Roger Ebert once said about the overuse of Dutch angles in this film that "director Roger Christian has learned from better films that directors sometimes tilt their cameras, but he has not learned why."
I still love the security camera scene. Filmed in a Dutch Angle, watching a Security Camera feed in a Dutch Angle that the camera itself was place in a Dutch Angle. One more Dutch and and it would have been upside down. 😆😆😆
"Battlefield earth is going to make people in Hollywood take notice of Elie Samaha. I'm not going to be the laughing stock anymore." The phrase 'spoke to soon' has never been more beautifully appropriate then with that statement! 😂😂
Elie Samaha???? HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! (gag) HA! (gasp!) HA! HA! (Choke) HA! HA! He's wrong!!!! HA! HA! HA! This could go on for a long, long time....
He’s wearing a weird al shirt and looks like the biggest lame o I’ve literally ever seen your hero sucks bro get a new one!!! I can help hmu on my celly!!!
Actually, this film won 9 razzy awards. That record was beaten in 2012 thanks to the absmal and horrible "comedy" film, "Jack and Jill". Adam Sandler is just NOT funny anymore. Edit: I take that statement back. The guy can still be funny, given the material he’s given and such. His performance in Uncut Gems has given me some rejuvenated hope for him.
Lets play a little game called: Spot the plot hole. 1: Gold is described as the rarest and most valuable ore in the universe. No it isn't. There are dozens of rarer elements. 2: The planet Psychlo has an atmosphere that spontaneously ignites in the presence of radiation. This means radioactive decay does not naturally occur on the planet, meaning the planet ignores the second law of thermodynamics and is effectively a perpetual motion machine. (Which begs the question of how can it support life) 3: On a related note, the Psychlos rely on eyes for vision, which means the Planet Psychlo must orbit a light-producing star. Stars give off radiation. Lots and lots of radiation. (Once more begging the question of how the planet hasn't exploded already) 4: A highly advanced, star-faring and extremely warlike species achieved star flight without using radioactive materials. 5: Expendable human number 1 gets shot with a ray gun that somehow knocks him several feet away. Ray guns don't produce kinetic motion. 6: And this is the most mind-boggling one of the whole bunch: I haven't read the book (nor do I ever plan to) but I read a small resume of it online, and in the book, the aliens DID hit Fort Knox. In fact, it was the first place they hit when they invaded. So why in the hell would they change that for the movie? ITS JUST FUCKING STUPID!!!!!!!!! I would go on but Smeghead already covered most of the others, I just pointed a few he missed.
Good list but also: 2) In all the Psychlos advanced technology, we're meant to believe that there is not a single nuclear bomb or reactor in their entire civilization. They have interstellar travel but never figured out how to split the atom, technology humans figured out in the 1940s (over 15 years before we sent humans into space I might add)
The Scientology founder was the author of trash sci-fi. Utter junk. The Scientology "scriptures" he wrote are almost unintelligible. Why would this movie be any different?
@siralanlordsugar What are you talking about? There are more plot holes here than in Michael Bay's movies, and Bay's movies aren't even that plot hole ridden. With the exception of Pearl Harbor and some of the Transformers sequels, his movies are generally pretty tight with their narratives. Are there questionable elements here and there? Sure, but no worse than most other action movies.
Ah...Battlefield Earth, one of those movies who should be put under study about how NOT to make a movie. This was a really entertaining review and I'm glad you got that trilogy finished.
I sent an E-mail to J.D. Shapiro asking him why he was fired and his script was rewritten, he replied by saying it was due to many disagreements with Travolta, the studio and the Church of Scientology itself. He also sent me a copy of his original script. I had a read through it and thought it was very good and it was more faithful to the novel, I'm sure Battlefield Earth could've become a critical and commercial success had the studio stuck with his script.
Me and my friends made a great drinking game out of this film. Player 1: 1 shot for every curtain wipe Player 2: 1 shot for every slow motion scene Player 3: 1 shot for every weird coloured tinted scene Player 4: 1 shot for every time John Travolta goes crazy Player 5: 1 shot every time someone says leverage
I just now realized this is the same Barry Pepper that played the sniper in Saving Private Ryan. My cognitive dissonance didn't allow me to make the connection.
Zak Kizer He should also review A League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. That killed Sean Connery’s career. As far as to my knowledge, he has not made a comeback yet ever since.
Eddie Olshefski Connery was actually so disappointed with how Extraordinary Gentleman came out thst he decided to quit the acting business (live-action acting, to be precise).
Viewing Battlefield Earth is like being Sea Sick, while simultaneously experiencing Ptomane Poisoning, Vertigo, and an abscessed tooth. The only person who could view this film in safety is Helen Keller.
At least the stormtroopers were shown to be at least dangerous like in the opening in the original film and winning the battle of Hoth. It's when battling the main heroes they couldn't hit unless if the plot called for it. The psychlos were mostly an informed threat with pretty much little establishing how deadly they can be.
"Glorious emperor of mankind, we spotted a bunch of xenos over there enslaving feral humans. Your orders Highness?" "Ah...let's have some fun. Send in the 8th."
There was a story that this movie was going to use subliminal messaging to coax people into reading Dianetics. I counter-acted this threat by sneaking a hip flask of Jack Daniels into the cinema, pouring it into my big gulp cola and eventually falling asleep during this train wreck movie. My snoring may also have assisted others in not succumbing to L Ron's evil machinations.
