Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Thomas Jerome Newton is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth, Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou, a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.
Nicolas Roeg's sui generis sci-fi is one of the most visually distinctive films of its era — fractured, elliptical editing and Roeg's trademark temporal disorientation create a genuinely singular experience. Bowie's otherworldly casting is inspired and his detached, fragile performance is irreplaceable; the supporting cast (Candy Clark, Rip Torn) is equally strong. Cinematography by Anthony Richmond is striking, full of alienating wide-angle distortions and vivid color. The film's concept of an alien undone by earthly corruption and sensory overload is genuinely poetic. The plot's deliberate incoherence and the ending's ambiguous, melancholic dissipation are thematically resonant but frustrating — the narrative drifts in ways that undercut dramatic satisfaction rather than enhancing mystery.