The book s bones and gristle connect to the garish space opera that thrilled teenage boys. The movie only goes into maybe the first fifth of the book, after all, the book is about pages. There is no sequel to battlefield earth, because the film lost a lot of money at the box office and the studio company franchise pictures, which funded the making of the film went out of business due to a scam. Ron hubbard, battlefield earth starred travolta as a badly. Even automatic backup generators would have no fuel after years. Battlefield earth pg, 117 minutes contains offscreen violence and minor. Some of the characters from the universes of battlefield earth. Ron hubbards battlefield earth opens with breathtaking scope on an earth dominated for 1,000 years by an alien invader and man is an endangered species. Directed by roger christian and starring john travolta, barry pepper, and forest whitaker, battlefield earth was released on may 12. A sequel covering the remainder of the book was originally planned at the outset. Battlefield earth roger christian, 2000 many consider battlefield earth to be one of the worst films ever made, and there are gaping plot holes that help justify the films bad reputation. Battlefield earth book trailer the beginning youtube. Everything you need to know about battlefield earth 2 movie.
Travolta also talks about a possible sequel and an animated series. Battlefield earth also referred to as battlefield earth. But none grabbed my attention quite like battlefield earth. Jun 14, 2016 battlefield earth has all the elements thats make it a certain classic in the scifi genre, it contains nearly every kind of subgenre that one can think of that fits into the narrative seamlessly. One of the most remarkable ideas from this book is the complete unity of the population of earth.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to any scifi fan, i am pretty confident that the majority of people will enjoy this edition. Which made the book easily 10x better as every scientology reference flew over my head. A towering masterwork of science fiction adventure and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time, l. Battlefield earth, the book, appeared in 1982, but hubbards career peak as a writer came in the 1940s. Battlefield earth the movie was absolutely terrible and should have never been made.
May 20, 2005 suspense, politics, war, humor and intergalactic finance. The story of humanitys war against the alien psychlos continues. Humans led by one man struggle to take back the earth. The plodding screenplay is based on hubbards pulpy book of the same name, the worstever science fiction novel to achieve a measure of pop visibility. A saga of the year 3000, is a 2000 american dystopian science fiction action film based upon the first half of the 1982 novel of the same name by l. I know that world unity and peace may be just as science fiction as aliens and advanced technologies, but i. Aaron eckhart, who played staff sergeant michael nantz in the film, has talked about the possibility of a sequel, however interview 1 edit. Battlefield earth is based on the first 500 pages of the novel, and there will be a sequel, which christian expects to direct. However, a year later he stated that a sequel was not in the works. Shortly after battlefield earth was released in 2000, travolta indicated he would move forward with a sequel. Algis budrys to write battlefield earth prequel novel ign. Ugly, campy, and poorly acted, battlefield earth is a stunningly misguided, aggressively bad scifi folly. Fewer than thirtyfive thousand humans survive in a handful of communities scattered across the face of a postapocalyptic earth.
Is battlefield earth the book not the awful movie good. It took travolta 18 years to get this first one made. Dec 01, 2016 battlefield earth, a book that even has its own website here, was written by l. This film displays what happens after the successful human rebellion led b. Ron hubbards 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 books hero, jonnie goodboy tyler, but that role eventually went to barry pepper because travolta was too old by then. Even automatic backup generators would have no fuel after. A saga of the year 3000 is a 1982 science fiction novel written by l. The story is messy and disjointed, with breathtaking slomo action popping up in the wrong time every 5 seconds, the dialogue is cheesy and obvious, as well as for the battlefield earth. I first read battlefield earth about 20 years ago and found it to be one of the great escapist book that ive ever read. May 12, 2000 but whats really horrifying is that battlefield earth only covers half of hubbards book, meaning a sequel is possible. I must say its completely different from the movie. 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. Mission earth is a tenvolume science fiction novel series by l.
Battlefield earth 2000 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. Ron hubbards battlefield earth opens with breathtaking scope on an earth dominated for 1,000 years by an alien invader and man is the endangered species. But battlefield earth saves its scariest moment for the end. Battlefield earth and scientology, sequels, and a possible. Battlefield earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. Ron hubbards 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. Battlefield earth writer says cats is the new worst. A quick study of earth economies before the destruction of the planet would have revealed that central banks store gold as counter value to issued currency. Ugly, campy and poorly acted, battlefield earth is a stunningly misguided, aggressively bad scifi folly. Find out in battlefield earth the novel that changed the shape of science fiction. Science fiction and fiction in general has come a long way since then.
The name of the late author aside, battlefield earth has its own cross to bearnamely, the 2000 film adaptation thats rightly considered one of the worst films of all time. The psychlos discovered a deep space probe with directions and. Breathing tubes hang from their noses like ropes of snot. He also composed a soundtrack to the book called space jazz. To start reading part 1 now, click on the book above. Dec 20, 2005 battlefield earth 2 starring john travolta, barry pepper. Star wars, the alltime box office record movie to date exceeded only by its sequel, would never have. There are many experts in this field, many controversial opinions. Budrys confirmed hell be writing the book, but not penning the script to any prequel film. Battlefield earth is significantly shorter than its source novel, covering only the first 436 pages of the 1,050page book. John travolta is threatening to make a sequel to battlefield earth, one of the biggest and most joked about flops since ishtar. All history records the wars that have been carried on between races and nations of peoples throughout time.
