This is kind of two points, why I like the movie, and the part where they messed up.

I believe John Oldman is one of the most, if not the most, realistic and believable portrayals of an immortal.

Biologically, it’s basically as realistic as you can get. What if, very rarely, mutations in an animal led to it not stopping the production of telomerase and thus being able to repair it’s telomeres? Paired with mutations for enhanced DNA repair, mitochondrial stability, stability against misfolded proteins, enhanced clearing of senescent cells, and cancer suppression, an animal could survive indefinitely as long as it was not mortally injured, infected, or cut off from nutrients. All these mutations are theoretically possible to happen in humans.

It’s also historically realistic, and, for the first hour or so of the movie, keeps a strict tone of having John always be in the background of history, a silent observer that nobody knows about, a ghost that passes through the world, not a god that changes it. It’s not an alt-history about immortals, it’s our history with an immortal.

Which is why I believe the decision in they made to make him Jesus Christ was unfaithful to the premise of the movie, for several reasons

1. ⁠It’s historically unrealistic. There is real historical proof that Yeshua from Nazareth was crucified and killed in Roman Judea
2. ⁠It breaks the tone and idea that the movie set up beforehand of a silent observer, when we got to the Buddha he wasn’t the Buddha himself, he was a student of him. They should have done that with Jesus. Have him know Jesus, have talked to him, and have him look at him crucified from a distance, sad, and then move on like always.

Despite my belief that making him Jesus was a major fuck-up, it’s still one of my favourite movies, it’s just people in a room talking, they never visualise John in history, but it hooked me much more than any historical blockbuster.

In fact maybe it’s because they don’t do that that it’s so good at hooking you in. YOU have to visualise him with the Buddha, they don’t do it for you.

All in all, the man from earth is an amazing movie, that I disagree with on one point, and even though I’ve spoiled parts, I would still recommend you watch it if you haven’t.