It's WAY more blatant in the book. There (spoiler alert) the Psychlos are all under the influence of mind-control implants from a cult of medical scientists called "catrists".
I think we are being misdirected by very subtle, sophisticated psychological operations. If you read the Georgia Guidestones, Agenda 21, or the program outlined in the People for a New American Century policy statement, that all these blows that are being hurled against us are mechanisms that will put in place the Great Sacrifice of 2020. All the military and fema assets are not there for vaccines or martial law, but for the aftermath. There are maps showing how a vastly reduced population, that are chipped and genetically engineered for docile obedience, will live in an interconnected network of smart cities with most land zoned as wilderness areas; with buffer zones and off limits to humans. I think it a possibility that this coming winter could witness the death of billions worldwide; and not through engagement but through privation. Shutting down the food and power will do this easily in the northern latitudes; they need only retreat behind their walls and underground facilities and wait a month. The military assets will take a defensive posture and then quickly transition to clean up and construction. This culling will fulfill the warnings outlined in all these steering committee documents, will clear the way to the founding of the New Atlantis: the New World Order. America won’t be brought back for the very notion of the Nation State is beginning to fade, having served its purpose. Simultaneously, it can serve as the vastest blood sacrifice of all time to inaugurate Jerusalem as the capital of the world and the establishment of the Third Temple from where all Law will flow when the evil Torah is finally laid on its altar. This was always the plan and now the zodiac says begin. The Phoenix of the New World will rise from the ashes as the dark shadow of its black wings spreads across the Earth (an anagram of Heart.) Now that it has begun it will happen fast and the first histories of this Great Transition could appear by 2030. I heard about a movie where Joe Pesci is talking to two government agents and says, ‘why do you guys do this? What do you get? I see you live on coffee and fast food. We have family, children, friends, food, love. What do you guys have?’ There was silence and then one answered, ‘We have America, everyone else is just visiting.’
interesting note: in the book, the reason why the psycholos don't kill johnny and wipe out earth is because, due to reasons, johnny was made absolute ruler of the entire psycholo empire after terl died.
Very very good critique! I would like to add that I am disappointed with the United States Government - they did not take advantage of a wonderful resource, namely this movie! They could have used Battlefield Earth as torture at Guantanamo instead of water boarding. Personally, I think the movie is worse than water boarding. - Bob
Not to be disagreeable, but I think the implication at the end with Terl is that somehow he’ll be complicit in helping to shield the humans from the wrath of the remaining Psychlos? Having read this book as a kid, it never occurred to me how absurd it was that the breath-gas exploded on exposure to radiation, but the Psychlos had shields around their teleporters. The bomb, however, shook the platform so hard that the warrens of caverns and buildings below the Psychlo city built up over millennia gave way. The remaining psychlo colonies that tried to teleport to Psychlo brought back radiation that then blew up all the other colonies and in one swoop they were done. The funniest part is that Johnnie had some sort of slickly-worded contract that gave him and the humans control over all the Psychlo finances held in the galactic bank and now the humans - just a step from man-animal-apes - are now the richest beings in the galaxy. Because of this contract. What I can say is that without a knowledge of LRH and Scientology and being 12, this was a fun book.
Whats kind of shocking is that there are some good actors in this movie, and it's remarkable to see that some have actually maintained their careers after this.
6:50 Actually the movie does reflect on the teachings of Scientology. Johnny and the humans are suppose to represent society as a whole, the Psychlos are suppose to represent the practice of Psychology, and the torturous methods used by the Psychlos are suppose to represent the attempts to "cure people" of their mental illness.
the real reason scientology is so anti-psychology: in the 50's, L Ron Hubbard was trying to market it as a form of therapy, not a religion. He brought it to the American Psychiatric Association and was pretty much laughed out of the office.
I loved the book as a kid in the 80’s so I was thrilled when the movie was announced. I saw it opening weekend. I should have just piled my money up in the back yard and burned it. It would have been more entertaining.
Okay, it's 2024 and I've seen your review several times, but when I saw that Tubi had this movie, I couldn't resist. Perhaps I should have. Your critique is right on, and although there were some humorous parts -- if only unintentional -- I sat dumbfounded as the closing credits rolled wishing I had that two hours back 🤣🤣
During Terl’s “experiment” on what man’s favorite food is, Jonnie and the others discover that one of the buttons on each outfit is actually a camera recording their every move. They disable the cameras, angering Terl and prompting him to recapture the “man-animals”. During that, he drops the human who fought Jonnie earlier in the film off a fucking CLIFF, to prove that man doesn’t fly. This is not in the DVD.
Wouldn't a space faring species know that it would be easier to mine the asteroid belt instead of setting up shop on a random ass planet on the edge of a galactic arm if they want gold? Aliens really is stupid.
Good point. As I remember the book story, the Company got all the gold. Terl wanted it all to himself and so trained the humans to mine it for him, take it back to his home planet and retire rich.
In the book, we sent out this thing called Voyager. It had stuff made of gold on it and a map showing it's planet of origin and where to find it. In other words we "invited" the Psychlos!
I still cringe whenever I see scenes from this movie. David Miscavige ruined this movie. I love it when actors show up to collect their Razzies though. That's a humble thing to do.
