, but doesn't make much of it and leaves you wondering why you just spent your precious time on a half-baked fantasy story. I am not sure whether the director was aiming at being a Sci-Fi guru or a comedian - to my opinion, he failed in both.
Thought Provoking
posted on 18 Aug 2009I have never paused a movie so often. Every 10 minutes or so, we'd have to stop the DVD player so we could talk about whether we thought Oldman was a convincing 14,000 year old. We talked about everything from historic weather patterns, to epistemology. The movie addresses historiography, comparative religion, and almost every social science and humanities topic out there. We even got into a 30 minute discussion of quantum immortality. This movie is so deep with philosophical, psychological, and sociological implications that, much like a Shakespeare play, there are seemingly indefinite ways to look at it. This is one of the best scripts for any movie I've ever seen.The only major problem is the acting, which is really mediocre. I've seen unwilling students in a high school drama class act more convincingly. With the exception of Todd and Smith, the actors really hindered this script by being really stiff and unnatural in all their reactions.
Brilliantly Intelligent
posted on 16 Aug 2009This was the last work from famed writer Jerome Bixby (The Twilight Zone's "It's A Good Life" with little Billy Mumy ravaging a rural area with his mental powers, several Star Trek episodes and much more).The story is captivating as Bixby uses real world history to create a "what if?" tale that is extremely intelligent and thought provoking.Though this could easily be a stage play, the conflict, tension and drama pulls the audience in to the point where the set, special effects and any other extraneous element normally associated with film is not missed.Director Richard Schenkman's labor of love shines through by getting the absolute best from a remarkable cast. In fact, Tony Todd's performance is his absolute best.If you love a great story, and love to exercise your mind, indulge in this phenomenal film.
Very Engaging Film!!
posted on 14 Aug 2009I heard about all the internet hype and decided to see this movie for myself. I must say I was extremely glad I did. Very few movies can move along on dialog alone but this one does and does it well.From the start of a hypothetical scenario the plot unravels into discussions about the very nature of humanity and faith. Even though it falls into the science fiction category it isn't bound by the traditional genre elements of futurism and altered sci/tech with big budge action sequences. Rather a simple idea discussed in a rational and thought provoking manner makes it a more plausible movie.I thoroughly enjoyed this movie even as it left me wanting to know more about "The Man from Earth."
Get ready for brain food
posted on 12 Aug 2009This is the kind of movie that grabs you at your intellectual level and challenges you to come face to face with what you know as the truth. The story could not be any simpler and straightforward than this. With only one location, eight characters and a very intense and profound conversation the good old story telling method is back.It looks more like a stage play than a commercially embellished feature film. John, a colleague among the other lecturers who consists of a Christian literalist, anthropologist, archaeologist, psychologist and biologist, is given a farewell get-together on his last day in his home. They were all curious as to why he is leaving without saying goodbye and without a credible reason.After urging him to tell them why he was packing up to go he reveals a secret far greater than they could accept. From an amiable confabulation among friends it gradually disconcerted everyone with the stories of his past and turned the gathering into a debatable contention.There are no sidetracking to this movie but a wholesome erudition of ideas and theories within the confines of a room. This could have been one of the Star Trek or Twilight Zone episodes where thought provocation is the basis of good story telling.Although it looks like a low budget movie with mostly unknown stars this is one of the better movies I have seen in a long time. It is written by Jerome Bixby who is famed for his contribution to Star Trek, The Twilight Zone series and the movie Fantastic Voyage.
Im in awe
posted on 08 Aug 2009This is by far the best thing I have ever seen done with basic single-camera technique. Even if the picture-quality is quite shitty sometimes.I think the reason why religion is so badly discarded in this film as it was is a) all the other spectators are scientists and men of logic b) religion requires a leap of faith, which in turn rules it out of any logical argument basing itself on facts and reality. That is just the way faith works. It works when you believe in it but can't stand a logical argument.I just think religion got a too big part in an otherwise premium discussion. It is not worth the time to analyze someones feelings of betrayal when someone calls himself the easter bunny.The whole thing about the film is the awesome thought of someone being immortal and the feelings of antipathy or admiration that rise from it. And it handles all the issues of it in a fine matter. This just shows how well a good script can carry, even if the actors, the picture quality or the sound sucks.This is probably one of the worst new films I have seen soundwise. Even I do a better job. Please hire me next time? Id probably be better on camera as well.
