Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000)
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A human rebellion faces a tyrannical alien species that has ruled Earth for a thousand years.
The story
In the year 3000, a young woman named Jonnie Goodboy Tyler lives among a group of cave-dwellers who fear the 'demons' ruling the land. Doubting their tales, she travels into the lowlands and is captured by the Psychlos, a cruel alien race that has enslaved humanity for a millennium. Taken to a base in the ruins of Denver, Jonnie shows remarkable resourcefulness, gaining the respect of other slaves and the attention of Terl, the high-born Earth security chief. As the two characters navigate the complexities of their roles in this desolate world, the seeds of a potential rebellion are sown against the alien oppressors.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 3000 AD, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler is captured by the Psychlos, a tyrannical alien race, and enslaved in the ruins of Denver. She gains the respect of other slaves and the attention of Terl, the high-born Earth security chief. Terl, desperate to escape his assignment, plans to use human labor to mine a nearby gold deposit. Jonnie is trained in Psychlo language and technology, which she shares with other slaves in secret. After a failed escape attempt, Terl takes her to the Denver Library, where she finds inspiration in the Declaration of Independence to seek reconquest. When Jonnie's fiancée, Chrissy, is captured and fitted with an explosive collar, Terl uses her as leverage to ensure Jonnie's obedience. However, Jonnie secretly organizes the slaves to gather weapons and seize gold from Fort Knox. The humans eventually launch a revolt, using Harrier jets to fight the Psychlo air defenses and explosives to rupture the dome. During the final battle, Jonnie tricks Terl into detonating Chrissy's collar. Simultaneously, a human named Mickey rides a teleporter to the Psychlo homeworld with a nuclear weapon, causing the planet to explode. The film ends with Jonnie and Ker at Fort Knox, gloating over the defeated Terl.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Roger Christian
- Writers
- Corey Mandell · script; J. David Shapiro · script
- Cast and characters
- John Travolta · Terl; Barry Pepper; Forest Whitaker; Kim Coates; Richard Tyson; Sabine Karsenti
- Genres
- science fiction; action
- Themes
- Rebellion; Resistance against tyranny
- Tone and mood
- Action; Sci-fi
- Premise and plot tags
- Dystopian; Alien invasion; Slavery
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1982 novel by L. Ron Hubbard
- Reception
- The film was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and was widely panned by audiences, becoming a notable box-office failure.
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · Win; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · Win; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Director · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Picture · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Director · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Actor · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst On-Screen Couple · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst On-Screen Group · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Most Unintentionally Funny Movie · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst On-Screen Hairstyle · Win; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Least "Special" Special Effects · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was reported to be the most expensive production shot in Canada at the time.; The film's budget was allegedly inflated by $31 million, leading to the bankruptcy of Franchise Pictures.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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