Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

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1. Daniel Smith 09.08.17 / 12pm

   This is the first i have heard of this movie. But from reading the review, I really want to see this movie. Just because it seem like it would be super funny to watch. Also I didn’t know that Johnny made a film. But judging from the photo and what the article says I have to see it now. I don’t know how someone could say oh yeah this will be so much better than Star wars. But I do have to give it to him, he wanted to make a film and he made one. Even if its one of the worst films.He still got it done.
2. canilsson 10.02.17 / 3pm

   I found this review quite amusing and I thinks its interesting that Travolta an advocate for scientology would go to this length to bring a movie based on L Ron Hubbard’s own book into fruition. My favorite line was you saying this was the closest you can get to “gangrene vision”. To be honest I am now pretty curious and feel desire to watch this movie but I am mentally prepared if it becomes the worst movie I have ever watched.
3. Denise Arreola 10.06.17 / 2pm

   This is actually the first time I hear about this movie and it seems very interesting and want to watch it now because the review makes it seem interesting. What caught my attention was the fact that the movie is taken place in the year 3000 and they are being ruled by an alien life form these kind of movies interest me. The fact that it is sci-fi makes me feel like the making if this movie and the camera is going to be very old fashioned. But, I do think this movie “cannot be better than star wars”.
4. Jian Gedrick 10.07.17 / 6pm

   I think you should reread the review. It’s a terrible movie that should be avoided at all costs.
5. Reidar Wordal 10.09.17 / 1pm

   I thought your review was interesting. I am not that interested in si-fi films but i just watched a Star Wars film last night. I do not think Star Wars could compare to any other sc-fi movie but for Johnny to say that the film would be better than Star Wars is kind of funny. I thought your review covered most points but a little more detail could have helped. Was there a Turning Point in the movie? Was there morals a person could learn from the movie? I doubt i would ever watch this movie but it was still interesting to read about!
6. Nicole Noroian 10.09.17 / 3pm

   I was expecting this to be a positive review, however, it was very negative and made me not want to watch the film. I would never expect John Travolta to be in a si-fi movie. It does make sense that the film has an underlying message about Scientology because John Travolta belongs to the Church of Scientology. This makes the movie a little bias as if he is trying to promote his religion. It also didn’t seem like the plot was too complicated but it wasn’t executed right. Overall, after reading the review I would not watch the movie.
7. Wyatt Lynch 10.09.17 / 6pm

   I’ve also never heard of this movie until I read this review. From the words that are chosen throughout this review sounds like this movie is awful. It’s crazy to think that they chose the year 3000, it’s just so far in advance. The visual effects weren’t as up to date in this film period as good as we have glorious CGI movies today. John Travolta really got ahead of himself saying it could be better than Starwars. Starwars is an instant classic, if you asked someone if they knew what Starwars was they would say automatically say yes (even though they’ve never seen it). Although though this movie got 3% rotten tomatoes, I would still be interested in watching it.
8. Joseph Kurung 10.10.17 / 11am

   I have always been a fan of John Travolta but was disappointed when watching this film. It received a rating of 3% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 2.4/10 on IMDb therefore think that it is hard to compare any single film to Star Wars because of how great of the success it has had over the years, Travolta went a little too far over head comparing it to Star Wars in my opinion because the ratings speak for themselves.
9. Gavin Callow 10.10.17 / 1pm

   I thought your review was honest and intriguing. I haven’t heard of this movie before your review, but I would like to check it out. I never knew Travolta made a movie. I say that is impressive for normally being an actor despite the movie was poorly done. It would be interesting to see him as a alien leader. The costume design on John in the picture looks very crazy and makes me want to watch it more.
10. teaholt 10.10.17 / 2pm

    Tim Burton caught my attention, the words following thereafter lead me on a good, gut rattling laugh. It’s so unfortunate for anyone who worked on this film, and mostly for Travolta. Good intentions are not overlooked, however, in this event is seems complete ignorance was the only intention. I learned two things upon reading this review: 1) never watch this film, and 2) Travolta and Sci-Fi is a recipe for comedy. While this read was shorter than a few I have recently viewed, its strength in descriptive writing was the most entertaining, and one I will not forget. And so, thank you. I appreciate the warning, but also enjoyed the good read.
11. Brendan Simon 10.10.17 / 3pm

