Review of Battlefield Earth (2000) by Juan C — 13 Jan 2011

Is it really that bad? There is no doubt that it does stink. But it is more than watchable theatre.

From the moment a terrible green font is composed in the centre of the screen it is obvious there are going to be issues with the aesthetics of the films. The aliens look like platform wearing drag queens. The haircuts are nasty combined with the snot masks make even close-ups unappealing.

The plot itself has some great nonsensical moments that make it all worthwhile. The most memorable moment was when the protagonist commits to an uprising which inexplicably involves not only overthrowing the planet but also blowing up a whole other planet. He thinks big.

Then there is the whole idea of letting the slaves search for gold themselves and they come up with the idea of raiding Fort Knox. This of course leads to the issue of the gold being in brick form and causes John Travolta to exclaim "Well, since you ratbrains have had enough extra time to smelt it into bricks! ...I will now expect the rest of the gold in seven days". Then there is a great quote required of every great film, ?Ger meet Ker".

For a film that aspired to be some form of blockbuster, it really is a mess.