the movie from earth?
posted on 04 Aug 2009I have watched a lot of movies and hardly ever comment,if at all, however after watching "The Man from Earth," I was driven to change that.This is a movie that is not limited to the film it is recorded on, the sets and locations it was filmed on, the script that spawned it. This is the kind of movie that you get you ask your friends to watch without telling them about the story and after it is done, they have one more reason to call you a friend.The characters are extremely believable, and the conversations were very thought provoking. There are warnings I have seen for people to avoid this movie if they do not like their beliefs being questioned. the movie seems to be a study between belief and disbelief, when we watch the "harry potters" or the "Oceans" series, we suspend our belief system and take things on face value. I challenge you to do the same when watching this movie then challenge you to not be entertained.As I type this comment I am letting the movie play behind my browser screen. the movie works even without the visuals. it is a condensed ball of goodness, a refreshing take on movie-making, minimalist yet has the potential to make you think as much as any other movie possibly could.
Just sharing my opinion
posted on 04 Aug 2009A beautiful, insightful and imaginative story of the human history and of one extraordinary man. I love movies that feel like reading a book, and this is one perfect example of such a story although at its heart this is a story in the oral tradition. The movie does not wish to throw you into a CGI interpretation of the passage of time instead it wants you to experience and feel exactly the same baffling the characters of the story experience when the protagonist announce to be a 14.000 years old man. I love movies with a well thought story and this is one of such fine example. The prehistoric man had the same mental capacity as modern human they just didn't know as much as we do, that came from those thousands of years of pondering the nature of existence. The whole concept of that character is so well thought and realistic that it gives enormous pleasure to watch how it unfolds as the movie progress. I found myself hooked on the idea the same way the characters of the story did, no matter how ludicrous it was the possibility to glimpse into the true nature of history propelled them to stay and ask for more. A beautiful story no doubt, just imagining the scale of 14. 000 years of experience and emotions is mind bugling. And I can't help myself to feel sad for the main character as he sees how the consequences of his revealing go so far away from what he originally thought. As he faces all specters of human emotion from denial and envy to even hatred as he cracked the nature of reality for all of them. The only thing I regret about this movie is that it wasn't longer, after the beautiful ending it leaves you wanting just a bit more. But it raised some interesting questions to ask ourselves after the end, like "how history does create itself?" and the implications of such beings on the rest of humanity, questions of mortality and purpose. I highly recommend this movie to all fans of sci-fi and alternative history as an interesting and creative piece of the 7th art.
Extraordinary!!!
posted on 02 Aug 2009When the movie starts, you will think that is going to be a normal movie with a normal plot. Well..this is everything except true. Minute by minute my eyes were going closer and closer to the screen. The idea of the film is..unique! Actually i still can't realize what is this what i like most about this film. I really can't realize. That's because it is magic! The story is getting revealed slowly, time by time, but in a very mysterious and spectacular way. The actors are well selected. The acting is interesting and sometimes surprising. You should really watch it! It's 100% guaranteed that you are going to fall with this film. Especially, for those who liked "K-Pax", they have just found its replacement!! I hope i could watch so good films more often. In any case, Don't Miss It!!!!!
Medicine for boredom
posted on 23 Jul 2009What an excellent movie! Wonderfully woven around a mind boggling concept. The idea discussed in this movie is so strong and powerful that it did not need any special effects, or even the change of background! Yes, the movie is a discussion among a group of intellectuals(professors to be precise). I found the background score of this movie very haunting and appropriate for association with the ambiance required for the movie.The movie is a complete entertainer, there is thrill and suspense, in the movie, the sort that I have not experienced in years in any movie. It compels you to think, defy the idea, dismiss the incredible and stupid sounding theory and you search for explanation in the quest for which you start admiring how beautifully the idea is defended. This is the kind of movie that takes you to another dimension and question the myths, the realities and faith.I always rated movies secondary to books, in terms of how they can present an idea and can be intellectually challenging. But this movie has achieved the excellence in entertainment, it surely a medicine for your monotonous boredom!
