Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
SCI-FI AS IT SHOULD BE..., August 30, 2004
I first saw this film when it was released in the mid nineteen seventies. I recalled how much I had enjoyed it, and when I saw that the film was available on DVD, I was happy to purchase it. The DVD itself is somewhat disappointing, as it offers virtually none of the special features one has come to expect from a DVD. Moreover, the transfer quality of the print is poor, as it is grainy, at best.
Notwithstanding the technical shortcomings of the DVD, the film itself, though somewhat abstract, is terrific, as it is not just a science fiction film with a twist. It is a film that explores themes that are timeless: desolation, alienation (no pun intended), and loneliness. At times, these themes are palpable, due to David Bowie's wondrously androgynous performance, which is heartbreakingly moving, at times.
The plot is fairly simple. An alien, played with virtuosity by Davie Bowie, leaves his family on his dying and arid planet in search for water. He lands on earth and begins his project to send water to his devastated planet by amassing the wealth that he needs to do this. He patents numerous lucrative inventions which eventually find him at the head of a world wide conglomerate. He joins up with a kindly, though stupid and vapid woman who drinks gin like a fish, a part into which Candy Clark sinks her teeth. Our lonely alien begins a liaison of sorts with her. Yet, he continues to be lonely and melancholic and, like his earthly consort, begins to spiral into an alcoholic haze, which serves to sidetrack him somewhat from his purpose here on Earth.
At some point, excruciatingly sad and lonely, longing for his family, he reveals himself to her for who he truly is, shedding his earthly appearance, only to be met with absolute horror and repugnance by her at the sight of him. She ultimately tries to understand him, but it is truly beyond her ken. He is infinitely sad at this and longs all the more for home, where he can truly be himself and be accepted as such.
On the threshold of returning to his planet and loved ones, he is kidnapped by corporate raiders who take over his holdings, and it is here that the movie begins to disintegrate somewhat. Yet, it remains strangely hypnotic and compelling, and becomes a sort of lost weekend of betrayal, booze, and promises that will never be kept. A parable of wanting to belong, yet knowing one never will. A story about wanting to go home, but knowing on some level that one can truly never go home again.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A dark, distrubing science fiction movie, January 20, 2008
This is one of the darkest, most disturbing science fiction movies ever made. British rock star David Bowie plays an alien male who comes to Earth in a search for water. He left his wife and children on his native planet and transformed himself into a passable human form in order to function on Earth.
Possessing a superior intellect and access to advanced technology; Bowie rises to the head of a large corporation marketing his "inventions." He also meets an Earth woman and starts drinking heavily. However, his secret gets out and he is captured and the subject of scientific experimentation. The movie closes with Bowie sitting at a table drinking alcohol and wondering what he should do. His original goal has been lost and appears impossible to attain. There are sex scenes, but there is little to no joy in them, the most disturbing are those that involve Bowie and his girlfriend playing with a pistol, including putting the barrel into their mouth.
Many people, myself included, live with the hope that some day, humans will come into contact with intelligent creatures from another world. This movie reminds us that throughout human history, when disparate cultures meet, one of them dies. That is a depressing scenario.
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