Friday, July 20, 2018

Movie review: The Man from Earth: Holocene

 
 Ten years ago college professor John revealed to his colleagues he was in fact a centuries-old caveman leading to a philosophical exploration in which John proved his claims. Now living a new life as a college professor once again, John has begun showing signs of aging and his students are becoming suspicious of his past.

David Smith (John), John Billingsley (Harry), Brittany Curran (Tara), William Katt (Art), Carlos Knight (Liko), Sterling Knight (Philip), Akemi Look (Isabel), Michael Dorn (Dr. Parker), Vanessa Williams (Carolyn).

The Man from Earth: Holocene picks up where the first film left off, finding John working once again as a college professor hiding in plain sight. Sadly, this film has none of the philosophical meditation found in the original and is instead a fairly simple sci-fi drama. While this may add to the story of John's life, it does nothing for those of us who were looking forward to more philosophical exploration. The film finally sputters out rather than providing any kind of real ending with value.

Acting was decent with Smith handling his role well once again, as did Billingsley in a much smaller part. Katt was okay but felt a bit rough. Curran, the Knight's, Look, and others playing students did well and delivered nicely. That said, Curran running around half-dressed through the entire film felt ridiculously pointless. Dorn and Williams rounded things out well.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are fairly mild but fitting for the film and had a solid feel. Effects and action were enjoyable. Dialogue was okay but again, the deeper philosophical discussions were greatly missed. Sound and soundtrack were okay.

Overall this is a decent sci-fi drama by itself, but a huge disappointment in comparison to the original film. Those hoping for a continued examination of philosophy will not find it here. Those looking for a light sci-fi drama may enjoy it more but with unexplained references to the original film, they may also find it confusing.

With some mild sexuality and violence, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 7.5.18
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Sci-Fi Drama, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Sequels

copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel

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