Brilliant!
posted on 21 Jul 2009The movie feels like a low budget production and certainly felt like a waste of time. But I was sucked into the story and thoroughly enjoyed this!The questions and the possibilities had me hooked! Thought provoking, astounding, and emotional. I would not recommend this movie to what I would term "overly" religious. The subject matter may be upsetting for some.If you do believe in God, or a Creator or a Hereafter, but on the other hand can keep in mind that religion is a man made concept, then this movie will provoke some interesting feelings and questions.I highly recommend it!
A solid attempt at retro man genre
posted on 17 Jul 2009This is a great manuscript. As a science fiction screenwriter myself with a few credits, not nearly as seminal as the screenwriter's, however I am not that old nor were alive when potentials were different for this genre.It is clear the writer has been thinking about this topic for a long time, and it was difficult not to make it a giant narrative back story from the protagonist's, nay antihero's lips. Too difficult, perhaps.Surrounding the main character with experts close in relationship abilified to qualify his story, made this hard to see as more than a quintessential talking heads film driving the basic assumption, perhaps trapping the storytelling in maintaining suspension of disbelief rather than showing and not telling.I wonder if this story would not be better served rather than as a giant justification of existence over green label scotch in a cabin where character actors can really shine in ensemble than to have gone the other way in production value choices and shown the man's life instead of discussing it. I haven't seen the source material nor had time to consider fully how it may best be presented as entertainment.Showing the man's life of course, would have been a prohibitively expensive production consideration, so the filmmakers chose to do it in possibly the best scenario format consideration.So it was the talking head experts slowly censoring all possible encroaches to suspension of disbelief, a primary writing skill in screen writing. I believe, however, as a working professional writer in science fiction since the 80's, I feel this story would have been better served in another format, such as a novel or novelette, as the filmic storytelling presentation of this topic material is sort of flat and dictatorial in the long winded narration sense, despite the passionate words chosen by a master writer (no one will question the credentials or skill of the original master author) and the way they are performed by the male lead.Some of the qualifying duologue lost pace and relegated itself to the perspective view even when discussing topics such as death, birth, change, religion and relationships.I believe this was a case of a bunch of talented film people who found a great story idea, well thought out and superbly described with language and thought in an age of story suffrage in qualitative terms in the film business, they were so enthralled with discovery it clouded their judgment in aesthetic terms as to creative choices available to them to best serve the story in format terms. This would have been much better treated as story material in another format altogether, IMHO.
Clever but deeply flawed
posted on 17 Jul 2009'The Man from Earth' is one of those occasional films which generates far more controversy than anything on screen justifies. It won't impress the well read, the ideas are nowhere near as brilliant or learned as many claim. Fair warning: for many this movie will be the first blush with concepts millennia old. In the excitement they'll take affront to any criticism. When reading these reviews recall many considered the conceptual adaptation of Plato's Cave in 'The Matrix' profound too. History professor John Oldman is dismayed when his plan to skip out on a prized tenureship for a new life is temporarily sidetracked by a handful of close colleagues who arrive at his home for an impromptu send off. A bottle of Johnnie Walker Green, a comforting fire and the prodding of concerned friends eventually convince him to open up and reveal what drives him to abandon a brilliant and rewarding future without goodbye. The rest of the film is a living room discussion of and challenge to his explanation, John's claim to have been born in pre-history and moving every ten years before it becomes apparent he never ages.Whatever interest the film creates in examining that claim rides almost entirely on its attention to the small details of educated discourse and David Lee Smith's convincing portrayal of Oldman. He hits just the right balance of compassion, detachment and weariness to convince without revealing if the tale is true. Tony Todd also lends much needed support as his skeptical scientific friend excited at the prospect. (It's great to see him in a role that doesn't involve malevolent spirits or serial killers.) Unfortunately, even with well over five hundred shared IMDb Filmography entries the remaining cast give surprisingly uneven and over-the-top performances. That, along with overwrought direction and an unconvincing script, consign this movie to also-ran status. After a promising