A saga of the year 3000 is a 2000 american science fiction action film based upon the first half of l. If you liked dune, atlantis gene and star warsyou will love the book battlefield earth. Youll thrill to this epic scifi adventure in which a technologically advanced race of 9foottall aliens with razorsharp claws has overrun our planet and humanity has become an endangered species. Jan 28, 2018 since the first film only covered the first 400 pages of hubbard 1,000plus page book, battlefield earth 2 wouldve picked up with the films hero, jonnie, restoring earth to its former glory by using their mined gold to pay off the planets debts while also rehabilitating the surviving psychlos. While not the best science fiction book written, it is very entertaining. Romance, adventure, me against you, out numbered, action, honesty. Ron hubbard and there is a lot to say, he could write fun stories of thrills, spills and derringdo with brave heroes who laugh in the face of danger, beautiful damsels in distress and evildoers who seem to be. Battlefield earth was originally going to be made during this decade, and we can only imagine that a little intentional campiness could have desperately helped a film that is brimming with illogical plot holes. Ive heard some people disparage the cover of battlefield earth, but to me its perfect. This is a serious plot hole considering the psychlos aversion to radiation. As the title read i just finished battlefield earth, honestly the dope that i am, i had no idea who l. It was sure to be good value on the pagecount alone.
A director was hired and the casting process began. Science fiction new york times best seller in the year 3000, earth is an empty wasteland. Battlefield earth 2000 frequently asked questions imdb. Battlefield earth, a book that even has its own website here, was written by l. Hood have working electricity to power the simulators, projectors, etc. Battlefield earth is a fun book, but the brilliant rendering makes a 4star story into a 5star audiobook. Humanity is enslaved by these goldthirsty tyrants, who are unaware that their mananimals are about to ignite the rebellion of a lifetime.
Battlefield earth began as a scifi novel by l ron hubbard, popular author and founder of the church of scientology. The film is set in the year 3000, one thousand years after the psychlos took over earth. I now know that its a horrible abomination of the book. The 10 biggest movie plot holes of all time taste of. Only madonna, who won worst actress for the next best thing, and the blair witch project sequel, disturbed battlefield earth s progress to glory. Read the book 4 times paperback now getting tattered. Although the first films ending makes the possibilities of a sequel neverending, nothing is official yet. The soundtrack sounds like the boom mike is being slammed against the inside of a 55gallon drum. Battlefield earth could have easily, and much more sensibly, been split into four books. In the year 3000, earth has been ruled by an alien race, the psychlos, for a millennium. Things you didnt know about battlefield earth screenrant. This ambitious novel, the first of a 10volume series by sf veteran hubbard. A towering masterwork of science fiction adventure and one of the best science fiction books of all time, l. Instead of plundering these depositories the aliens resort to a laborious mining technique and ignore the stored gold for a thousand years.
For the full article and more details, hit the link above. The book stood for something classic and this sequel hopefully will too. Based on the 1980 scifi book by late church of scientology founder l. This is a good, big book, which describes the earth at the year 3000.
An epic and legitimate trendsetter, a new york times bestseller, translated into scores of languages and published in dozens of nations, battlefield earth is one of the most broadly acclaimed singlevolume science fiction novels in the history of the genre. More forgiving literary critics usually cite battlefield earth as hubbards best work of the later years of his life. From the handful of surviving humans a courageous leader emerges. As well as battlefield earth, his horror novella, fear, is worth a look. The fact the book is 1,050 pages long makes me believe hubbard is a wordy writer and the screenwriters probably did not stray too far away from the dialogue either.
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. Ron hubbard back in the early 80s, less than a handful of years before he died. Ron hubbards battlefield earth opens with breathtaking scope on an earth dominated for 1,000 years by an alien invaderand man is an endangered species. Much speculation has mounted over whether or not battlefield earth serves as a publicity vehicle for scientology. Feb 12, 20 battlefield earth describes exactly what has been going on for millennia. But whats really horrifying is that battlefield earth only covers half of hubbards book, meaning a sequel is possible. Battlefield earth will give you the talking points, in fact, theyll already be talking about it. I know that world unity and peace may be just as science fiction as aliens and advanced technologies, but i hope we can make progress in that direction.
A saga of the year 3000 from the worlds largest community of readers. Ron hubbard he was portrayed by john travolta, who also portrays billy nolan in the 1976 film carrie, anthony tony manero in. Johnnie finds books in good condition despite being in the open air, cars with stillpressurized tires and wrecked buildings with completely intact plate glass windows. I have just read several standard books that attempt to define science fiction and to trace its history. The soundtrack sounds like the boom mike is being slammed against the inside. Battlefield earth, also known as battlefield earth.
Two basic points must be made about the movie battlefield earth. Aside from the names and the location, its totally different. Battlefield earth is often considered to be one of the worst films ever made. May 18, 2016 battlefield earth book trailer the beginning galaxy press. Originally, there were plans to make a sequel to battlefield earth, since the movie covers roughly half of the novel of the same title. Jun 21, 2011 if you liked dune, atlantis gene and star warsyou will love the book battlefield earth. After losing the case, franchise filed for bankruptcy, and travolta fired his manager, who set up the deal with franchise in the first place. What else could explain the erstwhile sweathogs announced desire to do a sequel to the universally reviled battlefield earth, the scifi. Marketing hurdles aside, the spines of massmarket paperbacks can barely carry that much weight. There is no sequel to battlefield earth, because the film lost a lot of money at the box office and the studio company franchise pictures, which funded the making of the film. Apr 24, 2020 in battlefield earth the action begins immediatelyand never stops.
With john travolta, forest whitaker, barry pepper, kim coates. Science fiction and fiction in general has come a long way since then, to say nothing of how much the world has changed. Looking beyond the coverand the baggageof battlefield earth. May 12, 2000 battlefield earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. For a start, it was the thickest book i had ever seen. Terl is the main antagonist of the 2000 seventimerazzieawardwinning scifi action adventure movie battlefield earth amw based on the first half of the 1982 sciencefiction novel battlefield earth. Battlefield earth is based on the 1982 novel by scientology founder l. Raspberry awards for travolta film film the guardian.
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