BATTLEFIELD EARTH
A  Warner Bros. release 

review by C.J. Henderson

SYNOPSIS: In the year 3000 Earth is a wasteland and man is an endangered species. 1,000 years earlier, aliens from the planet Psychlo wiped out Earth's defenses in nine minutes. Since then they have mined the planet for its resources, using mankind for slave labor and hunting sport. Those human beings outside Psychlo control live in prehistoric conditions. Terl, the Psychlo Chief of Security (Travolta), believes he is destined to conquer galaxies. When an indiscretion back home cuts his conquering career short, he decides to prove how smart he is by using the Earth as he sees fit. Using alien technology to educate a "smart" human (Pepper), Terl's plans give the human animals a chance to retake the planet.

REVIEW: Just one of the emptiest sci fi films ever made. Is the acting bad? No. Are the special effects less than adequate? No, again. Nor are there any other easy-to-check off problems. The plot is sufficient, the music just fine, the photography often stunning. The problem is that none of it adds up to anything.
The story claims to be about the human struggle to be free, but none of the moments in the film highlight this emotion. The audience is left waiting for any of the characters to define this feeling for them. You think it will happen numerous times, but opportunities aplenty are left unexploited. On top of this, the science of the movie is ridiculously inept. Jet planes left unattended for 1,000 years fly with ease (piloted by tribesman taught to fly in a simulator which, after a millennium still has an unexplained power source).

There is so much more. When the humans bring back refined gold bullion from Fort Knox in place of the raw ore they are supposed to be mining, their alien overlord doesn't grow suspicious (even though they have no refining or smelting tools). Of course, why gold is of value to aliens who have mastered the science of teleportation (across galactic distances, no less) is anyone's guess.
There are good moments within the film, some stellar effects, and possibly the best language barrier/translation scenes ever filmed. Unfortunately, they simply don't add up to anything. Even L. Ron Hubbard (the sci fi hack who wrote the original novel upon which this film is based) deserved better than this.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.battlefieldearth.net/

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