Battlefield Earth (also referred to as Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000) is a 2000 American dystopian science fiction action film based upon the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's 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.[3]
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 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 was largely funded by a German film distribution company. Franchise Pictures was later sued by its investors and was bankrupted after it emerged that it had fraudulently overstated the film's budget by $31 million.[4]
Battlefield Earth was released on May 12, 2000. The film was a major commercial failure and critical flop and has been widely acknowledged as being one of the worst films ever made.[5][6] Reviewers universally panned the film, criticizing virtually every aspect of the production including Travolta's acting, which many described as "hammy", overuse of angled shots and slow-motion, poor script, several plot holes and narrative inconsistencies, art design and dialogue. Audiences were reported to have ridiculed early screenings and stayed away from the film after its opening weekend. This resulted in Battlefield Earth failing to recoup its costs. Travolta originally envisioned the film as the first of two adapted from the book, as the screenplay only covered the first half of the novel. However, the film's poor showing at the box office, as well as the collapse of Franchise Pictures, killed off plans for a sequel.[4]
Theatrical release poster
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 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 was largely funded by a German film distribution company. Franchise Pictures was later sued by its investors and was bankrupted after it emerged that it had fraudulently overstated the film's budget by $31 million.[4]
Battlefield Earth was released on May 12, 2000. The film was a major commercial failure and critical flop and has been widely acknowledged as being one of the worst films ever made.[5][6] Reviewers universally panned the film, criticizing virtually every aspect of the production including Travolta's acting, which many described as "hammy", overuse of angled shots and slow-motion, poor script, several plot holes and narrative inconsistencies, art design and dialogue. Audiences were reported to have ridiculed early screenings and stayed away from the film after its opening weekend. This resulted in Battlefield Earth failing to recoup its costs. Travolta originally envisioned the film as the first of two adapted from the book, as the screenplay only covered the first half of the novel. However, the film's poor showing at the box office, as well as the collapse of Franchise Pictures, killed off plans for a sequel.[4]
| Directed by | Roger Christian |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Jonathan Krane Elie Samaha John Travolta |
| Screenplay by | Corey Mandell J.D. Shapiro |
| Based on | Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard |
| Starring | John Travolta Barry Pepper Forest Whitaker Kim Coates Sabine Karsenti Richard Tyson |
| Music by | Elia Cmiral |
| Cinematography | Giles Nuttgens |
| Editing by | Robin Russell |
| Studio | Morgan Creek Productions Franchise Pictures |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $44 million[1] |
| Box office | $29,725,663[2] |
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