'Battlefield Earth' Melts At Its Core

Tim Lammers, Staff Writer
May 12, 2000, 5:39 p.m. EDT

Let's take care of that rabid sense of curiosity right now: Contrary to the fact the movie was produced and starring high-profile member John Travolta, the new sci-fi thriller "Battlefield Earth" is not about the controversial Church of Scientology. Still, I'm sure there's no question that it was Travolta's Hollywood clout and dedication to church founder and story author L. Ron Hubbard that got this movie made in the first place.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about being passionate about a project, as long as you're not passionate to a fault. Unfortunately for him, Travolta's passion for this particular movie has come to pass with lukewarm results: On the surface, "Earth" may have enough visual elements to keep sci-fi fans semi-interested; but at its narrative core, it's pretty much a meltdown.

Adapted from Hubbard's 1982 novel of the same name, "Battlefield Earth" is set in the city of Denver in the year 3000, where an alien race called the "Psychlos" have all but decimated the human population and rule the planet (the feel of the movie screams "Planet of the Apes").

Among the more dominant of the species is Terl (Travolta), the Psychlo's manipulative Chief of Security who has plans to exploit the human slaves (referred to as "man-animals") for personal gain.

Holding sway over a fellow security Psychlo (admirably played by Forrest Whittaker), Terl's plans appears unstoppable until a renegade human slave, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler (Barry Pepper, "The Green Mile") gets into the mix. His plan is to not only to stop Terl, but also take back the planet by defeating the Psychlo army.

While the movie's high-tech special effects aren't perfect (one of the first shots of the decimated Denver is obviously a matte painting), there's little to argue about when it comes to the convincing look of "Battlefield Earth."

Director Roger Christian was responsible for the art direction on the "Star Wars" films, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he has a great handle on constructing sets and establishing a dark mood.

However, establishing a dark mood is one thing -- maintaining it is a completely different matter.

Plagued by a confused, inconsistent and far-fetched script (yes, it's far-fetched -- even for a science-fiction film), the mood is often lightened by laughable circumstances. And while this could easily be considered a "popcorn movie," I highly doubt it was meant to become material for a sequel to the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" movie.

PAGE TO SCREEN

Was the book better than the movie? Book Review: Hubbard Opus Delivers ... Movie Review: 'Battlefield Earth' Melts At Its Core Viewers' Reviews: Audiences Blast 'Battlefield Earth'

I mean, I'm always open-minded enough to suspend my disbelief for sci-fi movies, but when it comes to the film's vital "take back the planet" scenes, we're supposed to accept the scenario that a bunch of "man-animals" used to fighting with sticks and stones have the ability to learn to fly a sophisticated Harrier Jump-Jet in seven days to battle the Psychlos. That's utterly ridiculous.

Apart from bad acting from Pepper's fellow pretty-boy slaves (it's amazing how a bunch of survivors in post-apocalyptic America have managed to keep themselves clean shaven with perfectly straightened white teeth) and Christian's run-of-the-mill method of sci-fi storytelling (how many slow-motion shots of the lumbering bad guys do we really need?), perhaps the biggest burden of "Battlefield Earth" rests on the shoulders of Travolta (and in this case they're huge).

When it comes to playing "the bad guy," Travolta is hit-or-miss at being able to project the attitude (he was spot-on in "Pulp Fiction" and "Face Off," but horribly off the mark in "Broken Arrow"). In the case of "Battlefield Earth," it appears that he's simply trying too hard. Depending on your affinity for Travolta, you can take it anyway you want: To be kind is to say he was "too theatrical." To be mean, is to say he was "overacting." Maybe it was the make-up. Some actors will tell you it helps inform their work. In Travolta's case, he seemed way too informed. That's unfortunate, because we all know he's more than a capable actor.

Naturally, the door was left open for a sequel to "Battlefield Earth." If Travolta does indeed decide to engage in another battle, he should start by getting a different field general (read: screenwriter) to map out his plans. This mission was clearly ill advised.

More Movies:

• "Battlefield Earth," official Web site
• Our Now Showing pages
• To write your own review, click here

[an error occurred while processing this directive]