The following week, facing earnings of just $205,745, Warner Bros. attempted to cut its losses by slashing the number of screens at which the film was being shown. He lobbied influential figures in Hollywood to fund the project and was reported to have recruited the aid of fellow Scientologists in promoting it. But by sheer force of will, Samaha was able to raise the money (more on that later), defer Travolta’s normal $20 million paycheck, and secure the assistance of Warner Bros. to distribute the film. On this film there was an eleventh: Scientology. An amused Terl shows Jonnie the ruins of Denver and its public library and boasts that the Psychlos conquered all of Earth in only nine minutes early in the 21st century. [140] A sequel covering the remainder of the book was originally planned at the outset. Most notably, the movie The Third Man used them to help accentuate the film noir tendencies. Mean's staffers changed the script's title to "Dark Forces", re-attributed it to "Desmond Finch", and circulated it to readers at major Hollywood film production companies. Unfortunately, many use it and don窶冲 understand its origins or why it should be used. And it was. This is definitely a self-aware unpopular opinion, because I understand Battlefield Earth is definitely far from a great movie. In 3000, Earth is a desolate wasteland. You窶囘 be hard-pressed to find any real 'Battlefield Earth' fans out there. He plans to bribe his way back to the Psychlo home planet by illegally mining gold in areas of high radioactivity. "[78] Leonard Maltin rated the film a "BOMB" in his book Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, writing: "Clumsy plot, misplaced satire, unbelievable coincidences, and a leaden pace trample Travolta's weird but amusing performance. [52], The film was "plagued by bad buzz" before release with the media speculating about the possible influence of Scientology and commenting on the production's tight security. Samaha was looking to make a splash in Hollywood and told Travolta that he wanted to finance the latter’s passion project, an adaptation of L. Ron Hubbard’s 1,050-page science fiction epic Battlefield Earth. However, as the years passed and studios declined the project, Travolta got older, so the role went to Barry Pepper, who, while less ridiculous, is just as committed. [112] Shapiro also made an appearance to pick up the Worst Picture of the Decade award at the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards, giving a speech quoting negative reviews, and thanking both the studio for firing him and Corey Mandell for "rewriting my script in a way I never, ever, ever — could have imagined or conceived of myself. [54], Battlefield Earth was released on May 12, 2000, three days after the 50th anniversary of the publication of Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, a date celebrated by Scientologists worldwide as a major Scientology holiday. Until she met the darkest detractor of all", "Elie's new chapter: Samaha's Franchise files for bankruptcy", "Battlefield Earth Soon To Become An Animated TV Series", The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst, Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Worst Film, An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party, Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay, Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battlefield_Earth_(film)&oldid=1006034946, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, John Travolta and anyone sharing the screen with him. It's there to plant a favorable seed in children's minds. [116][117] The provided commentary is listed on the side. Like any trope, this can be played with. [108] In 2010, the film received an award for "Worst Picture of the Decade", bringing its total number of Razzie Awards to nine and consequently setting a record for the most Razzies won by a single film. But I don't know what kind of number it would have to do to justify filming the second part of the book. [129], South Park parodied the film at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. ﾙ�ﾘｧﾙ�ﾙ� ﾙ�ﾙぺｷﾘｧﾘｪ Dutch Angle ﾙ�ﾙぺｷﾘｧﾘｪ Dutch Angleﾘ� ﾙ�ﾙ� ﾙ�ﾙぺｷﾘｧﾘｪ ﾘｰﾘｧﾘｪ ﾘｲﾘｧﾙ異韓ｩ ﾙ�ﾘｧﾘｦﾙ�ﾘｩ ﾘｨﾘｯﾘｱﾘｬﾘｧﾘｪ ﾘｪﾘｪﾘｱﾘｧﾙ畏ｭ ﾙ�ﾘｧﾘｨﾙ館� 60 ﾘｯﾘｱﾘｬﾘｩ 窶� ﾙ畏ｭﾘｪﾙ� 5 ﾘｯﾘｱﾘｬﾘｧﾘｪ ﾘｹﾙ� ﾙ�ﾘｳﾘｪﾙ異� ﾘｮﾘｷ ﾘｧﾙ�ﾘ｣ﾙ�ﾙ� ﾘ･ﾙ� ﾘｵﾘｭ ﾘｧﾙ�ﾘｪﾘｹﾘｨﾙ韓ｱ. again and again". "[80] Jon Stewart mocked the film on his television program The Daily Show, describing it as "a cross between Star Wars and the smell of ass. Here I was taking big chances, breaking a new genre. The Psychlos, a brutal race of giant humanoid aliens, have ruled the planet for 1,000 years, and use human slave labor to strip its minerals and other resources, with a special desire for gold. After a week of training, the rebels launch their attack. And I don't want to push any buttons in the press and stir anybody up about it now. "[14] Some people in Hollywood feared that Travolta was using his box office draw to promote Scientology teachings, and one film producer stated, "This film could encourage kids to embrace the whole strange world of Scientology. That is not my business plan. Having earned $11,548,898 from 3,307 screens on its opening weekend, its take collapsed by 67 percent to $3,924,921 the following weekend, giving an average take of $1,158 per screen. Prior to the film’s release, Travolta was the film’s biggest cheerleader, boldly stating that it was “like Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), but better” and “the Schindler’s List (1993) of science-fiction films.” In an interview with The Daily Beast in 2014, he continued to defend