Yeah, that's what we always remember about Star Wars, the wipe transitions! Shooting with a Dutch angle makes it look like a comic book? All that's missing are sound effect captions during the fight scenes! (yeah, Batman reference)
@@victorhernandez8723 I know, I was just amazed because I've watched this part multiple times and I've never noticed it before. This movie is a golden mine of shittiness: 20 years later and we still can find things that doesn't make sense! Truly beautiful...
Actually, Battlefield Earth IS related to Scientology. People criticized Scientology by claiming that Hubbard was a science fiction author and that Scientology was just another one of his inventions. Hubbard responded by saying that when he wrote his science fiction books, he thought he was writing about the future, but he was actually having revelations of the distant past.
I have seen this movie a bunch of times and watched several other videos skewering it and I still laugh every single time at John Travolta's line delivery "While you were still learning to SPELL YOUR NAME... LMAO!
Oh dear, Wing Commander movie made this look like Blade Runner in comparison. I find Battlefield Earth pretty enjoyable good-bad movie, whereas Wing Commander is nothing short of a toxic insult. And only becomes worse when you realise it was actually directed by Chris Roberts himself.
I would just like to point out that Fort Hood still has electricity after 1000 years because it is powered by Duracell batteries. Also I think you will find that the aliens give the sixth finger in the same way that humans give the middle finger, hence Travolta's extra finger.
I really liked your video and you have a great voice for commentary. My only recommendation is working on your comedic timing whenever you cut back to your own footage. I think that can be fixed by editing a second or two out. Your jokes are funny but it takes a bit too much time to get to the punch line. I watched all 30 minutes! Thanks for the great summary on this film. As much hate as the film gets, from the perspective you provided, I imagine it can be at least some what entertaining.
Actually the Psyclo language "translates" into english every time it's used. It may be a stupid way to show it but Inconsistent it is not. Sorry for bad spelling and grammar but I'm Swedish so I apologize for nothing ;) Thanks for great vids anyhow and please keep up the good work! I love this!
My friend actually thinks this is a good movie. Because it doesn't look like it was made by a high school student with a camcorder he thinks it was "done good". Any and all lapses in logic and plot inconsistencies can be explained away with four magic words: "It's only a movie."
***** The effects in BE aren't THAT bad. I mean, the planes and ships don't look like models hanging on strings, the laser effects don't look like they were drawn on the actual negative with a magic marker and there aren't any obvious seams on the alien makeup. BE may not have the world's best special effects, but there are movies with far worse effects and production values.
No movie is flawless, but I enjoyed it over all. The story could have been done better, but I found it was very fun and campy. There are a lot of worse movies. So I guess I'm in the small club with your friend.
mark swabey: his bet was for $5 over Budweiser. Himself, Jack Parsons and Alestier Crowley. Jack Parsons blew himself up in his garden shed post perfecting the Rocket that took man to the Moon, and Crowley got ripped off on publishing Rights in the US (Hubbard profited) dying drug addled and penniless in a boarding house. Hubbard won, but was never able to collect that $5
I don't care what anyone says, the book was great and the movie had its hilarious moments. But the constant Dutch angle at 45 degrees made me physically ill after awhile, like about 15 min into the movie.
24:20 Uranium decays in *4.5Bn year half-lives* - i.e. the power dies by half, so it still would be strong! To paraphrase adored😬 (in 2023) Rachel Zegler🤢: That's science, baby (No snub intended)
Well on the subject of what Turle's affair has to do with the plot of the movie itself. Well it's shown that Turle wanted to keep all the gold for himself that was found at Fort Knox, probably as a big middle finger to the home office and possibly a way to buy himself off the planet. This is actually important since it's this greed that leads him to make mistakes regarding the humans that ultimately causes the destruction of the Psychlos. So yeah it actually has a lot to do with the plot.
@@fightingmedialounge519 Actually it is, since it's also because of the affair that he's kept on Earth, the Board meeting scene heavily implies that's the reason he's kept on there and has his stay constantly extended.
@@thefanwithoutaface8105 you misunderstand. I'm saying that we don't need that scene to understand turrels character, and the movie could have given a more plot relevant reason for why he had to stay on earth.
Watching this video today, I think you missed an option. When the Psychlos started their "diabolical laughing" scene (14:50), you should have pulled Monty Python's shtick during the Spanish Inquisition sketch (screen text first saying "Diabolical Laughter" then saying "Diabolical Acting").... :-)
I have decided that everyone should stay and watch this review for another 50 cycles With endless options for renewal!!! With endless options for renewal!!! With endless options for renewal!!! Mwahahahhahahahahahahahahahaha
This movie’s inconsistent world building gives me an idea: Have the aliens take over the world in caveman times with unstable time travel tech, which brings in different objects from different time periods. (Including Ronald the Jester God.)
Is it wrong that I really want to watch this film? No, I'm serious. This movie looks so unbelievably stupid that it makes me want to experience it. I've seen stuff like Troll 2 and Birdemic, and I also really want to watch it with my siblings. I might regret it, but I still want to see it and share the stupidity.
I loved the New York Times review: "Battlefield Earth is about the extinction of the human race. Having seen the movie, I'm all for it".
OUCH! 😆
that wouldnt stop bad movies
Roger Ebert once said about the overuse of Dutch angles in this film that "director Roger Christian has learned from better films that directors sometimes tilt their cameras, but he has not learned why."
The Third Man (1949) and Natural Born Killers (1994) made them work.
@@kingamoeboid3887 Then, Battlefield Earth ruined it.
