In the year 3000, there are no countries, no cities… Earth is a wasteland. And man is an endangered species. As the leader of the evil Psychlos, Terl and his race have taken over the world’s natural resources and disregarded everyone and everything else. It’s up to Jonnie “Goodboy” Tyler, a brave human, to battle the Psychlos and restore normalcy to the world.
Battlefield Earth: A Scientology Saga of Cinematic Disaster
Who can resist a good Scientology roast? Especially when it involves the perpetually tanned John Travolta and his passion project, Battlefield Earth. Based on L. Ron Hubbard’s sci-fi novel of the same name, this movie was a cinematic train wreck of epic proportions.
Hubbard sent Travolta an autographed copy of his novel when it was published in 1982, reportedly suggesting he consider turning the book into a movie … a mission that never left Travolta’s personal “To-Do” list. It took almost two decades, but in 2000, Battlefield Earth finally crash-landed into theaters.
And what a crash it was. The film was universally panned by critics and audiences alike, earning a rare 3% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It swept the Razzie Awards, winning Worst Picture, Worst Actor (for Travolta), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Couple (for “John Travolta and any other onscreen creature”).
But why was it so bad? Well, where to even begin? The plot is nonsensical, the acting is wooden, the special effects are laughable, and the whole thing is just plain ugly to look at. It’s a film that seems to revel in its own awfulness, like a car crash you can’t look away from.
Of course, it didn’t help that the film was heavily influenced by Scientology’s bizarre beliefs. The villainous Psychlos, for example, are clearly meant to represent psychiatrists, a profession that Scientology views as evil. The film’s climax involves the hero, played by Barry Pepper, using a device that bears a striking resemblance to an e-meter, a Scientology tool used for auditing.
Nowhere is it reported that Travolta ever retracted his comment
that Battlefield Earth was “like Star Wars, only better!”
The Battlefield Earth (2000) Official Trailer.
VIEWER DISCRETION: The following segment is painful to watch.
How did Hubbard’s 1,000-plus-page 1982 novel, “Battlefield Earth,” become a New York Times Best Seller? Wikipedia has a clue...
Shortly after its release, Battlefield Earth rose to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list and also those of the Los Angeles Times, Time, United Press International, Associated Press, B. Dalton and Waldenbooks. According to Hubbard’s literary agents, Author Services Inc., by June 1983 the book had sold 150,000 copies and earned $1.5 million.
Not long afterwards, stories emerged of a reported Church of Scientology book-buying campaign mounted to ensure that the book would appear on the bestseller lists. According to newspaper reports, Church representatives promised the publishers that a particular number of copies would be bought by Church subsidiaries (the author and journalist Russell Miller cites a figure of 50,000 hardback copies).
The book-buying campaign was confirmed by Mike Rinder, ex-Scientologist, on his blog in 2016 where he presented this little gem…
Well, the “OT Committee Farce” is doing their damnedest to sell Battlefield Earth —
and how are they going about it? By telling everyone to buy 20 books a piece.
When interviewed by the Rocky Mountain News for the launch of the novel, Battlefield Earth, L. Ron Hubbard shared his reasons for writing the book … a moment of irony that surreptitiously revealed a key component of Dianetics…
When asked what message he hoped to convey:
“That man can survive. That is the story.”
In 1950, Hubbard published a $4 self-help book called Dianetics, the forerunner of Scientology. The book opens with the statement:
The hidden source of all psychosomatic ills and human aberration has been discovered and skills have been developed for their invariable cure.” With the help of these skills everybody can achieve “release” within less than 20 hours, and can grow into a “dianetic clear,” or an individual with intelligence considerably greater than the current norm.
It is new that life has as its entire dynamic urge only survival.
A “Core Component” of the Scientology religion …
The Church of Scientology believes that “Man is basically good, that he is seeking to survive, (and) that his survival depends on himself and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe,” as stated in the Creed of the Church of Scientology.
And now, back to our movie.
