It's really no surprise that The Man From Earth has been adapted into a play; even as you're watching the film, you can't help but feel that the biggest strength is the script. On a visual level, The Man From Earth feels about as low budget as it probably was; there's not much to look at besides one man's mostly empty living room, and with regard to framing or lighting, there's little interesting there, either. The acting is all fine; some actors and actresses fare better than others, but in general, it's adequate, if mostly unspectacular (and, yes, occasionally bad). But then there's the script, which presents an intriguing hook - what if a man suddenly confessed that he was a 14,000 year old caveman? - and uses it not for a thriller or a mystery, but a discussion among intelligent people as they propose theories, ask questions, and analyze the claim. Now, what that means is that The Man From Earth is really just one long conversation, without much else to speak of...and yet, it's presented in such an interesting and thoughtful manner, and told in such an intelligent and thought-provoking way, that you can't help but be sucked into its ideas and theories. So, yes, as a movie, The Man From Earth leaves something to be desired. But as an intellectual exercise, or as a great use of conversation to play with heady ideas about evolution, biology, religion, humanity, and more, it kept me completely riveted throughout.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
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