The Man Who Fell to Earth (Walter Tevis)

As a Bowie fan, I naturally became interested in his acting career. I decided that I wanted to start with his debut film, based on (or rather loosely inspired by) Walter Tevis's novel, The Man Who Fell to Earth. I wanted to read the book before watching the film, and I absolutely loved it.

It follows extraterrestrial Thomas Jerome Newton as he seeks refuge on Earth from his home planet of Anthea, which through its nuclear-war ravaged landscape, lack of water, and environmental decay, somewhat reflects a dystopian future for our own planet. On Earth, Newton quickly becomes rich through using his superior intelligence to "invent" new technologies. He then begins work on a new, secretive project with a former professor named Nathan Bryce and his housemaid (I like to call her his best friend), Betty Jo. As Newton continues to spend time on Earth, he slowly succumbs to its vices, sinking into alcoholism and depression. Despite being about an alien, the book is deeply human. Newton struggles with what his identity and what being a human being means to him.

The book reflects many aspects of American society including how we corrupt genius, treat immigrants/others, and deal with isolation and anxiety. I don't want to go into why because of spoilers, but the way that the book reads has certainly changed since it was written, especially in the last 20 years given American actions in the Middle East and the administrations treatment of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. Whether or not it was Tevis's initial intention, the book certainly comments on modern life and society. Check it out!

The movie on the other hand...... was not my favorite. They made a few changes that I did like, but a LOT that I didn't like. The cast does well, especially Bowie, but the movie bites off a little more than it can chew, in my opinion. There is some unnecessary nudity, sometimes sacrificing plot for high-concept experimental sequences. I kind of hate what they did with Nathan Bryce's character. Maybe it worked in the 1970s, but in 2026, his affairs are just weird and uncomfortable. I also didn't like how they handled Newton's captivity, but there were some good moments (especially when the FBI fucks up).

There are some parts of the movie that I really enjoyed, though. I love most of Newton's interactions with Betty Jo (renamed to Mary Lou) in the movie and they nailed the ending epilogue. Most of Newton's characterization is good too. He really feels like he doesn't fit in with humans despite how hard he tries. Overall, I think it is certainly very flawed, but thematically strong.