I still love the security camera scene. Filmed in a Dutch Angle, watching a Security Camera feed in a Dutch Angle that the camera itself was place in a Dutch Angle. One more Dutch and and it would have been upside down. 😆😆😆
The production history of the movie is more interesting then the movie itself.
L Pendergast that's usually the case with the worse movies
L Pendergast I agree.
@L Pendergast
The word is "than" not "then". Thank you.
Sean put more effort than Doug Walker in his Battlefield Earth review.
Travis De La Fuente I admit. Sean does put more detail in the movies he review. I like it and like him.
"Battlefield earth is going to make people in Hollywood take notice of Elie Samaha. I'm not going to be the laughing stock anymore."
The phrase 'spoke to soon' has never been more beautifully appropriate then with that statement! 😂😂
Elie Samaha???? HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! (gag) HA! (gasp!) HA! HA! (Choke) HA! HA! He's wrong!!!! HA! HA! HA! This could go on for a long, long time....
The first time I saw this movie, I thought this makes Plan 9 from Outer Space look like an Oscar winner
"The Jamaican Cowardly Lion" is actually a pretty accurate description!
I thought that character looked more like Worf ..if Worf was a drag queen.
Thing is I Liked Forest in that role. Miles better than Travolta's campy cringy toon. We are still talking about a shite movie.
Anyone who reviews Battlefield Earth is my hero. You did an excellent job.
Indeed, it was a terrible sequel to Battlefield 1942.
***** Wait, Battlefield 2142 wasn't the official game for the movie?
He’s wearing a weird al shirt and looks like the biggest lame o I’ve literally ever seen your hero sucks bro get a new one!!! I can help hmu on my celly!!!
I just saw it yesterday.
@@a-aron4148 hold on - are you casting aspersions on someone for wearing a Weird Al shirt? You need to go re-examine your life.
Lol “A Cross between Star Wars and the smell of ass” did he really say that? Because damn he nailed it
Yep. Only Jon Stewart! LOL 😂😂😂
Felt that was an insult to Star Wars, doesn’t deserve to be in the same sentence.
Actually, this film won 9 razzy awards. That record was beaten in 2012 thanks to the absmal and horrible "comedy" film, "Jack and Jill".
Adam Sandler is just NOT funny anymore.
Edit: I take that statement back. The guy can still be funny, given the material he’s given and such. His performance in Uncut Gems has given me some rejuvenated hope for him.
True
I still like his work...
Darius French
He never really was!
;l
Darius French He never was!
Lets play a little game called: Spot the plot hole.
1: Gold is described as the rarest and most valuable ore in the universe. No it isn't. There are dozens of rarer elements.
2: The planet Psychlo has an atmosphere that spontaneously ignites in the presence of radiation. This means radioactive decay does not naturally occur on the planet, meaning the planet ignores the second law of thermodynamics and is effectively a perpetual motion machine. (Which begs the question of how can it support life)
3: On a related note, the Psychlos rely on eyes for vision, which means the Planet Psychlo must orbit a light-producing star. Stars give off radiation. Lots and lots of radiation. (Once more begging the question of how the planet hasn't exploded already)
4: A highly advanced, star-faring and extremely warlike species achieved star flight without using radioactive materials.
5: Expendable human number 1 gets shot with a ray gun that somehow knocks him several feet away. Ray guns don't produce kinetic motion.
6: And this is the most mind-boggling one of the whole bunch: I haven't read the book (nor do I ever plan to) but I read a small resume of it online, and in the book, the aliens DID hit Fort Knox. In fact, it was the first place they hit when they invaded. So why in the hell would they change that for the movie? ITS JUST FUCKING STUPID!!!!!!!!!
I would go on but Smeghead already covered most of the others, I just pointed a few he missed.
Space has radiation too, right?
Good list but also: 2) In all the Psychlos advanced technology, we're meant to believe that there is not a single nuclear bomb or reactor in their entire civilization. They have interstellar travel but never figured out how to split the atom, technology humans figured out in the 1940s (over 15 years before we sent humans into space I might add)
The Scientology founder was the author of trash sci-fi. Utter junk. The Scientology "scriptures" he wrote are almost unintelligible. Why would this movie be any different?
This movie makes The Last Jedi look like a masterpiece of plotting.
@siralanlordsugar What are you talking about? There are more plot holes here than in Michael Bay's movies, and Bay's movies aren't even that plot hole ridden. With the exception of Pearl Harbor and some of the Transformers sequels, his movies are generally pretty tight with their narratives. Are there questionable elements here and there? Sure, but no worse than most other action movies.
Ah...Battlefield Earth, one of those movies who should be put under study about how NOT to make a movie. This was a really entertaining review and I'm glad you got that trilogy finished.
"I'm not going to be the laughing stock anymore!" LMFAO!!!!!! oh my gawd! that's priceless!
damn
emma duncan little did he know indeed.
emma duncan
Famous last words!
i laughed for a good 5 minutes!!
Oh God lol
Forget the Dutch angles, the films a Dutch oven.
I love the review that said it was Star Wars mixed with the smell of ass
"Im not going to be the laughing stock anymore" LOL
Little did he know 😏
Great line from the British TV show QI: "When I was young & I told people I was going to be a comedian they laughed. Well, they're not laughing NOW!"
Famous last words!
Marc Colten “yeah, no one is...”
Well, He did say they took notice. Well, we did.
Your Dutch angle isn't steep enough
Yes, he's barely tilted at all.