the film and said he would do it all over again. [27] Samaha acknowledged that "everyone thought I was crazy or mentally retarded" for taking on the project, but pitched the film as "Planet of the Apes starring John Travolta". Battlefield Earth | Empire", "The Launch of a Star Vehicle That Explodes in Laughter", "Earth under threat again as Travolta hints at sci-fi sequel", Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2004 Edition, 91, "Battlefield Earth (2000) C–117. "[37] Krane stated that the film had been financed "without a dollar coming from the Scientologists. All rights reserved. Whether it’s Ker (Forest Whitaker) smugly slurping kerbango (with a straw) when he thinks he’s pulled a fast one on Terl, or Terl cradling three growlers of it in his arms as he tells the bartender (whom he later decapitates) to put it on his non-existent tab, the mood — and the actors — seems to loosen up whenever the the mysterious green liquid is in play. '"[22] He learned of Battlefield Earth from Cassian Elwes, an agent at the theatrical agency William Morris, and approached Travolta. Battlefield Earth窶播irector Roger Christian's adaptation of the 1982 sci-fi novel written by author and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard窶巴rought a messy and bleak vision of 窶ｦ It’s just as ironically enjoyable, it’s arguably weirder, and it’s just so earnest that, despite its blatant shortcomings, you may be surprised to find yourself rooting for it. [7][101] The Arizona Republic listed it as the worst film of 2000, and called it a "monumentally bad sci-fi flick. "[36] Mark Bunker characterized the film as a recruitment tactic for the Church of Scientology, stating, "It's designed to introduce L. Ron Hubbard to a whole new generation of kids. Battlefield Earth (also referred to as Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000) is a 2000 American science fiction action film based on the 1982 novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard.It was directed by Roger Christian and stars John Travolta, Barry Pepper and Forest Whitaker.. [28] Samaha forecast that the film would be a hit: "My projected numbers on Battlefield Earth are really conservative. This is why it is also called the canted angle or oblique angle. "[93] In her book I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook, Carrie Tucker lists Battlefield Earth as a cult classic in the "so bad, it's good" genre. The initial reports about it being a $77 million-budgeted movie came about because Samaha and Franchise Pictures inflated the numbers to scam German-based Intertainment AG, the group responsible for coming up with 47% of the film’s budget. According to James Robert Parish's Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops, the disastrous performance of Battlefield Earth and the collapse of Franchise Pictures made it very unlikely that a live-action sequel would be made. John Travolta and anyone in the entire galaxy! I have amber eyes and talons for hands. He defiantly declares that one day, humans will overthrow the Psychlos and retake their planet. Its defining feature is a tilted shot that places vertical and horizontal lines at an angle relative to the frame rather than in parallel. "[85], Many critics singled out the excessive use of angled camera shots. Director Roger Christian, who won a Best Art Direction Academy Award for his work on Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, wrote an open letter correcting many of the critics who called his “independent little film” a “big budget failure.” In reality, the production budget was somewhere around $14 million, and the special effects budget was ~$9 million. [73] As of December 2020, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film had a score of 3% based on 152 reviews, with an average rating of 2.77/10. They initially approached Quentin Tarantino to direct the film. Exactly why he 窶ｦ (Seriously, Battlefield Earth, how are you a thing?) “There are several ways to finance a movie. [140] Christian and Whitaker were approached to reprise their respective roles, and the producers planned for a 2003 release date so as not to compete with George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. They are a literary agency without any connection to the church. Through the movie tie-in with the book, kids will send in the card to get their free poster, and eventually be introduced to Dianetics. "[120] Bunker criticized the promotional methods of the film—instead of granting interviews about the film to the press, John Travolta went on a book tour and signed copies of L. Ron Hubbard's novel. [3] Financially, it is regarded as one of the most expensive box office bombs in film history. Jonnie locates a plentiful supply at the long-abandoned Fort Knox. Whenever we glimpse sunlight, the screen goes all stale yellow, as though someone had urinated on the print. "[82] Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times wrote: "It may be a bit early to make such judgments, but Battlefield Earth may well turn out to be the worst movie of this century" and called it "Plan 9 from Outer Space for a new generation. Two decades later, the legacy of Battlefield Earth is defined by cast and crew apologies, critical reviews that feature olympic-level insults, and a 3% Tomatometer score. Film Noir classics like Carol Reed窶冱 THE THIRD MAN are applauded for their use of the tilt and how it enhances the seedy, discombobulated nature of the films. Travolta had been trying to get this project off the ground for 15 years without success, even after becoming a cash machine