History YMMV / BattlefieldEarth

%%* {{Anvilicious}}: The book could almost [[AuthorTract serve as an]] ''[[{{Doorstopper}} actual]]'' [[{{Doorstopper}} anvil]].

** [[https://youtu.be/B6ceq_Es-U0 “We’ve Won”]], the piece underscoring the film’s BittersweetEnding.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The "plot" is so nonsensical and poorly constructed that very few of the Psychlos' scenes seem to flow logically into one another, but the hysterically "dramatic" water hose scene, where a few bored-looking Psychlos spray water on human cavemen, who [[LargeHam thrash around like they're being sprayed with acid]] and slap ineffectually at the Psychlos, is bad even for ''this'' plot. This goes on for about a minute, and then the movie just kind of awkwardly moves on like it's embarrassed by what it just showed to the audience. Some critics speculated that the scene was intended as a ShoutOut to the “It’s a madhouse!” scene from ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'', but it’s shot in a way that completely loses the homage.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheHeavy Terl]] is the Psychlo head of security on Earth. Running [[PoWCamp inhumane camps]] where "[[CallAHumanAMeatbag Man-Animals]]" are enslaved, brutalized, and exterminated, Terl holds to hope he can destroy Earth in leaving it to return to Psychlo. Thanks to his indiscretions destroying his hopes of advancement and fleeing Earth, Terl initiates a scheme to force the hero Jonnie to mine illegal gold for him to bribe his way home. Planning on liquidating his workers after constantly lording his supremacy over humans, Terl later tries to have them killed and even attempts to detonate an [[ExplosiveLeash explosive collar]] on Jonnie's girlfriend out of spite. He also attempts to kill the entire human population with a gas drone.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Elia Cmiral's score is one of the few good things about the movie. A couple of examples: the [[http://youtu.be/4ym4VB0pvNY aptly named]] "''Battlefield Earth'' Theme", which plays over the opening zoom-in to Earth and pan through the Rocky Mountains; [[https://youtu.be/zD5zvDCThuc “Psychlo Wrangler”]], which plays under Jonnie, Carlo, and Rock’s being hunted by a Psychlo in the mall; the double whammy of [[http://youtu.be/chPD4mC0V54 "The Dome"]] and [[https://youtu.be/VS0xPSLdTvs “Terl”]], which underscores Jonnie's trip to the human processing center, shooting of the wrangler, and our introduction to Terl; [[https://youtu.be/Ou00qcm5hmI “The Cavalry”]]/[[https://youtu.be/8ThB6Gipu70 “Air Battle”]], which underscores Robert the Fox’s BigDamnHeroes moment in the Harrier and his and his men’s ensuing dogfight with Psychlo battlecraft; and [[https://youtu.be/B6ceq_Es-U0 “We’ve Won”]], the piece underscoring the film’s BittersweetEnding.

** Travolta's "While you were still learning to ''spell your name''!" line is funny if you look at his infamous mispronunciation of Creator/IdinaMenzel's name.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: Producer Elie Samaha said he welcomed the movie's ample negative criticism and seven UsefulNotes/{{Golden Raspberry Award}}s (before it even won 'special' Razzies in 2005 and 2010) because [[MoneyDearBoy he expected they would lead to higher sales of its DVDs]].

** One of the most infamous examples is when Terl demonstrates his weapon to his human workers by shooting the leg off a cow. It's clear that when Terl does this it's just a leg being pulled off a model cow by a concealed string.

** At one point, Jonny is instructed by a hologram of a Clinko. Even though the projection sort of conceals it, it is clear how fake the CGI used for this alien is.

** Psychlo is a polluted CityPlanet with a purple sky? Are we SURE it's not [[VideoGame/{{Meteos}} Grannest]]?

* HoYay: One of Jonnie's followers spends much of the movie looking soulfully at his leader. Jonnie even cuts off a lock of his hair for him, and he wraps it around his fist as a sort of talisman. Arguably, Jonnie has more chemistry with this guy than with his [[TokenRomance designated love interest]].
** The ''Podcast/RiffTrax'' guys had no trouble picking up on this subtext. Whenever the guy makes puppy dog eyes at Jonnie, they start tearfully muttering "Love you!"

* NauseaFuel: Given all the [[DutchAngle tilted camera shots]] in this movie, refraining from watching it is probably a good idea if you suffer from motion sickness.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The movie has a few cases of this. One of the most infamous examples is when Terl demonstrates his weapon to his human workers by shooting the leg off a cow. It's clear that when Terl does this it's just a leg being pulled off a model cow by a concealed string.

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Creator/JohnTravolta. Arguably subverted, though -- he was so confident in the film that he was either trying too hard or not really trying.
** Just about everyone plays it straight. Even the Psychlos, who come from a WorldOfHam, seem to take their ham very seriously. Only Creator/ForestWhitaker seems to be having fun with his role, and he said later that he did the role only for MoneyDearBoy but even later [[CreatorBacklash came to]] [[OldShame regret that]].

* WTHCostumingDepartment: The Psychlos have large, prominent elongated heads and dreadlocks, with enhanced codpieces and claws among other things. And that says nothing of those ridiculous jumpsuits...
** The Psychlos' means of breathing in Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere? Sticking rubber hoses up their noses. Made even funnier by Travolta's CatchPhrase in Series/WelcomeBackKotter.

* IdiotPlot: Characters aren't making the wisest decisions in this film. Jonnie's plan would have never worked under a competent boss who would realize things like that he and his people claimed to have 'mined' bricks of smelted gold. Thankfully, Terl is a moron and never evinces any suspicions of the humans. In fact, his myopic greed is what kicks off this idiot plot in the first place. Further compounding this is the astonishing stupidity of the ''entire'' Psychlo race, who seem in full denial of humans' evident intelligence and after nearly a millennium of occupation still lack even ''basic'' understanding of how human civilization once thrived. It comes back to bite them in their collective rears hard when Terl's plans go awry. It also relies on the Psychlos' failure to locate facilities housing gold and military equipment after a millennium of occupation. The 'primitive' rebels discovered them seemingly without breaking a sweat.

* {{Narm}}: [[Narm/BattlefieldEarth Has its own list of examples]], unsurprisingly.