At least it doesn’t make my eyes bleed
Count your blessings, dude! My neck hurts from tilting it so many times trying to watch this video!
When does it become the escher angle?
Your Dutch oven isn’t shitty enough.
I sent an E-mail to J.D. Shapiro asking him why he was fired and his script was rewritten, he replied by saying it was due to many disagreements with Travolta, the studio and the Church of Scientology itself. He also sent me a copy of his original script.
I had a read through it and thought it was very good and it was more faithful to the novel, I'm sure Battlefield Earth could've become a critical and commercial success had the studio stuck with his script.
Would it be possible to send me a copy of that script-I'd love to read it thanks.
The studio should have trusted J.D. Shapiro...
The book was shit too! Its like reading a rejected twilight show sketch! Either way he would have the same thing come to him.
Harry Woofler I respect your opinion, but the book actually received *mixed* reviews, unlike the movie.
Helena Caju That doesn't mean the book wasn't shit. I read the thing and I couldn't make it past the first act; it was that bad!!
"Why am I suddenly echoing?
Why am I suddenly echoing?
Why am I suddenly echoing?"
XD XD XD
Timliu92 Echo...echo...echo...Hey! Hey Hey...now pinch hitting for Sammy Soda...Manny Mota....
Because you are an alien who likes ice cream and literature
Oh, I'm sorry, I just have a bad habit of repeating myself, repeating myself, repeating myself (smack) I'm an idiot.
ENDLESS OPTIONS FOR RENEWAL ENDLESS OPTIONS FOR RENEWAL ENDLESS OPTIONS FOR RENEWAL
Me and my friends made a great drinking game out of this film.
Player 1: 1 shot for every curtain wipe
Player 2: 1 shot for every slow motion scene
Player 3: 1 shot for every weird coloured tinted scene
Player 4: 1 shot for every time John Travolta goes crazy
Player 5: 1 shot every time someone says leverage
Good thing you aren't doing shots every time a scene is tilted at an angle. You would all be dead before the film is even halfway over.
So that’s what it’d be like to apply the Steven King Drinking Game to Battle Field Earth...if you got the reference there, 20 bonus points for you.
drinking game? sounds more like a way to render yourselves comatose...
Player 6 : 1 shot for every time they laughed
Also known as a quick route to alcohol poisoning.
Forrest Whittaker is too good for this shit
"...Jamaican Cowardly Lion..." You got yourself a new sub with that one, good sir. Now let me clean up the water I just snorted while laughing xD
In the book the Psychlos look like Wookiees with gas masks.
When Nicolas Cage chews the scenery, it's an instant classic. When John Travolta does it, it's just sad. This movie made me sad.
I just now realized this is the same Barry Pepper that played the sniper in Saving Private Ryan. My cognitive dissonance didn't allow me to make the connection.
You should review The Love Guru, it pretty much killed Mike Meyer's career, even the Cat in the Hat couldn't do that!
Zak Kizer I agree with you on that.
Zak Kizer He should also review A League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. That killed Sean Connery’s career. As far as to my knowledge, he has not made a comeback yet ever since.
Eddie Olshefski
Connery’s career didn’t die until the animated atrocity Sir Billy, but it was pretty close.
@@tedgruver7618 Never heard of it 😶 Probably for the best.
Eddie Olshefski Connery was actually so disappointed with how Extraordinary Gentleman came out thst he decided to quit the acting business (live-action acting, to be precise).
Viewing Battlefield Earth is like being Sea Sick, while simultaneously experiencing Ptomane Poisoning, Vertigo, and an abscessed tooth. The only person who could view this film in safety is Helen Keller.
'Gold is the rarest and most valuable metal of all.' What about Platinum?
Goldmember: "Yesh, yesh, yesh, but gold ish very shexy!"
In the book the Psychlos are heavily mining Tungsten as well
And rhodium, and dysprosium...
Iridium?
Unatainium.
I've seen Stormtroopers more competent than these Jamaican Klingon Clowns.
At least the stormtroopers were shown to be at least dangerous like in the opening in the original film and winning the battle of Hoth. It's when battling the main heroes they couldn't hit unless if the plot called for it. The psychlos were mostly an informed threat with pretty much little establishing how deadly they can be.
They were pretty scary in the book. This movie was not the book.
"Glorious emperor of mankind, we spotted a bunch of xenos over there enslaving feral humans. Your orders Highness?" "Ah...let's have some fun. Send in the 8th."
There was a story that this movie was going to use subliminal messaging to coax people into reading Dianetics. I counter-acted this threat by sneaking a hip flask of Jack Daniels into the cinema, pouring it into my big gulp cola and eventually falling asleep during this train wreck movie. My snoring may also have assisted others in not succumbing to L Ron's evil machinations.
Villains called Psychlos who just want gold have nothing to do with Scientology?
It's WAY more blatant in the book. There (spoiler alert) the Psychlos are all under the influence of mind-control implants from a cult of medical scientists called "catrists".