Battlefield Earth was famous for sweeping that year’s Golden Raspberry Awards, an event recognized as a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic “failures” … the film industry’s “Anti-Oscar” ceremony.
The 21st Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 24, 2001, at the Radisson-Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, California, USA, to recognize the worst the movie industry had to offer in 2000.
Science fiction bomb Battlefield Earth swept the awards, claiming victory in all seven categories in which it was nominated (from a total of eight nominations, with its double nomination in the Supporting Actor category).
Rotten Tomatoes critics participate in a group “burning-at-the-stake” with their reviews……
Logic is in short supply. Burned-out cities have electricity, for example. My favorite: A hangar full of jets, buried under 1,000 years of dust, not only fire up instantly but still have full tanks of gas.
~ JeffWith this journey into the heart of rubbish, this full-throttle adventure into the hyper-space of drivel, Travolta not only incinerates what is left of his own reputation, but takes someone else down with him.
~ PeterThe plot is like a talentless adolescent’s attempt to rewrite Spartacus as science fiction.
~ ChristopherThe director is Roger Christian, who, if early audience response is anything to go by, would do well to flee the country under an assumed name.
~ Anthony
At ScreenRant’s, “15 Things You Didn’t Know About The Disastrous Battlefield Earth,” we learn the “word on the street” is more absurd than the story on the screen. Here are some key takeaways…
📽 You know a movie is bad when even the cast and crew feel compelled to bash it in a last-ditch attempt to salvage their careers — and Battlefield Earth is certainly no exception. Actors Forest Whitaker and Barry Pepper have both expressed regret over starring in the film.
📽 With an estimated budget of $93 million in production and marketing costs, Battlefield Earth would have needed to gross at least $100 million to be considered a modest success. The film brought in just under $30 million worldwide.
📽 A Sequel? Since the first film only covered the first 400 pages of Hubbard’s 1,000-plus page book, Battlefield Earth 2 would’ve picked up with the film’s hero, Jonnie, restoring Earth to its former glory. However, after the film proved to be a massive flop and the production company went bankrupt within the following year, any plans for a sequel unsurprisingly fell through.
Trivia Moment: The Battlefield movie was released on May 12, 2000, the first Friday after the 50th anniversary (that May 9) of the publication of Dianetics, a major Scientology holiday. You can still get a “Used-GOOD” copy of the 50th Anniversary edition of “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health” for a mere ($7.98, with free shipping). LOL.
David Miscavige, leader of the Church of Scientology, was obsessed with the movie … he micro-managed the film and relayed creative suggestions and production notes daily to the director, Roger Christian. All of this was taking place while his underlings were trying to manage the collateral damage of the Lisa McPherson debacle. When the movie bombed Miscavige pulled out another sheet of music singing the Hogans Heroes Sgt. Schultz tune … “I know nothing.”
Insiders say he even threw John Travolta under the bus, referring to him as “that motherf**ker” who sabotaged the film. Marty Rathbun, who left the church in 2004, isn’t as talkative about his former “Boss Baby” these days, but in this 2010 video with Mike Rinder he was still squealing like a mob boss turned government witness.
Battlefield Earth is a fascinating disaster, a monument to one man’s unwavering faith in a questionable religion, and a terrible book. It’s a film that’s so bad, it’s good. And it’s a reminder that even the most talented actors can make truly awful choices.
So, if you’re ever looking for a good laugh, or if you just want to see how bad a movie can really be, I highly recommend checking out Battlefield Earth. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
And long before there was “Elevator Music,” Hubbard had
kicked it up a notch with what can be
best described as “Disintegrator Music.”
And without further ado, we must close out this post with one of the soundtracks L. Ron Hubbard actually composed for his book, Battlefield Earth. Gird up your Loins! Volume up for “Space Jazz, Alien Visitors Attack.” If it was good enough for Charles Manson … it’s good enough for you!
A five-minute review … you’re welcome:
Oh, wait … I just got a text message from John Travolta…
