In a Theater Near You
‘Battlefield Earth’ is the newest box-office bomb
By Chris Henry
05/14/00
What happened to good sci-fi movies? Movies like "Blade Runner," or "Star Wars?"
Has Hollywood been so reduced by an epic flow of large budgets that movies like "Battlefield Earth" can pass for tolerable?
The answer is a resounding yes.
"Battlefield Earth," a meager attempt at a new breed of sci-fi--Scientologist style--revolves around a human revolution in the year 3000 from a hostile group of alien oppressors. Based on the best-seller by L. Ron Hubbard, the movie sputters from start to finish like a bad B-movie. Even the movie’s star, John Travolta, can’t save this one from going under.
Jonnie Goodboy (what a name!), played by Barry Pepper ("Saving Private Ryan"), leads the revolution against the evil alien species called the Psychlos (creativity at its best), led by Terl, a 9-foot Travolta with an attitude.
Goodboy manages to turn the remnants of the human race--reduced to cave-dwelling savages in the aftermath of the alien takeover--into a militia of highly-trained fighter pilots with nuclear technician training. Interesting--most cave-dwellers are usually devoted to banging a few rocks together for fire, but these savages have (of course) patriotism!
Throughout the course of our hero’s quest for freedom, producer Jonathan Krane creates a nice glimpse of an apocalyptic landscape, but his use of special effects tends to dominate the scene and clutter the moment.
Beyond the obvious scientific flaws--which only a child could overlook--small inconsistencies keep arising to divert the viewers attention. For example, military weapons from the year 2000 work just fine 1,000 years in the future and in a world overrun by aliens.
Another setback in the movie was the lack of visual deaths. Each time the demise of character came about, the camera cut away to the reaction of another character. No blood was visibly shed--not even a little carnage for a movie titled "Battlefield Earth."
And as if the plot wasn’t cheesy enough, a love story is added, along with a conspiracy to fool the aliens into giving away their secret technology.
Again: Nine minutes to conquer the world, yet the aliens are undone by a simple coincidence. Terl, in an effort to mine gold behind his boss’ back, trains the savages, giving Goodboy the ability to read, speak, learn, fly harriers and conquer the world, of course.
The movie’s only redemption lies in Terl, the Psychlos’ ornery yet amusing chief of security. Though Travolta’s acting has staggered a bit from his glory days in "Pulp Fiction," his corny one-liners and cocky lingo make for a small bit of entertainment.
Directed by "Star Wars Episode I" second director Roger Christian, the film had all the potential to be the surefire hit of the summer; George Lucas even endorsed the film and lent a hand in the production casting.
It’s already scheduled for a sequel--let’s just hope the producers can figure out how to write a believable script, if they have enough money left after this "Battlefield Earth" debacle.
