‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ (2022) Complete Series Blu-Ray Review – Chiwetel Ejiofor Elevates New Adaptation

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

An alien (Chiwetel Ejiofor) crashes deep into the oilfields of New Mexico with a mission: he must find the brilliant scientist Justin Falls (Naomie Harris), the one woman on earth who can help save his species. An unlikely duo, together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. An inspired continuation of the novel by Walter Tevis and the iconic 1976 film starring David Bowie. This 3-disc collection includes all 10 episodes plus featurettes and deleted scenes!

For thoughts on The Man Who Fell To Earth, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/EXMMI2aDpio?t=4048]

Video Quality

The Man Who Fell To Earth arrives on MOD Blu-Ray courtesy of Showtime Home Entertainment with a terrific AVC encoded 1080p transfer. This season consists of ten episodes spread across three discs, which never feels overstuffed or in danger of suffering compression artifacts or aliasing. From the first episode to the last, viewers are presented with a crisp and clean viewing experience. The presentation is an improvement from the streaming and broadcast versions of the show thanks to compression of that source, but this series is no longer available through its network app so that point is moot regardless. 

The show has a favorable natural color palette that brings out the nuances of the hues with tremendous accuracy. You will especially find rich colors when it comes to costumes, landscapes, elements of the production design and lighting choices. Skin tones appear detailed and  natural across the ensemble. The detail captured within the frame is a wonder, as nearly every outline you see is impeccably rendered. Black levels are very deep and provide a lovely amount of detail in shadows. Highlights also never veer into blooming in this presentation. Showtime has once again provided a great physical media option for a series no longer available to stream with a subscription. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a strong DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that translates the soundscape well. The music establishes the mood of the series capably and is presented with impeccable fidelity within the mix. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by the music or any sound effects. The track showcases environmental sounds in a way that feels lived-in and immersive. Kinetic moments do pop up at points, but the narrative is steeped more so in interpersonal drama. Nevertheless, the track knows when to deliver some texture in the low end. The audio presentation captures the sonic ambitions of this one. There are no subtitles provided. 

Special Features

• Falling Into Place: A nine-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the decision to revisit this story after the original David Bowie movie, what they were hoping to accomplish by expanding the narrative, themes that are explored, the performances and more. 

• The Mission: A 24-minute piece which dives deep into the arc of the show, its thematic resonance, the larger questions being approached, the motivations of various characters and more. 

• Deleted Scenes: There is ten-minutes of unused material provided with the majority of it coming from the finale. 

Final Thoughts

The Man Who Fell To Earth does not feel like it needed to be expanded upon after the classic David Bowie film, but this new journey brings at least a bit some value to the table. With this series form, the story is allowed to flesh out some points that may have been too ambitious in a movie setting. The pendulum often swings too far in the other direction, as you have an onslaught of tonally mismatched ideas that make it hard to completely commit. What saves this one beyond its development throughout the season is the great group of performers led by a very committed Chiwetel Ejiofor. We have seen way more poorly handled continuations, so this one is worth a watch. Showtime Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray that offers a grand A/V presentation and some decent special features. This one has been removed from its streaming home, but you should give it a shot if it sounds intriguing to you. Recommended 

The Man Who Fell To Earth can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Showtime Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.