start focused on the nature of history and evidence it appears the writers lose confidence in the concept of a fourteen thousand year old man holding your interest. A love story gets folded in. From humble beginnings as a plains hunter John claims increasingly improbable and extraordinary experiences, including contact with pivotal figures of art and history, presence at pivotal events in history, and finally culminating with a claim of being perhaps the most pivotal figure of history. Things quickly go off the rails. From detached skepticism and concern for his sanity his erudite audience grows increasingly irrational and emotional in reverse proportion to the probability of John's claims. As the evening progresses Oldman's tale becomes more convincing than their reactions. Eventually one breaks down in tears over a claim regarding their religion, another pulls a gun for no coherent reason. The penultimate scene in which the film reveals the true nature of Oldman's birth hinges on a final unnecessary improbability of staggering proportions. Little past the midpoint rings probable or likely, it ends in a shambles. Still, for an indie movie that's essentially ninety minutes of living room banter something clicks in spite of the generally flawed acting and unbelievable script. It won't change your life any more than 'The Matrix' did, but it's worth a rent if you're the religiously tolerant kind in the mood for something different.
No plot holes, but ... "what's my motivation?"
posted on 13 Jul 2009This is a wonderful "what if"-drama. Intelligent script, with no plot holes.But, it somewhat fails on the characters: To quote the classics: "What's my motivation?!!" I thought the anger of the Motorcycle Professor and the religious Professor was strange and a tat unconvincing. Why would they be MAD at him? Why soooo mad? Remember, this was before he said he was Jesus. Irritated, yes, but so mad? In other words: "What was their motivation?" Odd. If a good friend, whose behaviour always has been perfectly nice and normal, suddenly starts making preposterous but otherwise harmless claims, the proper reaction isn't anger, but mere wonderment, worry and maybe irritation. But this anger? That was exaggerated. Maybe it's more convincing in the book, I do hope so.Another thing seemingly 'wrong' with it could have been the lack of curiosity in the group in general, but on second thought Bixby actually covered that nicely. Question remains, whether John could not have foreseen that revealing himself to his son, would cause a heart attack? Or was that a mercy killing?Of course, this is called Sci-Fi for lack of a better and handier label upon which to sell this film. It isn't really Sci-Fi, not even by the broadest definition. It's Fantasy, maybe even science fantasy, or Science Speculation. Or Futuristic Drama, although, with it's focus on the past, that seems a wrong label too. It's definitely of the same ilk as K-Pax, and it's in line with the old philosophical idea of: How would you know if you were talking to a person or a super intelligent computer, if you could never see the one you were talking to? Or with the notion that nothing can be proved for certain, only with a great amount of likelihood.It's rather sad, but also a support of of sorts, to notice that the ALL the negative-hater comments obsess about one of the following two things, or both: [1] The so called bad SOUNDtrack (yes, I'm serious!) I mean, WHAT DA F... is that, right?[2] The films' perceived attack on religion.It doesn't actually attack religion, but American Christianity is so insecure these days, that even the slightest remarks will be perceived as an all out, conspiratorial attack on religion!! ;)This extremely shallow level of criticism is yet another indication that this is a quality film.
Performance of this work.
posted on 11 Jul 2009Hello, this is mainly directed towards anyone directly related to the production of this amazing film. My friends and I have grown very fond of this film, and have a request of the developers. We were curious if (with later discussion) we could perhaps gain the rights to perform this as a school play at our High School. As a rough estimate our theater seats one-hundred eighty. The dates are undecided at this time but some time could be easily worked out. If this is a possibility please contact me at Tylerf2010@live.com or contact our Head of theater Robert Metcalf at rmetcalf@calvertonschool.org . Thank you for your time and consideration.Sincerely Tyler Farley
Great Story Idea poor execution
posted on 09 Jul 2009I watched this based on the rating here and because the plot sounded interesting. The story idea is a great one, and the dialogue at times is thought provoking in certain instances. Unfortunately with the budget they set aside for this movie that is about all that is great with it(Acting like a low budget lifetime movie, 99% of the scenes done in one room). It is excruciatingly boring, like watching paint dry which I think some of the people on here were sniffing as they were watching it to give it a 10?) In other words save this movie for a rainy day where you have watched every other decent movie out there and there is nothing left that you have an interest in seeing.
