There have been two reactions logged by people watching Battlefield Earth. The audience member either hates the film, considering it the worst ever seen - or they love it and consider it the best thing ever filmed.

Oddly enough, the discrpency seems to depend upon if the particular audience member is a scientologist or not.

But the reactions noted by people who have observed Scientologists watching the film seem to be so over the top - crying tears, sitting wide-eyed in rapture almost.

Why is it nobody outside the cult seems to be able to stand this film?

My theory is ased on something mentioned here a long while back - namely that Scientologists seme to have their own language... Scientologeese. It's shaped and structured by such things as hubbard's dictionary of "mis-understood words" and auditing sessions.

It was mentioned that one of the reasons why some members of the cult have such a hard time leaving, is due to the sheer alienation they face by the outside world. They are unprepared to face a society with such different belief systems and which seems to operate in a chaotic state when compared to the strctured, metered and controlled lifestyle to which they had become climatized.

THIS is the reason why BE is such a bad film, in my view. It's written by the scientology mindset, for the scientology mindset. Travolta said that he searched for years to find a script that met his expecations... so perhaps his expectations have become so warped by his time in the cult, that he can only accept material that speaks to the scientologist in him?

Kirstie alley has been quoted as saying the film has deep meanings in it, and scientologist seme to state that the film is speaking to them... So obviously there's something in there.

This film's only flaw may be that it requires specific mental conditioning to appreciate. And I think this is the strongest possible pointer towards the film being a cult project..