By Robert Sims, Special to Hollywood.com
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
1. Battlefield Earth (No stars)
Year of Release: 2000
U.S. Box Office Gross: $21.4 million
Reported Budget: $44 million *
The Reassessment: John Travolta obviously had high hopes for this pathetic Star Wars/Independence Day mashup, as it only covers half of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s book. But instead of making a sequel, Travolta earned just a Razzie for producing this misguided passion project. Looking like the Predator crossbred with Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz, Travolta gets all villainous on us as the alien entrepreneur who’s trained “man-animals”—including resistance fighter Barry Pepper—to mine gold. It’s hard to tell which is worse: Travolta and Forest Whitaker’s hammy performances, the dreadful chitchat about freedom, commerce and spirituality, or the slipshod special effects. Actually, it’s director Roger Christian’s predilection for shooting from tilted camera angles. Watching Battlefield Earth won’t will not just leave you with a migraine—it will literally give you a pain in the neck. Anyone have directions to the nearest Scientology-run massage tent?
* The budget was originally reported to be $75 million, but during a court case against Franchise Pictures, Battlefield Earth was said to cost just $44 million.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.