Terl is the definitive evil character, he is pompous, he is rude, he is mean-spirited. That means bringing Travolta's Terl under control, since he is the Psychlos' Chief of Security. As the Psychlos wage war against their human enemies a special effects extravaganza lights up the screen as the extraterrestrials dart around in menacing spaceships wreaking destruction. Travolta not only stars in this film, he also co-produced it and is proud of what he has achieved. The film has provoked some controversy because it is based on the novel Battlefield Earth, a best-seller written by the Church of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard.
Critics say the film is a vehicle to promote the church's teachings.
The actor has wanted to bring Hubbard's story to the screen since he first read the novel in the 1980s. He dismisses the charge of propaganda by pointing out that the book has already been an enormous worldwide success. The Church of Scientology will not comment on the film other than to say it has had nothing to with the picture. It will say Scientology is also about narrative, it's about story, it's about pleasure, it can be the basis of a Hollywood action-adventure film, that it is not in fact some weird cultish phenomenon that is all about taking away children and stretching their minds into places they shouldn't go. Battlefield Earth is expected to do well in its first weekend of business, but most of the reviews have been pretty dire.