ROGER CHRISTIAN

Bil’s rating (out of 5):   B.5. 

USA, 2000.  Warner Bros., Morgan Creek Entertainment, Franchise Pictures, JTP Films, Battlefield Productions.  Screenplay by Corey Mandell, J.D. Shapiro, based on the novel by L. Ron Hubbard.  Cinematography by Giles Nuttgens.  Produced by Jonathan D. Krane, Elie Samaha, John Travolta.  Music by Elia Cmiral.  Production Design by Patrick Tatopoulos.  Costume Design by Patrick Tatopoulos.  Film Editing by Robin Russell.  

John Travolta is physically striking yet laughable as the head of the villainous Psychlo race who have taken over a futuristic Earth and made slaves of humans. Barry Pepper is the leader of the good ole boys who help restore order. Every science-fiction film imaginable, from Planet of the Apes to Goldfinger is ripped off shamelessly, plus the film contradicts itself on many occasions: the characters have maintained phrases like “piece of cake” to show how even a thousand years later, remnants of the language of twentieth-century humans remain, but on the other hand they refer to the parliament buildings as places where our “great tribes” used to meet. It is, in all fairness, honestly bad fun, and features great art direction, but it’s still a boring mess that can only be appreciated at a camp movie night. Forest Whitaker looks like the love child of Tina Turner and the Cowardly Lion.