    After reading this review, I am now very eager to watch battlefield earth just to see what makes a movie just that hard to watch. As a fan of the science fiction genre, I must say it is quite hard to successfully create a cinematic masterpiece in the genre due to the very reasons battlefield earth failed so horribly. Personally it is really funny to hear that John Travolta said that this movie is just as good or even better than star wars which set the standard for science fiction films nearly two decades earlier and has continuously been the cornerstone of the genre for years
12. ava gropper 10.10.17 / 8pm

    First, I love that there was mention of Tim Burton in the opening paragraph, I love Tim! (favorite director of all time). However I do think it is strange that Travolta appeared in a sci-fi movie. Overall it appears that the writer does not think that the mesencene flows well throughout the film, which is very important to maintain a good mesencene when making a movie. The writer does not go into depth about the plot of the film, so other than the “incredibly insightful visuals” I still do not know much about the film. The review does not go into depth.
13. haninbelazi 10.11.17 / 10am

    This review was quite interesting because I have never heard of this movie, but know the actor John Travolta. I find it a bit funny how Travolta stated that it would be better than Star Wars, yet from your review it clearly wasn’t even a comparison. It is disappointing to know that a movie with a well known actor had such a bad flow, but that’s the only thing I understood from this review, aside from that it is a sci-fi film.
14. kureno 10.11.17 / 1pm

    I have to say that I love the way you started off the beginning of this review. Your first sentence caught my eye and hooked me, leaving me wanting to read the rest of the review. I would have liked to seen what other critics were saying about this review, or maybe even read your analysis on a scene from the movie to get a feel of what it was like? I find it very interesting that Travolta thought he would be able to produce a better film than Star Wars. You say a lot about the movie crashing and burning, but it would nice to see an example of this movie going up in flames. Other than that, I like the sarcasm you submit into this review, it makes me feel as if I’m reading such a review on a movie sight like Rotten Tomatoes.
15. Mario Williams 10.12.17 / 11am

    This review is pretty interesting. i think it interesting because for one, i am fascinated by Sci-Fi films and second because this review involved Tim Burton and John Travolta. i enjoyed the back story of the film Battlefield Earth. it’s amazing to me how people involved in film for years and have physically starred in films can produce such a horrible film. i strongly agree that this film “Battlefield Earth notoriously reaches a badness of extraordinary proportion”. the effects and film style and so much more were so low in quality.
16. Fernando Uriarte 10.12.17 / 9pm

    After reading your review I checked the rating for Battlefield Earth and saw all the terrible ratings every movie critic has given it. It's a shame Tim Burton had to make such a terrible movie, but we all know he is still a great director. I can picture the "choppy editing" and those awkward wipe transition. Although the plot didn't seem too bad I think the film was just excuted poorly which is most of the reasons you gave the film such a bad review and why most people did too.
17. Xiao Yang 10.13.17 / 6am

    For me, I don’t like fictional films, for example, “star wars”. I am not a big fan of it. For “Battlefield Earth”, I usually won’t even take a look. However, when I read the reviews, I somehow want to watch this movie, I want to see how bad the movie could ever be. It is a crash and burn on every technical level: a story riddled with plot holes and inconsistencies, trashy sets and effects, ludicrous dialogue, hammy performances, cacophonous score, choppy editing and awkward wipe transitions. I guess it will be very funny to watch this movie, I probably will watch it several times just because I enjoy the described one of the worst films of all time.
18. Christian Wright 10.13.17 / 10am

