The Man Who Fell to Earth

The Man Who Fell to Earth is currently streaming in Australia on MUBI, and in the US on Philo and Criterion Channel, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 611 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. David Bowie leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Start it on MUBI whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason The Man Who Fell to Earth keeps coming up in conversation. What makes The Man Who Fell to Earth work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou, a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. David Bowie and Rip Torn lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It hit screens in 1976. What separates The Man Who Fell to Earth from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

The Man Who Fell to Earth is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. David Bowie grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.

The Man Who Fell to Earth was released in 1976, directed by Nicolas Roeg. The full 139-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.