Travolta prepares to show off by doing the Batusi. Reading the reviews of Battlefield Earth , you might wonder how one film could inspire such a wide range of responses. Some reviewers thought it was the worst film since Batman and Robin . Others said it was the worst film since Showgirls . And a third camp suggested it was the worst film since Ishtar .
Movies can be bad in different ways.
Sure, every bad film is bad in its own precious way, but there are general categories. There are movies that are hobbled by extreme poverty, like Manos, the Hands of Fate . There are extremely sleazy films, like The Lonely Lady . There are movies that have troubled production histories, like Waterworld . Battlefield Earth is a very special kind of bad movie.