About a year ago at this time, I first saw the previews for "Battlefield Earth" and had high hopes for it. Along with Gladiator, I expected it to be among the first "summer" movies that I intended to see. I never got around to seeing it, mainly because of the fact that it came and went through the theater in about 2 weeks. The reviews were so bad that I didn't immediately go to see it (as I had planned) but waited, hoping that someone I knew would see it first. (I even picked up the book and staggered through about 350 pages before putting it down). I finally got around to seeing it tonight, and obviously by this time, I did not expect much. In that regard, it didn't disappoint. I've never in my life seen a movie so totally bereft of a plot. I've seen deeper substance from bold, unashamed "B" movies that are designed only for late night cable. This movie just sort of blunders along with no guidance whatsoever. It seems to be somewhat based on the portion of the book that I read (which wasn't bad, just not compelling enough to finish), yet in no way did it capture my interest for even a short time. Even though I knew the plot of the movie (from the book) and was able to perhaps appreciate it slightly more than someone who had no previous knowledge, the movie just doesn't do anything right. The action scenes are unimaginative, and would feel right at home among the Sci-Fi networks' collection of failed 1970's space shows. The special effects are passable, but underwhelming, and really don't make any attempt to "show off" as did "Independence Day" In the end, I just get the sense that "Battlefield Earth" is quite simply a decent book that is entirely too long to be made into a two hour movie. It was obvious that the film's producers were desperately trying to incorporate a 1500 page book into far too short a timespan, and as a result too much plot and characterization is left behind. The most disturbing news is a rumor that John Travolta is trying to drum up support for a SEQUEL of all things. I've heard that he will partially fund the production himself, if necessary. Hopefully he'll get a grip on reality and realize that almost no one cares to see any more of this storyline...
Review of Battlefield Earth