with Pulp Fiction, Broken Arrow, Michael, The General’s Daughter, and Face/Off. Fellow Scientologist Tom Cruise was said to have warned Warner Bros. that he thought the movie was a bad idea. According to Bill Mechanic, the former head of 20th Century Fox, "John wanted me to make Battlefield Earth. While it’s easy to look at the $65-75 million budget and the subsequent $30 million worldwide box office and assume Battlefield Earth was a box office flop, it’s a little more complicated than that. A massive dome over the base protects the Psychlos from Earth's atmosphere, which is toxic to them. [140][142], Despite Travolta's initial commitment to a sequel, such plans never came to fruition. The over-the-top music, the unbelievable sets, the terrible dialogue, the hammy acting, the lousy special effects, the beginning, the middle and especially the end. "[113], The film's producer, Elie Samaha, declared that he welcomed the "free publicity", as "the more the critics [bash] Battlefield Earth, the more DVDs it sells. [5][93][122][123][124] Former Scientologist Lawrence Wollersheim, in a press release issued by his group Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, said that the Church of Scientology "has placed highly advanced subliminal messages in the Battlefield Earth film master to surreptitiously recruit new members from the movie audience and to get the audience to develop a revulsion for psychiatry and current mental health organizations and practices". Actors and acclaimed directors were attracted because they were given complete creative control, albeit on a budget. Also a goal of the empire, from long before first contact with humanity, was the location and activation of the Halo rings. Two years later, on May 12th, 2000, Travolta’s $65-75 million budgeted (again, more on that later) Battlefield Earth opened in theaters and quickly disappeared as movies like Gladiator, Shanghai Noon, Mission: Impossible 2, and Road Trip took over screens. [68] The DVD includes commentary tracks with director Roger Christian and production, costume and creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos, as well as special features including John Travolta's alien makeup test. !“), and seems incredibly pleased with himself (check out the laughing supercut). Battlefield Earth (2000) Trivia on IMDb: Cameos, Mistakes, Spoilers and more... J.D. Studios wanted nothing to do with a story about “man-animals” using 1,000-year-old airplanes to battle the “kerbango”-loving “Psychlos” who took over their planet and turned them into slaves. Psychlos avoid such areas because radiation reacts explosively with the gas mixture that they breathe. [35][65][66] Despite pre-release reports that the toy spoke the phrase "ratbastard", a line not present in the novel or film, the retail version does not. [33] Others in Hollywood were still skeptical; an unnamed producer was quoted by the Los Angeles Daily News as saying that "Battlefield Earth has the stench of death. [24] Shapiro was eventually fired because he refused to accept some suggestions from the studio producers that changed the tone of his script, including removing key scenes and characters. [18] Travolta described the book in interviews as "like Pulp Fiction for the year 3000" and "like Star Wars, only better". It received eight Golden Raspberry Awards, which until 2012 was the most Razzie Awards given to a single film, and won Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010. "[70], A Blu-ray/digital combo pack is scheduled to be released by Mill Creek Entertainment on September 15, 2020. [107] Battlefield Earth was later awarded an eighth Razzie for "Worst Drama of Our First 25 Years". [62], A limited range of merchandising was produced for the film, including posters, a soundtrack CD by Elia Cmíral recorded by the Seattle Symphony, and a re-released version of the novel with a new cover based on the film's poster. In 1998, it was picked up by independent production company Franchise Pictures, which specialized in rescuing stars' pet projects. [46] The film was reported to have been the most expensive production shot in Canada up to that point. This is different. "[39], Travolta and his manager, Jonathan Krane, took the lead in hiring the on-set personnel. This is not about Hubbard. While his performance won multiple Razzie awards, it’s impressively committed and serves as a perfect example of what happens when an A-list talent delivers an overconfident performance with zero checks and balances. [76] At a post-launch publicity event, Travolta, on asking assembled journalists if they had enjoyed it, received no reply. "[120], Before the film was released, rumors and allegations began to circulate that Battlefield Earth contained subliminal messages promoting Scientology. I was given this to read purely as science fiction – to see whether it was intriguing as a movie. Travolta, along with his fellow Scientologists, was depicted as a Psychlo, as he appeared in the film. Originally, Travolta wanted to play the role of Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, the leader of the human resistance against the power-hungry Psychlos. When critiquing science-fiction film 窶廝attlefield Earth,窶� Roger Ebert wrote: 窶徼he director, Roger Christian, has learned from better films that directors sometimes tilt their cameras, but he has not learned why.