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Since this is a new forum, I decided to post my semi-essay here.
I recognize that Mr. Cranky gives terrible reviews to everything -- even, theoretically, films that he likes -- so it's decidedly redundant and silly to criticize him for disliking Battlefield Earth. But it's obvious that he REALLY hated BFE, as, indeed, most everyone else does.
And that's shame, because this film as an Absolute Fucking Masterpiece, inarguably the greatest film of the last several years and guaranteed to go down as a remarkable, brilliant, visionary cinematic achievement when silly, shallow critical favorites of recent years like Mulholland Drive and In the Bedroom are retroactively dismissed as mindless drivel.
I hate to say it, but if you dislike this film, you are a fucking idiot.
I could detail, second by second, frame by frame, how amazing and misunderstood this landmark film is, and how the imbecilic critical and popular communities dismissed it without giving it a chance. Because they are blind. Because they wouldn't know a good film if it blasted them in the face. But no, instead of reveling in the most remarkable work of cinematic science fiction since 2001: A Space Odyssey, they opted instead to embrace inane drivel like the Lord of the Rings and The Matrix.
I'll start with the shallowest and most obvious of the film's benefits (and, sadly, what would probably appeal to most idiotic BFE-Haters if they'd been sentient enough to notice it): the visuals. From the orgasmic ally wonderful cinematography to the seamless CGI effects, the film is a visual landmark. Breathtaking vistas, flawless realizations of frighteningly bizarre yet totally convincing new worlds... I could go on and on, but it's obvious to anyone with eyes -- this is simply one of the most visually spectacular works of cinema ever filmed.
And yet... the visual grandeur of BFE isn't what makes it so terrific, although these attributes would distinguish most any other film. It's the subtext, the meat of the film if you will, that marks it as a cut above the rest.
The Pyscholos represent Corporate America. There, I've said it, and I deeply, desperately hope that this redefines the film for a lot of people. The screenwriters (and Hubbard before them) brilliantly satirize the idiocy and simultaneous evil of the corporate culture in this country. I will take an isolated example.
Inane bickering and personal vendettas get in the way of progress when Terl is denied a promotion because of his indiscretions with a higher-up's daughter; this is obviously unfair and irrelevant, and Terl's (rightful) bitterness sets in motion a chain of events that lead to massive death and destruction.
There is more to discuss and savor in this aspect of the film than in most of an entire year's releases. For one, the dynamics are familiar to most anyone who's had to work for a living.
And though Terl is certainly a bastard, this passage indicates that there may be a damn good reason why he's a bastard. Systematic mistreatment is liable to breed resentment in the best of us, and Terl is no exception. Clearly, he will not succeed if he attempts to play by the rules, so the system makes it NECESSARY for him to violate them. In other words, he's condemned to immorality. Indeed, an honest person would have to admit that most anyone in this society would need resort to decidedly unsavory activities in order to distinguish themselves.
Hello!!!! Enron. WorldCom. Hubbard was a visionary. He, unlike so many others, was well aware of the inevitable consequences of the self-serving world around him and hypothesized a thinly-veiled theory of what could (or, better, WOULD) result.
And the parallels don't stop at corporations. Look at the fucking dolt who's running the country right now and the mess he's getting us into. He is Terl. Osama Bin Laden is Terl. Jim Bakker is Terl.
Obviously I could write further, but I think this is enough to chew on tonight. Suffice to say that I'm not finished on this subject. I honestly think the sheer scope of vision of BFE made it inaccessible to most viewers, because between the spectacular visuals and almost unbearably rich subtext, it's only natural to get lost.
But PLEASE, trust me: the film IS accessible if you're prepared to plumb its immense depths.
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