The Man from Earth: Holocene – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Man from Earth: Holocene

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2017

35%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A 14,000-year-old immortal starts aging while students investigate his past—sounds cool, plays like a boring college thesis film.

5.2/10

50%

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The Man from Earth: Holocene

movie

NR, 2017

35%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A 14,000-year-old immortal starts aging while students investigate his past—sounds cool, plays like a boring college thesis film.

5.2

50%

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5.2/10

50%

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, the original 2007 'The Man from Earth' was a low-budget cult film that worked because of its tight script and compelling central performance. This sequel? It's what happens when you try to recapture lightning in a bottle and end up with a wet match.

The ratings tell the story: 5.2 on IMDb, 2.2 out of 5 on Letterboxd, split critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. This isn't a hidden gem—it's a disappointing follow-up that trades the original's intimate chamber-piece energy for a plodding student investigation plot that goes nowhere interesting.

If your teen is deep into heady sci-fi and philosophical discussions, they might find something here. But honestly? There are so many better options for exploring big questions about humanity and time. Skip this unless you're a completist who absolutely must see what happens next, and even then, lower your expectations significantly.

Age Fit

Best for teens 14+ who enjoy slow-burn philosophical sci-fi and can tolerate low-budget indie filmmaking. Adults who loved the 2007 original might watch out of curiosity, but prepare for disappointment. Not for younger kids—they'll be bored to tears.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

A contemplative sci-fi drama about a 14,000-year-old man finally aging. The premise invites philosophical discussion but the execution is flat and emotionally distant. No major toxicity or mean-spiritedness, but the tone is sterile and the character interactions feel like college dorm debates rather than genuine human connection. Lacks warmth or modeling of meaningful relationships.

Imaginative

The core concept—an immortal man who's lived through all of human history—is inherently fascinating. But this sequel to the 2007 cult film feels like a tired retread. The investigation by students is predictable, the pacing is sluggish, and the execution lacks the creative spark to make the premise sing. It's more 'what if we made the first one again but worse' than genuine imagination.

Safe

This is a talky, low-budget drama with minimal content concerns. No violence, gore, sex, or nudity based on the drama/sci-fi classification and lack of restrictive ratings. The philosophical discussions about religion and immortality might challenge some family worldviews but nothing is presented in a shocking or inappropriate way. Safe for teens who can handle abstract concepts.

Enriching

The film touches on interesting questions about identity, mortality, and the weight of history. In theory, it could spark discussions about what it means to be human across millennia. In practice, the mediocre ratings (5.2 IMDb, 50% RT critics, 52% audience, 2.2 Letterboxd) suggest it fails to deliver meaningful insights. The conversations feel surface-level and the students' investigation subplot is tedious rather than thought-provoking.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

The premise is genuinely fascinating—what would it be like to live through all of human history?
Could spark interesting family discussions about mortality, identity, and what makes us human
Low-stakes viewing with no violence or inappropriate content for older teens
If your teen loved the 2007 original, they might want closure (even if disappointing)

⚠

What to Watch For

Universally mediocre ratings suggest this is just not very good—5.2 on IMDb, 2.2 on Letterboxd
Slow, talky pacing that feels more like a stage play than a movie
The 'investigation' subplot drags and feels amateurish
Discussions about religion and immortality might not align with all family beliefs, though nothing is presented offensively

Conversation Starters

"If you could live for 14,000 years, what historical events would you most want to witness?"
"Do you think immortality would be a gift or a curse? Why?"
"How do you think someone would change after living that long? Would they still be the same person?"
"The movie explores whether it's better to reveal the truth or keep secrets—what would you do in his shoes?"

Deep Dive

The original The Man from Earth (2007) is a bit of a legend in indie sci-fi circles. It was a "bottle movie" done right—just a group of smart people in a room talking about a wild premise. It worked because the script was tight and the stakes felt intellectual. The Man from Earth: Holocene tries to broaden that scope, moving out of the living room and into the world of college campuses and student "investigators."

The problem is that by trying to become a more traditional movie, it loses the very thing that made the first one a cult classic. If you or your teen loved the first one for its high-concept dialogue, prepare for a downgrade.

The "Meddling Kids" Problem

The narrative engine here is driven by four students who suspect their professor isn't who he says he is. While the first film felt like a high-level seminar, this sequel often feels like a low-budget thriller you’d find in a bargain bin. The tension doesn't come from the weight of history or the burden of immortality; it comes from college kids snooping around.

For a movie that should be about the grand scale of human time, it feels surprisingly small. The dialogue loses that sharp, academic edge and slides into melodrama. When the ratings hit a 5.2 on IMDb and a dismal 2.2 on Letterboxd, it’s usually a sign that the core fanbase felt betrayed by the change in tone. It’s less "philosophy salon" and more "amateur detective hour."

A Premise Wasted

The "Holocene" subtitle refers to the current geological epoch, and the big hook here is that John Oldman—our 14,000-year-old protagonist—has finally started to age. That is a fascinating pivot. Exploring the mortality of a man who thought he was eternal should be a home run for any sci-fi fan.

Unfortunately, the movie doesn't do much with it. Instead of a deep meditation on the end of a long life, we get a plot that drags through predictable beats. If your teen is looking for a movie that actually tackles the "big questions," they’d be better off re-watching the original or picking up a copy of Ted Chiang’s short stories. This film treats its best idea as a background detail rather than the main event.

How to Watch (If You Must)

If you have a teen who is a completist or someone who just finished the first movie and is desperate for more, this is a background watch. It’s currently scattered across free-with-ads platforms like Tubi, Plex, and The CW, which is exactly where it belongs. You don’t need to pay for this, and you certainly don't need to give it your full attention.

The "Study Hall" Movie: This is the kind of film a teen can have on a second screen while doing homework. It’s talky enough that you can follow the plot without looking up, and you won’t miss any visual masterpieces.
The Discussion Starter: If you do watch it together, focus the post-game on the ending. It takes a turn toward the "conspiracy thriller" genre that is so wildly different from the first movie it’s worth talking about why the filmmakers made that choice.

Ultimately, Holocene is a reminder that some stories are better left as a single, perfect moment. It isn't offensive or "bad" in a way that will make you angry; it’s just flat. In a world of peak TV and high-concept streaming sci-fi, "flat" is a hard sell for your family's limited free time.

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