BATTLEFIELD EARTH probably has the distinction of the being the loudest and most poorly edited film ever. Well, the editing is bad for mostly the first half, while the score and sound effects are ear shatteringly loud throughout. I guess one consolation is that you won’t have to worry about anyone talking through this, because you won’t be able to hear them (or yourself) anyway.

      As you’ve no doubt seen, top critics are having a field day railing against this and everyone associated. In truth, I can’t entirely disagree because BE does provide enough fodder to tear into. The script is cheesy and altogether too ambitious (at least for these filmmakers) for its own good, while the performers are left having to chew their way through. The fact that BATTLEFIELD EARTH had so much potential is what’s most disappointing. Strangely enough, aspects of it do grow on you and there actually end up being a few impressive moments. Granted they were scarce, but they were there. They just needed a revised script and a better director. Barry Pepper’s performance is still pretty good though despite the flaws, because a lesser actor would have made this suck even more.

      BATTLEFIELD EARTH is destined for cult status, that much I know. Admittedly, some truly horrible films have achieved this also, but so have many good ones. BATTLEFIELD is by no means great, but it’s at least deserving of that kind of fan base. Overall, I’m intrigued enough to want to read the book now.