banapaulo

I generally like to know as little as I can about a movie before watching it. I don't read blurbs or watch trailers. And so with this, The Man From Earth, I had only in my head "Sci-Fi Drama, mostly dialogue, rated highly on IMDb". However, having watched it I think there are a couple of things people should be wary of before watching so as to approach it at the right level.

1. This looks and feels very much like an American TV-Movie. Now, my issue here is not budget or special effects - I knew it had none. But for other non-Americans like me you need to be aware that the format, direction, cinematography and especially acting is very much of that style. It's somewhat... stylised and cringe-worthy. It's just something you have to get accustomed to.

2. If you're a sensitive Christian, be wary. The film doesn't particularly hide it's scepticism of the religion. It takes quite a long, hard pop at it. I'm not saying it's malicious, but it isn't subtle, and it dominates the second half of the movie.

As for the film... I actively spend my spare time searching for thought-provoking science fiction movies. I like minimal effects and interesting ideas that make you go "what if?". And as such, I admire this film for trying to sweep you along on the strength of a fairly unique premise. It is an engrossing watch. However, this isn't exactly what one would call 'hard sci-fi'. It's ideas don't go a lot further than the premise, and ultimately they do reveal themselves to have a definite agenda, which is sad and probably the source of such a high IMDb rating.

The more you think about it, the less daring and intelligent it seems, but I would cautiously recommend it for people looking for a film of ideas.

This is a very slight but creepy tale of an archaeologist who goes to a remote English village looking for a crown, supposedly guarded over by a ghost. You have to appreciate that this is a very low budget TV movie (50 minutes) with very small production values, but it still manages to summon up an eerie atmosphere and some chilling moments through very effective direction and a minimal score. The photography is wonderful and the performances are effective, including a young(ish) Clive Swift who could later be seen in Keeping Up Appearances.

Worth watching with the lights off to achieve the best atmosphere. It's not super scary, or as effective and well done as the BBCs later adaptation of The Woman In Black, but it is a good example of how to create atmosphere with the barest of plot and resources.