The Movies That Matter This Month
by Nicole Perri
May 2000

[snip]

Battlefield Earth, L. Ron Hubbard's sci-fi opus starring John Travolta, which seemed to have the potential to challenge Gladiator at the box office, laid slain at Crowe's sandaled feet after its opening weekend. It took 11 years and $73 million dollars to bring this cult classic to the big screen, but controversy and bad reviews seem to be more powerful than even the alleged Scientology email blast that urged members to support the film.