Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Battlefield Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 12, 2020

If ever there was an example of Hollywood destroying the story, depth, detail, and overall likability of a novel, this might may very well be it. L. Ron Hubbard’s beloved 1982 novel Battlefield Earth is sometimes a dense and sprawling read, but it’s also a rewarding character study amidst the story of a radically altered future Earth landscape. The film adaptation’s production fiascos, critical failures, and box office flopping are the stuff of cinema legend and Internet banter galore. Those details are best left to Bing. But even if the end product is one of the most loathed movies ever made, it’s at least left behind a legacy of intricate teardowns and memes that have few equals around the Internet, all of which has, almost in a cruel way, elevated the film into something of a fan favorite cult status.

For centuries, Earth has lay in ruins. Long ago the world was quickly defeated by the powerful Psychlos, aliens form another star who have drained the world of its resources. Humans remain, some living in scattered settlements, others enslaved by the Psychlos which believe the species to be grossly inferior, dismissing the “man animals” as incapable of anything more than crude manual labor. When one surviving human, Johnny "Goodboy" Tyler (Barry Pepper), wanders away from his encampment in search of truths about the world around him, he’s captured by the Psychlos. His determination and intelligence beyond the typical “man animal” catchers the attention of Terl (John Travolta), a Psychlo who has long seen his positing as Earth’s head of security as a steppingstone to bigger and better things. But when Terl is told he shall remain at the post indefinitely, he and his cohort Ker (Forest Whitaker) are left with a longshot option: to train Tyler in the ways of the Psychlos so he may in turn train his fellow “man animals” to mine a newfound gold vein which just might be Terl’s ticket off world once and for all. But Terl underestimates Tyler; he’s a natural leader and manages to turn the tables on his Psychlo overlord, rally the remnants of humanity, and spark an uprising against the most powerful force in the galaxy.

The plot does operate better in the book where the characters are provided fuller personas and more complex shaping details beyond the crudities that exist in the film. But it’s not simply a poor translation from page to screen that knocks Battlefield Earth down into the dregs of cinema history; the movie proper is poorly constructed, too, endlessly stymied by Dutch angles, incessant wipes, low-grade special effects (which 20 years on only look worse), poor lighting and color timing, unconvincing props, and so on. Add lousy acting, thin characters, and goofy dialogue (Travolta’s Terl rarely allows a sentence go by without using the word “leverage” or “man-animal”) and there's rarely a reprieve from the foulness that permeates the picture. To the movie’s credit, though, some of the scripted repetitiveness does come from the novel where it does work better when given room to breathe and the characters afforded more opportunity at solidified development. Travolta’s take on the villain is so over the top that it teeters on fun and even appropriate, certainly fitting the character’s single-minded motivation which is ultimately his downfall. Terl lives up to his species’ name; the character is psychotic, highly intelligent but too impatient and unwilling – not unable – to put the larger picture together. Of course that does not speak well of his Psychlo comrades, such as Ker, whom he often gets the better of even when they believe they’ve played their ace. Barry Pepper obviously does not match Travolta's theatrics but that's not his character. For the terrible script from which he works he does a commendable job of amplifying his character's strengths and playing down to the Psychlo level when need be. Pepper's externalities are not often award worthy, but his ability to play the long game and the mind game with his captor does work well if one can look beyond the movie's sloppy surface.

Ultimately, though, it's a shame it doesn't work better, or really at all. The novel is very good and far more in-depth, including a significant amount of content that picks up where the movie left off; this film's poor returns and critical responses canned a planned-for sequel. Opportunities abound for a superior film in the same storyline with the far advanced dystopian setting (so many similar films take place with characters who still understand their surroundings; here humans have devolved, somewhat, and the remnants of the old world and the old ways are little more than vapor and tenuous, overgrown hints as to once was). With so much time behind the project, so much talent involved in its production, such a quality source with which to work, there's plenty of story behind the story, and if nothing else Battlefield Earth has settled into a place in history as one of the most fascinating bad movies ever made.