I think we are being misdirected by very subtle, sophisticated psychological operations. If you read the Georgia Guidestones, Agenda 21, or the program outlined in the People for a New American Century policy statement, that all these blows that are being hurled against us are mechanisms that will put in place the Great Sacrifice of 2020. All the military and fema assets are not there for vaccines or martial law, but for the aftermath. There are maps showing how a vastly reduced population, that are chipped and genetically engineered for docile obedience, will live in an interconnected network of smart cities with most land zoned as wilderness areas; with buffer zones and off limits to humans. I think it a possibility that this coming winter could witness the death of billions worldwide; and not through engagement but through privation. Shutting down the food and power will do this easily in the northern latitudes; they need only retreat behind their walls and underground facilities and wait a month. The military assets will take a defensive posture and then quickly transition to clean up and construction. This culling will fulfill the warnings outlined in all these steering committee documents, will clear the way to the founding of the New Atlantis: the New World Order. America won’t be brought back for the very notion of the Nation State is beginning to fade, having served its purpose. Simultaneously, it can serve as the vastest blood sacrifice of all time to inaugurate Jerusalem as the capital of the world and the establishment of the Third Temple from where all Law will flow when the evil Torah is finally laid on its altar. This was always the plan and now the zodiac says begin. The Phoenix of the New World will rise from the ashes as the dark shadow of its black wings spreads across the Earth (an anagram of Heart.) Now that it has begun it will happen fast and the first histories of this Great Transition could appear by 2030.
I heard about a movie where Joe Pesci is talking to two government agents and says, ‘why do you guys do this? What do you get? I see you live on coffee and fast food. We have family, children, friends, food, love. What do you guys have?’ There was silence and then one answered, ‘We have America, everyone else is just visiting.’
@@markalexander987 NGL. You completely lost me at Georgia guidestones.
koga soldier schizophrenia is a helluva disorder
@@markalexander987 Cocaine is one helluva drug.
interesting note: in the book, the reason why the psycholos don't kill johnny and wipe out earth is because, due to reasons, johnny was made absolute ruler of the entire psycholo empire after terl died.
maxacorn I only read the first half of the book, but the ending you described sounds so ludicrous I am glad I didn't bother!
i am glad i could save another person from that shit.
Very very good critique! I would like to add that I am disappointed with the United States Government - they did not take advantage of a wonderful resource, namely this movie! They could have used Battlefield Earth as torture at Guantanamo instead of water boarding. Personally, I think the movie is worse than water boarding. - Bob
Who says they don't use this movie to torture people? Especially on people that read and loved the book...lol
"You have six fingers on your right hand..... someone was looking for you."
?
@@3Guys1Video A reference to 'The Princess Bride'.
Not to be disagreeable, but I think the implication at the end with Terl is that somehow he’ll be complicit in helping to shield the humans from the wrath of the remaining Psychlos?
Having read this book as a kid, it never occurred to me how absurd it was that the breath-gas exploded on exposure to radiation, but the Psychlos had shields around their teleporters. The bomb, however, shook the platform so hard that the warrens of caverns and buildings below the Psychlo city built up over millennia gave way. The remaining psychlo colonies that tried to teleport to Psychlo brought back radiation that then blew up all the other colonies and in one swoop they were done.
The funniest part is that Johnnie had some sort of slickly-worded contract that gave him and the humans control over all the Psychlo finances held in the galactic bank and now the humans - just a step from man-animal-apes - are now the richest beings in the galaxy. Because of this contract.
What I can say is that without a knowledge of LRH and Scientology and being 12, this was a fun book.
I like that you did some research on the production history. Also: I want your pearly whites. In jar. on my desk. :3
Whats kind of shocking is that there are some good actors in this movie, and it's remarkable to see that some have actually maintained their careers after this.
i'm begging you, do son of the mask, i'll never forget that god awful movie that ALMOST destroyed the 1994 mask
6:50 Actually the movie does reflect on the teachings of Scientology. Johnny and the humans are suppose to represent society as a whole, the Psychlos are suppose to represent the practice of Psychology, and the torturous methods used by the Psychlos are suppose to represent the attempts to "cure people" of their mental illness.
the real reason scientology is so anti-psychology: in the 50's, L Ron Hubbard was trying to market it as a form of therapy, not a religion. He brought it to the American Psychiatric Association and was pretty much laughed out of the office.
I loved the book as a kid in the 80’s so I was thrilled when the movie was announced. I saw it opening weekend. I should have just piled my money up in the back yard and burned it. It would have been more entertaining.
Same here, I love this when I was young. But I heard the movie was abysmal so I never went to see it, thus my vision of the story remains intact!
Agreed
I'm about halfway through the novel and I love it. Hubbard was a good writer.
Liked the book, more the second half then the first. Movie was painful
Okay, it's 2024 and I've seen your review several times, but when I saw that Tubi had this movie, I couldn't resist.
Perhaps I should have. Your critique is right on, and although there were some humorous parts -- if only unintentional -- I sat dumbfounded as the closing credits rolled wishing I had that two hours back 🤣🤣
Ahhh Princess Bride references are my favorite!! :)
During Terl’s “experiment” on what man’s favorite food is, Jonnie and the others discover that one of the buttons on each outfit is actually a camera recording their every move. They disable the cameras, angering Terl and prompting him to recapture the “man-animals”. During that, he drops the human who fought Jonnie earlier in the film off a fucking CLIFF, to prove that man doesn’t fly. This is not in the DVD.
I guess that sorta explains why Terl used a different camera to spy on the humans while they mine… tho that’s still a very stupid solution.
Great shirt. Horrible movie.
I like it. One of the best post apocalyptic scifi comedies Ive ever seen.
This is honestly the funniest video I have ever watched on RUclips. Thank you so much
The Psychlos are terrifyingly stupid. The fact these guys remember to breath is damn near miraculous.
