The Man Who Fell to Earth

October 24, 2022
Watters (Arkham City) and Pramanik (Dune: House Atreides) demystify Nicholas Roeg’s 1976 cult film in this vibrant graphic adaptation. An alien from a dying planet—looking much like David Bowie, who starred in the movie—crashes to Earth, adopts the name Thomas Jerome Newton, and gradually climbs the social ladder, selling his culture’s technology as his own inventions. To curious humans like his girlfriend, Mary Lou, he explains only, “I’m just visiting.” His mission, as it’s slowly revealed, is to return to his parched home planet with precious water, but he’s led astray by scheming business rivals, paranoid government representatives, and his own weakness for human pleasures like love, sex, and television. Pramanik’s soft, painterly art, drenched in warm tones, captures the characters’ features and personalities without too overtly photo-referencing.. Watters’s script tames Roeg’s psychedelic vision into a conventional SF narrative, adding as a framing device interviews in which the characters explain plot points. The result is a much more coherent story, but one that lacks the trippy mysticism and mystery of the original. Those who found the film frustrating will prefer this version, but devoted fans are likely to be disappointed.