Battlefield Earth (film)
| Battlefield Earth | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Roger Christian |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on |
Battlefield Earth 1982 novel by L. Ron Hubbard |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Elia Cmiral |
| Cinematography | Giles Nuttgens |
| Edited by | Robin Russell |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $73 million |
| Box office | $29.7 million |
Battlefield Earth (also referred to as Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000) is a 2000 American science fiction action film based upon the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 novel of the same name. Directed by Roger Christian and starring John Travolta, Barry Pepper and Forest Whitaker, the film depicts an Earth that has been under the rule of the alien Psychlos for 1,000 years and tells the story of the rebellion that develops when the Psychlos attempt to use the surviving humans as gold miners.
Travolta, a long-time Scientologist, had sought for many years to make a film of the novel by Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. He was unable to obtain funding from any major studio due to concerns about the film's script, prospects, and connections with Scientology. The project was eventually taken on in 1998 by an independent production company, Franchise Pictures, which specialized in rescuing stars' stalled pet projects. Travolta signed on as a co-producer and contributed millions of dollars of his own money to the production, which commenced in 1999 and was largely funded by German film distribution company Intertainment AG. Franchise Pictures was later sued by its investors and was bankrupted in 2004 after it emerged that it had fraudulently overstated the film's budget by $31 million.
Battlefield Earth was released on May 12, 2000. The film was a critical and commercial failure and has been called one of the worst films of all time. Reviewers panned the film, criticizing virtually every aspect of the production including Travolta's acting, overuse of angled shots and slow-motion, poor script, several plot holes and narrative inconsistencies, art direction, and dialogue. Audiences were reported to have ridiculed early screenings and stayed away from the film after its opening weekend, which led to Battlefield Earth failing to recoup its costs. The film went on to receive a total of eight Golden Raspberry Awards, which until 2012 was the most Razzie Awards given to a single film, additionally winning Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010. It has since become a cult film in the so bad, it's good vein.
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