Wouldn't a space faring species know that it would be easier to mine the asteroid belt instead of setting up shop on a random ass planet on the edge of a galactic arm if they want gold? Aliens really is stupid.
It's actually easier on a planet. And they had mineral detectors. You didn't read the book did you?
James Mourgos Some of it. And asteroids generally have higher concentrations of gold in comparison to a planet.
Good point. As I remember the book story, the Company got all the gold. Terl wanted it all to himself and so trained the humans to mine it for him, take it back to his home planet and retire rich.
James Mourgos He's an SP don't listen to him, he's anti LRH
In the book, we sent out this thing called Voyager. It had stuff made of gold on it and a map showing it's planet of origin and where to find it. In other words we "invited" the Psychlos!
Evil and gormless, what a combo.
this was the first video i saw of you.
Next day, i recovered every other of your works.
You're an awesome reviewer!
Thank you for the 20 bonus points. As soon as you said his hand had six fingers, I was waiting for a "Princess Bride" reference. 😁
Why Battlefield Earth didn't sweep the Oscars is beyond me. L. Ron must be spinning in his space pod.
The film flopped. BADLY. Both critically and in the box office.
@@brettbaglio1550 Battlefield Earth didn’t sweep the Oscars but swept the Razzies instead
The worst movies I can think of for you to review:
-After Earth -Elle: A modern Fairytale -Gigli -Epic Movie -Pledge This!
Nell
Smeghead kind of explains why people dislike after earth.
@tommy cane115 Animal House was a classic though
I still cringe whenever I see scenes from this movie. David Miscavige ruined this movie.
I love it when actors show up to collect their Razzies though. That's a humble thing to do.
So basically - Johnny is going for democide ? Palpatine would be impressed. What are Aragorn & Legolas doing in Fort Knox ?
A more recent Sci-Fi movie you say...After Earth I'm calling it.
There is a mockbuster for this film called Alien: Battlefield Earth.
8:52 Have you ever of subtly? Underplay? A good actor? YAAAR!!!!
Barry Pepper can cry on cue. He was just doing what the director asked of him.
I absolutely love most of your videos and your such a funny guy.
Yeah, that's what we always remember about Star Wars, the wipe transitions!
Shooting with a Dutch angle makes it look like a comic book? All that's missing are sound effect captions during the fight scenes! (yeah, Batman reference)
Great Video, and great taste in music (Referring to DT poster behind you). Instant subscribe. Keep up the good work
I was hoping you would touch on the hose scene, that shit is hilariously over the top.
The "shooting off the legs of cows" scene reminds me of an old joke:
What do you call a cow with no legs?
"Ground beef"....😂
12:35 How the hell did these cavemen know how to put these masks?! How did they even knew what they were?
This is “Battlefield Earth” we’re talking about! Logic, real science, and common sense are a foreign concept here!
@@victorhernandez8723 I know, I was just amazed because I've watched this part multiple times and I've never noticed it before.
This movie is a golden mine of shittiness: 20 years later and we still can find things that doesn't make sense! Truly beautiful...
"STOP THAT! NO MORE RHYMES NOW! I MEAN IT"
"ANYBODY WANT A PEANUT?" 🤣🤣🤣
The Princess Bride! (do I get 20 points now?)
It's actually like a cross between Rifts and Fallout New Vegas.
Actually, Battlefield Earth IS related to Scientology. People criticized Scientology by claiming that Hubbard was a science fiction author and that Scientology was just another one of his inventions. Hubbard responded by saying that when he wrote his science fiction books, he thought he was writing about the future, but he was actually having revelations of the distant past.
They wouldn’t even conquer Rhode Island.
But Barry was so good in The Green Mile. WHYYYYYY, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
And in “Saving Private Ryan”
Phsyclos in the book had 6 fingers on one hand and 5 on the other.
The Psychlos stay to mourn the death of their comrade before chasing after the killer. Are they Psychlos or ReDeads?
Never happened in the book.
I have seen this movie a bunch of times and watched several other videos skewering it and I still laugh every single time at John Travolta's line delivery "While you were still learning to SPELL YOUR NAME... LMAO!
I know how it could be worse. They could be hairless cats with goatees. Twenty bonus points if you know what I am referring to.
I'm sorry, what are you referring to.
Oh dear, Wing Commander movie made this look like Blade Runner in comparison. I find Battlefield Earth pretty enjoyable good-bad movie, whereas Wing Commander is nothing short of a toxic insult. And only becomes worse when you realise it was actually directed by Chris Roberts himself.
Penguin DT Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
***** Nope
Ivan Corredera The Wing Commander movie
One of those days I needed a laugh, so I had to rewatch this! 😂
The Psychlo guns have two functions: stun (lower) and kill (upper).
But the scene where they show that comes after them randomly stunning or killing people while using the same weapon.
11:26 His agent did him a big favour geting him the Sons of Anarchy gig.
I would just like to point out that Fort Hood still has electricity after 1000 years because it is powered by Duracell batteries.
Also I think you will find that the aliens give the sixth finger in the same way that humans give the middle finger, hence Travolta's extra finger.
I really liked your video and you have a great voice for commentary. My only recommendation is working on your comedic timing whenever you cut back to your own footage. I think that can be fixed by editing a second or two out. Your jokes are funny but it takes a bit too much time to get to the punch line. I watched all 30 minutes! Thanks for the great summary on this film. As much hate as the film gets, from the perspective you provided, I imagine it can be at least some what entertaining.
