hen Battlefield Earth debuted last year, it seemed to have all of the ingredients for sure-fire SF success: an epic story based upon a best-selling novel, a well-known star and a behind-the-scenes team that included veterans of such popular pictures as Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace, Stargate and Alien. Nonetheless, the film disappeared from theaters within weeks. The DVD version of the adventure--which differs slightly from the theatrical release--presents a host of extra features that contain invaluable insight into not only the making of the movie, but also the reasoning behind many of the elements so vehemently attacked by critics.
Two brief scenes have been added to the picture. One is a humorous episode with Jonnie Goodboy Tyler (Pepper) and his two main comrades--Carlo (Kim Coates) and Mickey (Christian Tessier)--consulting a map as they fly toward Washington, D.C., and the other features the same three characters trying to figure out how to arm a nuclear bomb. Meanwhile, a short sequence early in the tale featuring Terl (Travolta) in a Psychlo bar has been excised. All in all, the changes add about two minutes to the film's total running time.
The obligatory commentary track offers an informative, free-flowing conversation between director Roger Christian and production, costume and creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos. During their discussion, a Psychlo symbol occasionally appears on screen that, when enabled, leads to
additional behind-the-scenes content. Other add-ons include a short "making-of" documentary titled "Evolution and Creation," footage from Travolta's makeup test, background on the movie's visual effects, a storyboard montage and a quartet of trailers and TV commercials.
Promoting pulp science fiction
In his comments concerning Battlefield Earth, Christian remarks that author L. Ron Hubbard indicated in notes penned years ago that any visual version of the story should be "overwhelming." The director consequently sought to create an adventure which, from a cinematic perspective, was truly relentless. The DVD allows viewers to study the much-maligned movie, revealing significant details that, perhaps due to the filmmaker's "go for broke" approach, were overlooked by most detractors.
Within the documentary, director of photography Giles Nuttgens observes that every frame is tilted in one way or another. This was an intentional decision designed to amplify the action and, in part, help simulate a comic book. The role of different film textures and color schemes within the tale is also touched upon, with Christian specifically citing productions like Independence Day and the French New Wave science fiction film Alphaville (which he claims was "the first comic-strip movie") as inspiration. These elements may not have functioned entirely as intended, but the comments present a compelling argument that they aptly accentuated the pell-mell pace of the picture.
The added scenes--which are integrated directly into the film--are also significant, as they humanize the supporting characters just enough for their fates to have genuine impact. Remarks from the screenwriters addressing why they chose to so radically alter the narrative from the original novel would have added to the package, as would a greater examination of the Psychlo character design. Yet, even with these weaknesses, the Battlefield Earth Special Edition DVD is packed with information, offering an enlightening glimpse into the creative process behind this imperfect but entertaining picture.