Battlefield Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The movie states that "man is an endangered species." So too is the movie's filmic origin, apparently. Here's a picture's that's obviously poor from the opening shot. It's been wiped entirely clean of grain, leaving behind a smooth, flat, artificial façade that robs the image of any inherent clarity, scrubs away facial and clothing textures, and renders the entire thing phony and flat. It is in no way visually attractive but it somehow fits the movie's aesthetic and style, anyway, as technically undesirable as it may be. The film rarely offers up anything resembling neutral colors; it's always pushing to murky greens, chilly blues, and flat earthy tones. It's a divergent style that seems more interested in making sure the audience knows where it is rather than ensure a quality aesthetic. A few other problems creep in, too. Look at the 2:44 mark for some serious banding and compression artifacts. Such occur here and there throughout, including during the library scene in chapter six. Additionally, trace remnants of edge enhancement remain. As poor as the movie may be, it deserves better.

Battlefield Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Battlefield Earth's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is not significantly superior to the video, but there is more of a natural flow and flavor to the whole, though certainly some scenes and sound elements are obviously lacking in precision excellence. Generally, the track offers solid, if not slightly underwhelming, stage extension and low-end support, usually in the form of Psychlo craft engines roaring around the stage or gunfire thumping with a well-rounded thud. The chaotic action sequence to end the film offers plenty of activity but it never quite pulls the listener completely in, offering more a series of sound effects rather than a well prioritized and perfectly balanced immersive frenzy. Sound detail never reaches the stratosphere, either, offering solid enough core reproductions but struggling to bring the Psychlo-arranged Earth-based sounds to life with any kind of extravagant spacing or fidelity. There's little in terms of environmental nuance, and what is present – inside dank "man animal" holding cells or out in open country where a "mining operation" is underway later in the film – is cursory at best. Dialogue is at least generally stable, clear, and well prioritized with natural front-center placement.

Battlefield Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Battlefield Earth's Blu-ray includes five interviews (which play in conjunction with clips from the film) and a trailer. No DVD copy is included but Mill Creek has bundled in a MovieSpree digital copy voucher. This release does not appear to ship with a slipcover.

• Saga in the Year 2000: Directing Battlefield Earth (1080p, 12:54): Director Roger Christian speaks primarily on the film's budget but also explores project origins, his previous work that landed him the job, his collaborators on the film, the Dutch angles, costumes, casting, shooting locales, digital effects, marketing, and the film's release and reviews.
• Leverage: Writing the First Script (1080p, 15:46): J. David Shapiro discuses how his previous writing credits did not necessarily translate to writing Science Fiction, landing the Battlefield Earth job, story themes, condensing the source novel, potential directors (Woo, Stone, and De Palma), his displeasure with subsequent notes and suggestions, dismissal from the project, and more.
• Endangered Species: Scoring Battlefield Earth (1080p, 10:58): Elia Cmiral discusses the music he composed for the film, breaking down musical themes and the scenes the score supports.
• Domes and Drones: Creating the Miniatures (1080p, 13:32): Model Builder E. James Small explores a number of the key models on which he worked during production, including the dome (which was ultimately created digitally), dilapidated buildings, alien craft and weapons, and odds and ends that didn't make it into the film.
• Psychlo Circus: Designing Battlefield Earth (1080p, 14:12): Patrick Tatopoulos discusses parts of the film he thought might work, willingness to sign onto the project even with a less-than-perfect script, costumes, frustrations, and more.
• Trailer (480i, 0:54).

Battlefield Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is little argument that Battlefield Earth is a bad movie, but it has its charms which show themselves over time. Travolta's work can be ingratiating looked at in the right way while the innate silliness at play at least allows audiences to revel in the movie's shortcomings rather than be completely turned off and turned away by them. However one sees the film it's well worth inclusion in any film library. Unfortunately Mill Creek's Blu-ray is severely wanting. The 1080p transfer is rough on the source and the 5.1 track is no great shakes. At least Mill Creek has included a few extras but has not returned everything from the previous DVD release. A rare recommendation for a bad film and a mediocre, at best, Blu-ray.