Search - Battlefield Earth on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Violence, Profanity, Sci-Fi Violence Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 01/16/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered,Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 59 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Total Copies: 8 Genres: Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action, Alien Film

This big-budget science fiction adventure centers on a final battle between good and evil for control of the world. In the year 3000, Earth is ruled by the Psyclos, a vicious alien race of which Terl (John Travolta) is a member, that has laid waste to the planet, killed the majority of the population, and stripped Earth of its valuable resources. Pockets of resistance remain among the surviving humans; Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler (Barry Pepper) is one such rebel, living in hiding in the mountains near Boulder, CO. Eventually, Johnny begins organizing like-minded humans for a final stand against the Psyclos. The film is based on the novel by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction author also known as the founder of the Church of Scientology; it covers only the first half of the book, saving the remainder for a possible sequel. Battlefield Earth also stars Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, and Kelly Preston. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

John Travolta - Terl
Barry Pepper - Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler
Forest Whitaker - Ker
Kim Coates - Carlo
Richard Tyson - Robert the Fox

Actor John Travolta's ambitious science fiction film Battlefield Earth has been released on DVD and is loaded with extras -- many of which feel like afterthoughts and are not very insightful. Good examples are the hidden features located in the disc menus; one such "Easter egg" is a completely uneventful and uninteresting two-second clip of a stunt person being pulled backward in a harness. There are more hidden clips to be found when the disc is viewed with the commentary, and these tend to occur during special-effects sequences. While there is at least a correlation to what is occurring onscreen, the execution feels like a lukewarm copy of a similar feature perfected on =The Matrix DVD. Additional features include a standard, 16-minute, behind-the-scenes documentary entitled "Evolution and Creation," an eight-minute storyboard montage that intercuts the boards with the matching scenes in the film, a two-minute visual effects featurette, and a brief "John Travolta Make-up Test" film. The disc also includes a teaser trailer, a theatrical trailer, two TV spots, a history of the source material, and bios for the cast and director Roger Christian. There are English and French language tracks and subtitles (be aware that the French is Québecois French, which does vary from Parisian French). The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has no visual flaws and many of the images (particularly the matte paintings and building miniatures) do look stunning. Overall, this is a disc that suitably represents the movie. ~ A.R. Ferguson, All Movie Guide