窶� Sadly, in many ways, the Dutch angle is becoming a cliché due t窶ｦ In an educational 2000 profile by the New York Times, Samaha admitted that he would “scavenge and dig and find the script or project that a star most wants to make; finance it overseas based on the A-list clout; then shoot it in Canada to save money.” He grabbed movies in turnaround, when movie studios no longer wanted to develop them, and sometimes was lucky enough to have the stars themselves invest their own money into the project (Travolta himself reportedly spent $5 million when Battlefield Earth ran into financial issues). Travolta responded a week later to the awards: "I didn't even know there were such awards. And then there’s Elie Samaha’s way, which nobody understands.” Terl observes that Jonnie is a resourceful human and selects him to lead the mining operation. Battlefield Earth kreeg enkel negatieve kritieken en slaagde er niet in zijn productiekosten terug te verdienen. [22] Corey Mandell signed on to write the script for the film, which had previously gone through 10 revisions. The remaining $31 million had been fraudulent "padding". The truth of why I'm doing it is because it's a great piece of science fiction. I'm on 4-foot stilts. [33] The size of the revenue deal was not disclosed by the parties; Trendmasters, the makers of the Battlefield Earth line of toys, stated that its deal was strictly with Franchise Pictures, which declined to comment, and Warner Bros. stated that its role was limited to distribution and had nothing to do with the associated merchandising deals. The adaptation of the L. Ron Hubbard novel of the same name, it is infamously known as the movie that killed Franchise Pictures due to fraudulent budget reporting, and is on pretty much every "Worst Movies of All Time" list that exists. Battlefield Earth (2000) on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more... Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Giant Octopus look good, and the Psychlos move comically slow during the battle scenes (because the poor stunt actors could only move so fast on their giant stilts). The number was reduced from 2,587 to 641. At the camp, they meet Terl (John Travolta) the Psychlo security chief, and his deputy, Ker (Forest Whitaker). The film version of L. Ron Hubbard's Science Fiction novel Battlefield Earth was released in 2000, directed by Roger Christian and starring John Travolta as Psychlo leader Terl (he originally wanted to play the part of the book's hero, Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler, but that role eventually went to Barry Pepper because Travolta was too old by then). It should never have been made. [15], The film was set up as an independent production for Morgan Creek Productions which would release the film through Warner Bros. in the United States under an existing distribution agreement. Everybody hated Scientology for some reason. [14][43][53] As the film was entering post-production, the alternative newspaper Mean Magazine obtained a copy of the screenplay. Samaha was known for indulging big stars and directors by financing the passion projects that no other studio would make (e.g. Battlefield Earth for Travolta). [22] A deal was soon struck and financing was arranged; Travolta significantly reduced his normal fee of $20 million, lowering the film's cost from the $100 million that had previously been forecast, and costs were reduced further by using Canadian locations and facilities. An audience of Los Angeles entertainment journalists, critics, and others greeted the film with guffaws and hoots at a screening in Century City while other viewers in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore responded with derisive laughter or simply walked out. Terl gives Jonnie a party of slaves and a Psychlo flying shuttle and orders him to find gold. Period. Everything. Between 1999 and 2007, Elie Samaha’s Franchise Pictures released a plethora of epically Rotten films that starred A-listers like John Travolta, Antonio Banderas, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Lopez, Kevin Coster, Kurt Russell, Lucy Liu, Wesley Snipes, and Bruce Willis. Travolta, as co-producer, also contributed millions of dollars; he envisioned Battlefield Earth as the first in a two-part adaptation of the book, as it only covers the first half of the novel's story. "[84] The Hollywood Reporter summarized the film as being "a flat-out mess, by golly, with massive narrative sinkholes, leading to moments of outstanding disbelief in the muddled writing and shockingly chaotic mise en scène that's accompanied by ear-pummeling sound and bombastic music. Terl's superiors have had him reassigned to his remote Earth outpost indefinitely due to one or more unexplained incidents involving "the Senator's daughter". [10] In October 1983, the film rights were sold by the Church of Scientology's in-house literary agency, Author Services Inc., to Salem Productions of Los Angeles. Of course 'Battlefield Earth' is celebrating its 20th anniversary in this craptastic year. "[95] Ebert noted, however, that the film "contains no evidence of Scientology, or any other system of thought. [92] Axmaker wrote that they provide "... much-needed comic relief in an otherwise humorless paean to freedom. Also known as Canted Camera. ", "The Den Of Geek interview: Roger Christian [part 3]", "John Travolta's Alien Notion; He Plays a Strange Creature In a New Sci-Fi Film, but That's Not the Only Curious Thing About This Project", "Whose Hollywood? They're obviously doing their job. Not only was the film released only three days after the 50th anniversary of the publication of Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, but the villainous Psychlos have been interpreted by many observers as an obvious allusion to Scientology's bête noire, psychiatry.