Right from the very beginning, Battlefield Earth was never what you might call destined for greatness. First of all, it's based on a science fiction novel by L Ron Hubbard, the same guy who dreamt up the idea of Scientology. And despite the fact that Hollywood has a disproportionate number of Scientologists in its midst, the general public has always been notoriously cagey in its acceptance of the so-called religion, so producers weren't exactly clamoring to spend money on it. Even with John Travolta pushing for it, Battlefield Earth spent years in development hell until he could finally get it made. So it's particularly telling that despite the movie's inauspicious beginnings and the fact that were virtually zero expectations for it, Battlefield Earth still managed to disappoint audiences. Campy performances, hokey action sequences, cheesy dialogue, the list goes on and on. But the biggest crime is the sheer stupidity of the central conceit -- the main alien decides that it's a grand idea to give a human slave access to an accelerated learning machine, and doesn't even consider the possibility that he'll use his newfound intelligence to start a rebellion? As Roger Ebert famously said of the movie, "Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It's not merely bad; it's unpleasant in a hostile way."
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
