Battlefield Earth

The Showgirls of sci-fi flicks, this adaptation of Scientologyfounder L. Ron Hubbard’s cult novel is actually a lot of fun—though not in the way intended. With hisnyah-ha-ha’s and an operatic voice, John Travolta plays the securitychief of the world-dominating Psyclos, who’ve spent a thousand yearsstrip-mining Earth and consider “man-animals” little more than dexterous oxen. Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) plays the post-apocalyptic cave-dweller who gets rid of the aliens in twoweeks. The preposterous plot line and they-must-be-kidding dialog pile upwith such remarkably entertaining precision that it’s all a hoot, right upuntil the cavemen in fighter jets—then it just gets silly. Watch for ForestWhitaker as an alien aide-de-camp so bumbling the audience can “D’oh!” along oncue.