Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris shine in sensible sci-fi sequence

Cease me should you’ve heard this one earlier than: An alien arrives alone on Earth and learns about human tradition. Alongside the way in which, they befriend a human or two and have to cover from harmful authorities forces. Sounds acquainted, proper? I could possibly be speaking about something from E.T. to The Iron Big. As an alternative, I am pondering of Showtime‘s new sequence, The Man Who Fell to Earth, which executes this basic science fiction storyline with a transparent, contemporary imaginative and prescient.

The Man Who Fell to Earth is a sequel to the 1976 movie of the identical identify (which is itself an adaption of the novel by Walter Tevis) however it’s certainly not redundant. It makes use of the trope of the lone alien to its fullest potential, inspecting what humanity appears like from the angle of an excessive outsider.

In The Man Who Fell to Earth‘s case, that outsider is Faraday (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an alien from the drought-riddled planet Anthea. We meet him twice within the first episode, first as a “tech god Willy Wonka” giving a speech to a rapt viewers about evolution. This presentation is intercut with pictures from when Faraday first crash-landed on Earth, some unspecified period of time prior. His pores and skin mutates and his snake-like eyes change as he adopts a human type and wanders, dazed, via the New Mexico desert.

How Faraday goes from confused alien to assured mogul turns into one among The Man Who Fell to Earth‘s most intriguing mysteries, though there are lots of others to ponder. Critics solely acquired the primary 4 episodes of the sequence for overview, however these current a taut sci-fi thriller that can also be a compelling fish out of water story, all elevated by Ejiofor and Naomie Harris’s main performances.

A sequel that does justice — after which some — to the supply materials

Invoice Nighy as Thomas Jerome Newton. Credit score: Aimee Spinks/Showtime

In case you are accustomed to Nicolas Roeg’s authentic movie, you most likely consider the titular man who fell to Earth as Thomas Jerome Newton, performed by David Bowie. Within the film, Newton seeks humanity’s assist to convey water to Anthea, however he hides his alien type.

Our new man who fell to Earth, Faraday, has an identical mission, in addition to a connection to Newton (performed within the sequence by Invoice Nighy). With Anthea nonetheless at risk, he is trying to enlist the assistance of scientist Justin Falls (Harris). Collectively, they could simply be capable to save his dwelling planet — and our personal.

The Man Who Fell to Earth takes place over 40 years after the movie, but it does an incredible job unpacking the fallout of its occasions. It teases out dangling plot threads and continues Newton’s story, with the character showing more and more jaded all through. Nighy takes over properly for Bowie, and in a nod to the unique Newton actor, all of the episodes are named after Bowie songs.

As a lot as The Man Who Fell to Earth pays tribute to the unique, it is ready to stand by itself. Even if in case you have no data of the movie, the present will information you thru what it is advisable to know. Greater than something, it makes use of its supply materials as a springboard to launch a brand new story, one which facilities Faraday and Justin.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris are out of this world

Naomie Harris as Justin Falls. Credit score: Rico Torres/Showtime

The partnership between Faraday and Justin is the core of The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Ejiofor and Harris do stellar work, each collectively and alone.

Ejiofor has the tough job of enjoying an alien studying to behave like a human. His stilted speech and wide-eyed surprise pair completely together with his unsure physique language. It is clear that for Faraday, this new physique and new human customs are weird, however they’re needed for him to finish his mission.

The fish out of water parts of The Man Who Fell to Earth elicit a whole lot of comedian reduction — chaos ensues when somebody tells Faraday that yelling and saying “fuck” will assist him get what he needs — however Ejiofor is cautious to not lean too onerous into the absurdity. His transformations from episode to episode as Faraday learns extra about people are simply adequately subtle, and a continuing reminder of the smooth-talking tech god we all know he’ll ultimately turn into.

As Justin, Harris is Faraday’s human level of contact, and whereas she won’t get to do as a lot Massive Alien Performing as Ejiofor, her efficiency is simply as glorious. She’s the grounding presence, the one that acts as an viewers surrogate when confronted with Faraday. Harris performs Justin like a tightly wound spring. She’s the first caretaker for her father, Josiah (Clarke Peters), and her daughter, Molly (Annelle Olaleye), and the only real breadwinner. Any disturbance to their life may have catastrophic penalties, which is why Faraday’s presence is so upsetting and complicated to her.

Nevertheless, Justin can also be an excellent scientist, and she or he is aware of that serving to Faraday could result in scientific discoveries that might make the world higher for her household, particularly for Molly. Harris masters the stress between Justin’s fear and pleasure, particularly because the present continues to peel again the layers of her previous.

A cautionary sci-fi story

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Faraday. Credit score: Aimee Spinks / Showtime

Faraday’s planet shouldn’t be the one one at stake. As he bleakly tells Justin, the scales have already tipped in the direction of making Earth unliveable. Local weather change and its results are current all through The Man Who Fell to Earth, both in express discussions between Faraday and Harris or in pictures of oil fields and Faraday guzzling water. These remind us of the looming (fictional and real-life) ecological catastrophe we face and hammer dwelling the truth that the battle to avoid wasting Anthea can also be the battle to avoid wasting Earth.

Whereas Faraday and Harris are set of their mission, not everyone seems to be prepared to assist them obtain it. Company greed over priceless new know-how proves to be an issue, as does a C.I.A. agent (Jimmi Simpson) tasked with looking Faraday down. Regardless of Justin’s assist, it is onerous for Faraday to have any religion in humanity, particularly given how they handled Newton.

But it surely’s not all doom and gloom. The Man Who Fell to Earth continues to be hopeful, presenting a world the place redemption is feasible. It is only one that Justin and Faraday should battle extraordinarily onerous for because the sequence unfolds.

The Man Who Fell to Earth premiers April 24 at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.