Ker joins the humans?
Huh...guess even Psychlos don't want to be on the Psychlo's side...
It makes sense in the book.
Actually the Psyclo language "translates" into english every time it's used. It may be a stupid way to show it but Inconsistent it is not. Sorry for bad spelling and grammar but I'm Swedish so I apologize for nothing ;)
Thanks for great vids anyhow and please keep up the good work! I love this!
My friend actually thinks this is a good movie. Because it doesn't look like it was made by a high school student with a camcorder he thinks it was "done good". Any and all lapses in logic and plot inconsistencies can be explained away with four magic words: "It's only a movie."
Like as in "This is an under appreciated master piece" or like as in "Sci-fi equivalent of 'The Room?'"
hemmingwayfan As in he has very little taste and will excuse any stupidity as long as the movie has decent special effects.
***** The effects in BE aren't THAT bad. I mean, the planes and ships don't look like models hanging on strings, the laser effects don't look like they were drawn on the actual negative with a magic marker and there aren't any obvious seams on the alien makeup.
BE may not have the world's best special effects, but there are movies with far worse effects and production values.
This movie is one of the finer sci fi parodies of all time, your friend has good taste.
No movie is flawless, but I enjoyed it over all. The story could have been done better, but I found it was very fun and campy. There are a lot of worse movies. So I guess I'm in the small club with your friend.
Aliens are weird, but this is 100% accurate depiction
Hubbard was a loon
it was all just a con to make money from idiots. He had a bet going that he could make millions by starting his own religion.
mark swabey: his bet was for $5 over Budweiser. Himself, Jack Parsons and Alestier Crowley. Jack Parsons blew himself up in his garden shed post perfecting the Rocket that took man to the Moon, and Crowley got ripped off on publishing Rights in the US (Hubbard profited) dying drug addled and penniless in a boarding house.
Hubbard won, but was never able to collect that $5
I don't care what anyone says, the book was great and the movie had its hilarious moments.
But the constant Dutch angle at 45 degrees made me physically ill after awhile, like about 15 min into the movie.
I'm hoping he reviews Pluto Nash, Mars Needs Moms, and Space Chimps. Stop picking easy fruits Smeghead!!!!
24:20 Uranium decays in *4.5Bn year half-lives* - i.e. the power dies by half, so it still would be strong! To paraphrase adored😬 (in 2023) Rachel Zegler🤢: That's science, baby (No snub intended)
Both Goldfinger and Yukon Cornelius are too smart to be leading the Psychlos.
Hell, Yosemite Sam and El Capitan from Ducktales would be too smart.
John Travolta is in two of the top five movies that I hated.
What happened to the Ballistic review? I can't find it.
Copyright, I think.
It's still up on Vimeo.
27:08...Actually I was hoping for an Alex Murphy reference, but no worries
Anybody mind telling me what "endless options for renewal" means?
Ethan Ciotti They could keep Terl on earth indefinitely if they wanted to. The “renewal” was the renewal of his post.
I love how you have your video in a Dutch angle. Bonus points for being clever!!!
Well on the subject of what Turle's affair has to do with the plot of the movie itself. Well it's shown that Turle wanted to keep all the gold for himself that was found at Fort Knox, probably as a big middle finger to the home office and possibly a way to buy himself off the planet.
This is actually important since it's this greed that leads him to make mistakes regarding the humans that ultimately causes the destruction of the Psychlos. So yeah it actually has a lot to do with the plot.
Except the affair isn't needed to get that point across.
@@fightingmedialounge519 Actually it is, since it's also because of the affair that he's kept on Earth, the Board meeting scene heavily implies that's the reason he's kept on there and has his stay constantly extended.
@@thefanwithoutaface8105 you misunderstand. I'm saying that we don't need that scene to understand turrels character, and the movie could have given a more plot relevant reason for why he had to stay on earth.
Watching this video today, I think you missed an option. When the Psychlos started their "diabolical laughing" scene (14:50), you should have pulled Monty Python's shtick during the Spanish Inquisition sketch (screen text first saying "Diabolical Laughter" then saying "Diabolical Acting")....
:-)
I have decided that everyone should stay and watch this review for another 50 cycles
With endless options for renewal!!!
With endless options for renewal!!!
With endless options for renewal!!!
Mwahahahhahahahahahahahahahaha
Why am I suddenly echoing?
Why am I suddenly echoing?
Why am I suddenly echoing?
Pulp fiction was stupid.................
“Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department”.
Has that been made into a TV trope yet?
Yep
When I first saw this steaming pile, I couldn't help but see it as a train wreck
This movie’s inconsistent world building gives me an idea: Have the aliens take over the world in caveman times with unstable time travel tech, which brings in different objects from different time periods.
(Including Ronald the Jester God.)
I remember NC's review of BE.
I liked your review, too. ^^
Good catch with the Marine harrier simulator being on Ft Hood. I was a Marine and didn't even notice.
Is it wrong that I really want to watch this film? No, I'm serious. This movie looks so unbelievably stupid that it makes me want to experience it. I've seen stuff like Troll 2 and Birdemic, and I also really want to watch it with my siblings. I might regret it, but I still want to see it and share the stupidity.
You should watch nostalgia critic review of this film
I actually found the movie at a Buybacks store
+Wah Tek Lim I would agree.
s
Maester Mike I love movies like this, so give it a shot👍
Why EXCREMENT? :D 2:11 -ahh ok.