    This is the first I am ever even hearing of this film so your response about how bad it is must be pretty spot on. However, in a weird way, I am very interested in watching it because it seems like it would be such a fun film to watch because of how bad it is. Funny that such big names could be involved in a film and it still manages to tank. This film will be added to the list of films that are watched when you just want to have a good laugh at some of the failures of big time movie makers who probably do not want to have anything to do with them anymore. This review actually made me laugh out loud so thank you and also thank you for the funny movie idea.
19. Vivian Elvir 10.13.17 / 10am

    This is truly one of the honest reviews I’ve read. I have yet to see this film, but now I feel as though I must watch it to catch every mistake there is. Kind of like watching Starship Troopers 2, you want to watch it for how terrible it is. Movies like this I believe actually make people talk in depth about film form and inspire thinking critically on how someone would have done it differently. It’s understandable though from Travolta’s view that sometimes you do things because you just want to, all artists want to create something regardless of the outcome to satisfy a vision that can’t escape them.
20. willsmith0 10.13.17 / 3pm

    The name “Battlefield Earth” is probably the most unoriginal thing i have ever heard. Then there is that repulsive picture of the weird mob haired man, i cant even tell if he is alien or human. This review really summed up the movie very well and didn’t waste a drumbeat getting to the point, which i appreciated because then i dont have to waste hours of time watching this just to find out its a knock off of star wars. The Mise En Scene seems to be sloppy according to your review, which seems unusual with a director like Tim Burton. Although it is understandable how someone might want to try creating something similar to Star Wars.
21. Yuanliang Gao 10.13.17 / 3pm

    Reading your comments, I was very interested in the “bad film”. I want to see what makes it so bad. Maybe you’re right. After the “Star Wars”, any sci-fi war movies have been more or less imitated by “Star Wars”, leading to a decline in quality. Also because of this, the sci-fi war movie has few excellent works except “Star Wars”. I just hope that future sci-fi war movies are no longer tied to “Star Wars,” but something else interesting.
22. Cameron Childs 10.13.17 / 4pm

    I had heard of this film but never got a chance to actually go see it. I found the review pretty negative but with evidence to back up his claims. This movie seems so bad i almost want to see it more. I like how the review if up front and to the point the author is not afraid to share his opinion. The film did get 3 % rotten tomatoes so the review is accurate by pointing out the movies many flaws.
23. Sixiang Ran 10.13.17 / 5pm

    You have a good view of this film. Actually, It is the worst film I have ever watched.There is not one main line, a clear call here and there about the results, what didn’t say, rhythm procrastination thin dull, and has continued from the titles rather baffling Its loopholes appeared one after another. to the end of the movie, such as in original habitat that never educated but can rely on a simulator within seven days to the United States the most advanced fighter, but also very professional. The stupid lines make the stupid protagonist look more stupid. The audience even know it in the end is a science fiction story or fairy tale, or it didn’t tell the story. Computer effects has become a movie, especially an important visual element in science fiction film, and the film apparently not willing to use money in this place.
24. Ellen B. Keil 10.13.17 / 5pm

    This was a very honest and well written review! I liked how you gave a brief amount of context before summarizing the film. The background of the film and information on the director is not necessarily the most important part of a review, but definitely adds great depth to the review. After mentioning background information, you went into a concise summary of the story and voiced your honest opinion on it. I appreciate the blunt honesty of dislike of the film, it shows what it was you disliked and why you would recommend not watching. Prior to reading this review, I had not heard of this film and definitely did not gain an interest in watching it after reading about it. Thanks for the helpful advice!
25. Nico413 10.13.17 / 7pm

    I happened to catch this movie one night while flipping through the guide and felt the story line was great; except for the acting and just about everything else. The review posted here was spot on, the reviewer did a bang up job critiquing the film. The humor and dry wit of calling this film a turkey gave me a hearty chuckle. After re-reading this review I realized how badly written this film happened to be and I nearly gagged when Travolta put this film in the same league of a giant like Star Wars; I am embarrassed for him.
26. Vincent Lao 10.13.17 / 8pm