An intriguing thought provoking movie, that I did not want to end.
posted on 09 Jul 2009Above average dialog based movie. Well acted, well cast. My only complaint, not enough negative space, silence. While I like the dialog, they should have thought more before they respond to each other's lines, or they should have been a little quicker to step on each other's comments. More an editing thing than an acting thing. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to see a movie you don't want to end. I was first introduced to the movie when it was being filmed. John Billingsley (Harry) had come to a Star Trek convention, and he brought a clip. The whole idea was that it was intended to be filmed as a low budget movie. Mr. Billingsley told us that the writer the director (et al) wanted the real fell of a no gimmick filming. The ambiance of the quick shot, on location filming makes the movie work. Cheers. p.s. If you rent the DVD watch the behind the scenes featurettes before you watch the movie. I loved the long list of Star Trek tie-ins...
Don't just rent this movie.. buy it....
posted on 07 Jul 2009One of the best and original movie's I have seen in my 37 years of life... Now while I'm not considered an expert or hold any certificate's when it comes to giving reviews on movies.. I do consider myself worthy of a comment or review... and at the end of the day, it is just my opinion... What I can say is this.. Since I have been a child, and I am now to date of 2009, 37 years of age... I have seen literally hundreds of thousands of movies, and from all different genres... So after seeing that many movies, you kind of see a lot of movies that even tho they are different titles and of different genre's, most movies have the same sort of story lines or plots.. and that's fine, because it's all part of entertainment, and helps to get us away from reality for that couple of hours... But over the years there have been a select few that stand on it's own, and have it's own merit of uniqueness.. and I find 'The Man From Earth' as one of the select few that come to mind from the hundreds of thousands of movies I have seen... so that has to say something of this movie, if it can hold that sort of worthiness after all the movies I have seen... While yes, there has been other movies over the years that have touched on the origin of man or religious views... I must say there has not been one that has covered all aspects like this movie did... And to think we live in a day and age of special effects and big budget movies, and I must say I am a big fan of those.. This movie managed to capture my whole attention and then some, on such a small budget and simple location.. as much of the movie spends it's time in just one house or room... So for one movie to command such attention with such a simple budget and location, it has to be special and outstanding... This movie does get you to think out of the square, and out of what we are usually programmed to believe in culture, religion or about life... And the story line even included these sort of people that we come along in life, and consider experts on the fields of subjects that are raised in this movie... and while it is only a movie, it does prove, no matter how wise or educated we are... really how little we do know... and that is something to think about and pull us back to reality... and make us firmly grounded.. I could talk for days about this movie, but unfortunately this column doesn't allow such time or space... so my last comment or opinion would be this.. don't just rent the movie.... buy it...!!!
Writer's best work was in 1960s and this film feels old and bad
posted on 30 Aug 2009The Man From Earth appeals to science fiction enthusiasts, like me, who dream about long life and like to debate the philosophy of being human.Unfortunately, The Man From Earth takes a premise and is pretty much all premise. We don't get to see the protagonist interact with the world. Have you ever heard the phrase "show, don't tell"? It's a writer's maxim that it's better to be direct rather than indirect with your plot line.Eight people sitting in a house talking is too much "tell". The story could easily just be two people talking, as in K-PAX, which is far better.The dialogue is awful (I thought it was the acting originally but that was wrong). There's no story arc (nothing is at stake). This would be boring even as a theatre production (where having a single location is more accepted).It's not enough for a story to be intellectually interesting. It has also be a story. The Man From Earth is not. It is all premise and very much reflects the goofy overly simplistic Sci-Fi days of the 1960s. And guess what, that's where the film's writer Jerome Bixby comes from. Click on his film history and you'll see he hasn't worked creatively in film since 1969.