I Have No Taste in Movies

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

According to my fellow chat moderators, I have no taste in Science Fiction movies. They say this because I liked the following movies:

Battlefield Earth

Postman

Waterworld

Did anyone besides me like these films?

Just curious

[punkypink (imported)]

I know we're not "supposed" to like Battlefield Earth, but I've not seen it so I can't say it's good or bad either way. Waterworld, wasn't bad though? Not heard of Postman.

[Riverwind (imported)]

According to my fellow chat moderators, I have no taste in Science Fiction movies. They say this because I liked the following movies:

Battlefield Earth

Postman

Waterworld

Did anyone besides me like these films?

Just curious

I liked Waterworld, have seen it several times good movie.

Postman never herd of it.

Battlefield Earth was the worst movie ever made. For anybody who read the book it was not only just a small piece of that book but they got it totally wrong. When Hollywood finally figures it out that you don't need lots of special effects to sell a movie and go with the story then you will maybe get a better rating.

They did the same thing with Starship Troopers by Heinlein. Read the book, movie sucked and they got it wrong too.

River

[Cainanite (imported)]

I thoroughly enjoyed both The Postman, A post apocalyptic con-man accidentally becomes a nation's savior. And Waterworld, A post apocalyptic loner/mutant accidentally becomes humanity's savior.

Kinda similar movies, but good.

Battlefield Earth is a whole other kettle of fish. The movie was ruined for me on just SO many levels. First was the ad campaign. It went something like this,

"They overwhelmed and took over the world in just six brutal minutes. We never stood a chance. Now humanity must learn to walk again, learn to fight again, and learn to take our planet back."

Exciting words. I fully expected the movie to open with a pulse pounding six minute scene of the aliens descending, swatting our defenses away like flies, and leveling our cities. I was expecting an Independence Day scene where the Aliens destroy us like it is nothing. Something to hammer home, all we've lost.

Instead the movie opens with a drunken Alien John Travolta. It is a thousand years after humanity fell, and we are little better than cave-men. The aliens are all too stupid, and the humans are far too clever.

As the movie progresses, we are expected to believe that Jet fighters sitting idle in underground bases are still functional after a thousand years, and that a bunch of humans who don't even know what toilet paper is, can learn to fly them, in a matter of days. Then, once the impossible jet fighters are in the air, the humans can use them to stand toe to toe with with the aliens and drive them off the planet.

These were the aliens who decimated all of humanity in just six minutes. Why am I expected to believe those Jets would be anything more than annoying buzzing flies to such an advanced race? Couldn't such an advanced race create robots to do their bidding? Why do they even need human slaves? And please don't get me started on the nuclear bomb that is still functional after a thousand years, and the humans can use just one bomb to destroy an entire planet.

Battlefield Earth was just terrible.

The only thing I thought was funny, is that in the scenes with both the aliens and the humans, (The aliens are supposed to be 10 to 12 foot tall) to mark the size difference, they replaced the adult human characters with little children. The kids are always stealing looks into the camera, and ruining the illusion. Also, the kids walk like kids, are proportioned like kids, and move like kids. They are CLEARLY not full size adults walking next to 12 foot tall aliens. It was hilarious... for about 6 seconds.

I paid full price to see this movie in the theater, with a group of friends, on opening night. It was my idea to see that film. I almost lost friends over that decision.

Two of your movie choices I agree with. The Postman and Waterworld were both pretty enjoyable in their way. Battlefield Earth is just plain bad. It's not even in the category of so bad it's good. It's just bad.

[Cainanite (imported)]

...

They did the same thing with Starship Troopers by Heinlein. Read the book, movie sucked and they got it wrong too.

River

I'm a huge Heinlein fan. I've read most of his books. Read Friday, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Time Enough for Love, Glory Road, The Puppet Masters or Job: A Comedy of Justice, and you'll see a lot of themes that ended up in the Starship Troopers movie.

Shared Nudity like it is no big deal, participation in politics needing to be earned, psi-ops with real psychics, Sex on the battlefield. There was so much fan service in that movie it was incredible. Even down to the names of the ships being destroyed in orbit. All names of character in his other books. It really felt like I was watching a movie made by people who loved Heinlein's books.

The problem was, the Starship Troopers book itself. It diverted from Heinlein's usual writing style. It was a very plain text by the standards of his other books. There was no sex, no politics, none of the stuff that made his other books so vibrant. There were cool Mecha fighting suits though. I admit I missed those.

The Starship Troopers Movie was like watching a movie of what Heinlein might have written, if he had written Starship Troopers later in his career. It was something with his attitude and spirit fully infused into it. Honestly, the book was rather forgettable by comparison.

Full disclosure: The first Heinlein book I read was Friday. I kind of worked my way backward through his collection after that. Starship Troopers was one of the last of his work that I read, yet it was one of the first he ever wrote. His signature style hadn't coalesced yet in that book. His later stuff was far more like the Starship Troopers movie.

I don't think they got the movie wrong. The movie makers were just big fans of all Heinlein's work. It showed in almost every scene of that movie.

Just my two cents.

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

I liked Waterworld, have seen it several times good movie.

Postman never herd of it.

Battlefield Earth was the worst movie ever made. For anybody who read the book it was not only just a small piece of that book but they got it totally wrong. When Hollywood finally figures it out that you don't need lots of special effects to sell a movie and go with the story then you will maybe get a better rating.

They did the same thing with Starship Troopers by Heinlein. Read the book, movie sucked and they got it wrong too.

River

Hey old guy, I liked Starship Troopers - And no, I never read the book.

[Dave (imported)]

Battlefield Earth was just terrible.

You have to watch it late on Saturday night, half drunk or high on good pot and with a bunch of silly laughers that giggle at inappropriate moments... It's a serious book but it was made into an unserious and loony movie.

[DeaconBlues (imported)]

Of the three subject movies, I have only seen "The Postman," and I liked it. "Postman" might not have been a perfect movie, but it was good, I would give it at least three stars on a five star scale, probably four stars.

All of the characters and scenarios seemed plausable and believable, the story line was interesting, and I like the idea that in a reconstruting society, people would naturally put communication (mail service) on a high priority.

As for "Waterworld" and "Battlefield Earth," I have not seen either one of them. I have heard so many bad things about "Battlefield Earth" that I doubt I will ever watch it.

Now, IF you want to watch a really really good science fiction movie... I would suggest "Queen of Outer Space" staring Zsa Zsa Gabor. Clearly one of the best movies ever! OK, OK, it is just a silly "teeny bopper" movie based on a totally rediculous idea... but do keep in mind you get to see lots of beautiful women in skimpy clothing and you get to laugh at some of the totally rediculous dialogue. Yes, "Queen of Outer Space" gets FIVE STARS AND THEN SOME in my ratings!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Tq36B3zCA

[Dave (imported)]

For the short version of THE QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE go to

Trailers from Hell -- http://trailersfromhell.com/trailers/133

[Riverwind (imported)]

"Kinda good but also kinda bad." I think that sums it up.

I don't know why this has given me the giggles, to outright laughing.

I think the trailers from hell was enough, Thanks Dave.

River