Battlefield Earth

[Ash]

I'm even going to support Travolta's performance here.  Yes, Terl is a cackling, moustache-twirling, cartoon villain ... but I get the idea that's exactly what Travolta wanted him to be.  I'm sure not going to criticize someone for accomplishing what he set out to do.  Besides, I like that kind of villain.

Same here.   

I'll go out on a limb and say that this was one of Travolta's best performances ever. 
I get a lot of flak for saying that, but I stick by it.

You're right.  Travolta seemed to know exactly how he wanted to portray Terl and he nailed it.
The best parts of Battlefield Earth for me are the scenes with the Psyclos.

[Jack]

I don't know anything about Scientology, but I have a hard time believing that it's any wackier than the stuff a lot of these Hollywood actors believe in 

[ghouck]

The book was over a half a million words, and the movie only covered about the first half or maybe two thirds

It's more like 1/3.  The novel could have been divided into three separate novels...  Retaking Earth, Consolidating Control of Earth, and Keeping Earth.  And the movie is basically just that first part. 

It's been a while, but I thought the part where they nuke psyclo was more than halfway through the book. Either way, even the part the movie did cover it just skimmed.

Have you read 'Mission Earth'?

[Jim H]

The book was over a half a million words, and the movie only covered about the first half or maybe two thirds

It's more like 1/3.  The novel could have been divided into three separate novels...  Retaking Earth, Consolidating Control of Earth, and Keeping Earth.  And the movie is basically just that first part. 

It's been a while, but I thought the part where they nuke psyclo was more than halfway through the book. Either way, even the part the movie did cover it just skimmed.

Have you read 'Mission Earth'?

I haven't read Mission Earth.  It's been suggested to me before though.  I find a series that long and huge a bit intimidating, I must admit.

But yes, they nuke Psychlo well over halfway into the book.  But other than that, the events of the film are about the first third - they just have taken Earth and captured Terl, etc around 400 pages or so into it, in an 1100 page book.  However, if they'd wanted to, they could quickly skim over the middle section of the book and cap it off with just one more film - but I remember hearing they were planning a trilogy anyway.

[Tenguzame]

I have yet to see Battlefield Earth, but it is On Demand right now so I might give it a watch this weekend. I read the book about twenty years ago I guess, and I enjoyed it just fine don't remember a whole lot about it now.

The Mission Earth Decalogy was interesting up until the complete plot shift around Book 7 or 8, I forget , that made it seem that the last books were ghost written. The character focus changed, and it just seemed to be poorly written from then on. A few were published after L. Ron's thetans rejoined Xenu or whatever so I guess its possible.

[ghouck]

I haven't read Mission Earth.  It's been suggested to me before though.  I find a series that long and huge a bit intimidating, I must admit.

But yes, they nuke Psychlo well over halfway into the book.  But other than that, the events of the film are about the first third - they just have taken Earth and captured Terl, etc around 400 pages or so into it, in an 1100 page book.  However, if they'd wanted to, they could quickly skim over the middle section of the book and cap it off with just one more film - but I remember hearing they were planning a trilogy anyway.

M-E is really a great story. MUCH more humor in it than B-E. SOO many over-the top characters in it. It does have a bunch of overtones that are part of scientology, but they, and LRH's attempts to makepretty much everything about human existence completely evil is SOOO transparent it comes off as a parody. I really hate telling people that because it turns people off so much, but really, it's not something that's going to 'brainwash' a person, LRH just wasn't clever enough for that. All in all though, it's a VERY well thought out story, with several stories going on throughout the main story arc at all times. Another good thing about them is that the whole set was WAY overprinted in hardback and can be found in used book stores for really cheap. I got mine in Texas, they had $6.50 each book, and when I asked if I could get a deal if I bought all 10, they immediately offered the set to me, in about 90% shape with covers, for $30. I see them on ebay for $20 b.i.n., and also for $120+ (which will never sell).

Supposedly, LRH had TONS of them printed, and the COS bought them up to put it on the best seller's list, and then they ended up in used book stores by the ton.

Also, there really was no plot shift. The first 7 books or so were Gris's confession, and was presented as such from the beginning. After that came their recovery from contact with Earth, the re-assembly of their government.