L Ron Hubbard - Battleifield Earth

[I, Brian]

Original review by Herb:

I was excited when I first heard that John Travolta was staring in a film adaptation of the L. Ron Hubbard classic. Then I saw the film. What were those people thinking of? Doesn't Travolta have handlers to protect him from career disasters like that one? The worst part is that the flat as stale beer viewing experience might discourage people from reading the book.


Battlefield Earth is a big, thick work of pulp fiction - there's that Travolta again - from the golden era of science fiction writing. Hubbard fed rolls of butcher paper into his typewriter and let the words fly for a penny each. Characters are painted with a broad brush. The good guys are good. The bad guys are bad. We're never confused as to who is who. The peril is clear and the objective just. Obstacles are seemingly insurmountable; Traps inescapable; Danger unavoidable; And heroism super-human.


Oddly, in the year 3000, 1000 year old machines function perfectly, people are capable of 100% agreement and invaders who stole the planet from professional armies in nine minutes are defeated by inexperienced cavemen.
If you read the book looking for scientific accuracy, you will be disappointed. If you're looking for a sprawling yarn that will keep you engrossed for hours on end, pick up Battlefield Earth.