    This is actually the first time I have heard this film. I’m not a big fan for fictional films, but your review is pretty interesting and very honest I guess. It makes me really want to see this film because is fun for me when I know this is a bad but I want to know how bad it can be. It will be a disaster for a fictional film turn into a a horrible film because the setting and effect must be bad. I appreciate your honesty and give this film a 0.5/4.
27. Vincent Lao 10.13.17 / 8pm

    This is actually the first time I have heard this film. I’m not a big fan for fictional films, but your review is pretty interesting and very honest I guess. It makes me really want to see this film because is fun for me when I know this is a bad but I want to know how bad it can be. It will be a disaster for a fictional film turn into a a horrible film because the setting and effect must be bad. I appreciate your honesty and give this film a lower score.
28. Michael Tsang 10.13.17 / 8pm

    I had heard about this movie quite a while ago, but never got around to seeing it. I always saw it labeled as one of the worst films of all time, as many seemed to stress its ridiculously frustrating plot. I remember seeing a few clips of it, and noticed distinctly that the camera was almost always slanted heavily, never understanding why. For the most part, I’m glad I haven’t seen this movie, as it seems simply painful to watch. However, similarly to movies like The Room, it might be an insightful experience and show me what not to do in film making.
29. Jose Garcia 10.13.17 / 9pm

    So where do I start, Battlefield Earth sounds like a terrible movie. If I had to do a project on terrible movies this would be the first on my list. Overall, I would not watch this movie on my down time. I’m surprised John Travolta would compare it to the Star Wars series. If the story has some plot holes like the review states, that would make it very frustrating to watch and nothing is worse than not understanding the story, no matter how good the graphics may be.
30. Breanna Garcia 10.13.17 / 9pm

    I love this review. It’s brutally honest, humorous in its criticism and articulate. I liked that the writer wrote a brief summary of the film’s contents and production before proceeding with the criticism in detail, because I wasn’t aware of this film before reading this review. I also appreciate the reviewer’s list of reasons of why the film was so bed. It’s helpful to know exactly what was wrong with the it for readers who haven’t seen this film, and it makes the reviewer’s dislike valid. After reading this, I definitely will avoid the film, but I’m also curious as to how bad it really is. All in all, I enjoyed reading this review, as negative as it was.
31. Sandratra Rakotoarison 10.13.17 / 11pm

    After reading the review I doubt i would ever watch this movie but it was still interesting to read about. I think the review was quite interesting, because I love sci-fi movies. I watched all Star Wars films but I think Star Wars stand out more to any other sci fi movies. So Travolta to say that the film should be better than Star Wars is kind of funny. However I thought your review covered most points but more details could have helped. For example what are the main turning points in the movie and what is the main theme and the moral addressed to the viewers?
32. KARSTEN HEIDEMAN 10.13.17 / 11pm

    I havent seen this movie but after reading this review im convinced i wont ever see it, you would think that a tim burton movie would be a great film but its clearly this is one that nobody appears to like, the fact that it has such noticeably horrific effects and ‘trahy’ scenes is disappointing and the story itself sounds very cheesy-a complete waste of money is what it seems to be. John Travolta is a respectable actor that you would think that would make the movie great so its unfortunate to hear otherwise. thanks for the review and possibly saving me some time!
33. kyle silva 10.14.17 / 12pm

    I like your view on this movie. I have never seen this movie but I am into sci-fi movies but considering what you said about this movie. I don’t think any sci fi movie can compare to Star Wars. Star Wars is a instant classic and one of my all time favorites. Then you said John Travolta was in this movie, which leads me to believe I will probably not be watching this. The plot doesn’t sound like its fully developed and as you described it has just about poor aspects on every part of the movie. This is most definitely does not sound interesting.
34. Shaden Gallardo 10.31.17 / 11am

    It’s surprising to me how Travolta put his film on a pedestal higher than Star Wars. I personally have never seen Star Wars, but I know that this sci-fi series is deeply loved by almost the entire world. He had such high expectations for his film but because it wasn’t even close to meeting those expectations, it was just simply a horrible movie. Nothing about this film sounds intriguing or interesting and this review’s description definitely opened my eyes, it even sounds uncomfortable watch.

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