MovieChat Forums > Battlefield Earth (2000) Discussion > The Dialogue

The Dialogue

posted 11 years ago by AntiGravityShoes
3 replies | jump to latest

I finally watched this on HBO and it was even too awful to fit into the "so bad it's funny" category. I gave up and watched a lot of it on FF. Beyond the ridiculous plot, bad acting, terrible camera work and cheap production values, I was gobsmacked by the dialogue coming out of the actors' mouths. My question is: was this dialogue lifted directly from the book and the Scientologists (such as Miscavige) demanded it not be altered? Or do these screenwriters actually write at the level of 10 year olds?

And no, I will not buy Hubbard's book to find this out for myself. Hoping someone else here has already read it...

"We take what we want and leave the rest, just like your salad bar."

[–] Norse_Sage 11 years ago

I've read Hubbard's book.
The dialogue is if anything toned down from it.

It is fairly light on the gibberish Scientologist lingo (blowing charge, being at cause, havingness etc.), but it is still written by Hubbard, and is as such worded as only a paranoid delusional schizophrenic would.

While you don't see that too clearly from the movie, the book itself is pure Scientology propaganda, essentially a fictional retelling of Scientology and its place in the universe, as seen from a Scientology perspective. Johnny Goodboy Tyler is thinly veiled version of Hubbard himself.

It is interesting as a study of cult characteristics, propaganda, and the madness of Hubbard only. Beyond that, it has few to no redeeming qualities.

Tesla was robbed!

[–] AntiGravityShoes 11 years ago

WOW. If the dialogue was toned down from the book... just wow. So L Ron Hubbard, one of the fathers of science fiction and on a par with H G Wells** wrote space alien characters who speak in American vernacular like "crap load"? That's priceless.

"Paranoid delusional schizophrenic" sums it up nicely.

**according to Scientologists (who also think Tom Cruise is on a par with Sir Laurence Olivier)

We take what we want and leave the rest, just like your salad bar.

[–] Norse_Sage 11 years ago

So L Ron Hubbard, one of the fathers of science fiction and on a par with H G Wells** wrote space alien characters who speak in American vernacular like "crap load"? That's priceless.

In the book "crap brain" is an often used slur, and there are frequent references to the "crab nebula", pronounced with a p.

**according to Scientologists (who also think Tom Cruise is on a par with Sir Laurence Olivier)

Thank Xenu you added that. I was about to have a fit.

Tesla was robbed!