Netflix obliged and sent me a copy. I'd had it on my queue for years and it finally floated to the top (dead body/turd jokes welcome).

Should I watch it?

(Ok I admit, in a streak of masochism I pushed it up. hmmmm stay tuned)

Loved the novel, actually walked out of the movie.

Movie's alright as background filler, IMNSHO. Just don't think of it having anything to do with anything other than the movie and it should be alright. I mean, heck, if you've got it right there in your house....

Loved the novel, actually walked out of the movie.

What book did you read? As far as story and dialogue, the movie resembles the book.

John Travolta's voice is a little too high to be a menacing alien though.

Made it through 20 minutes. Cinematography is odd (tilty cam).

Acting is so so. Travolta CAN act, he just miscast himself here.

Special effects are OK as is the art direction. They didn't skimp.

The most ridiculous element so far is the idea that human artifacts from today would survive a thousand years (scene in a mall with xmas decorations still up). These things wouldn't look that good in 20 years if left to the elements. But that's the way the story was written.

I rather liked the movie. Never read the book. Would I watch the movie again? Sure I like it.

It really wasn't that bad. The main problem with the book was at over 1000 pages, the technical issues grew tiresomely repetitive. Well the non technical issues did too.

The movie was well made in terms of special effects and art direction. The cinematography was distracting.

Acting wasn't great, but was above "B" movie level.

The basic plot had serious flaws. But these were taken faithfully from the book:

o If man was defeated in "9 minutes" by the aliens 1000 years ago, why were the aliens so easy to defeat now?

o How do primitive men learn to fly Harriers and set explosives in days. Johnny good-boy whatever at least had the alien's teaching machine, but none of the rest did.

o How does military hardware from 1000 years ago still function? Same thing for books found in the library etc.

But if you disconnect the higher brain centers and just enjoy the ride it's not that bad. Certainly not the worst movie ever made.

And the movie only covered 1/2 of the book. The 2nd half of the book involves blue lawyers from space (shudder). Entertaining for a chapter but not for 500 pages.

Edit: (Oh and I did enjoy the allegory which showed how mindless and evil corporations are, as the aliens were really nothing more than middle-management back-stabbers and the primitive man-animals were staff. But it was more the stuff of Monty Python).

Watch it onlyfor the MST3K factor.


It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The acting is out of a Super 8 high school student film, the story is ludicrous, the plot holes are the size of a black hole, etc.

I didn't walk out of the theatre when I saw it, but I was close. Hey, that's a good idea for a thread....movies you've walked out on.

Forest Whitacker mastered looking like he's tired of being conned by John Travolta. I wonder if he was acting?

The movie was fascinating if only to see what could be done with 70 million dollars and no brains.

Maybe my experience was muted by watching it at home with frequent forays to the fridge. It didn't make me want to puke.

Watch it onlyfor the MST3K factor.


It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The acting is out of a Super 8 high school student film, the story is ludicrous, the plot holes are the size of a black hole, etc.

I didn't walk out of the theatre when I saw it, but I was close. Hey, that's a good idea for a thread....movies you've walked out on.

I heartily agree with everything python said about this embarrassingly bad film. Not quite as bad as Waterworld...well...maybe a tie.

The novel is one of my favorite books. As stated in a previous post it is over 1000 pages and when I read it the first time I expected it to be 200 pages of something readable and 900 pages of boring filler. I was wrong! I read it cover to cover in 3 days amd it is still in my pile of recurring re-reads, along with LOTR and most of the Tom Clancy Novels.

Now..the movie... saw it on DVD which is good because I could turn it off and burn the disc. BAD doesn't begin to describe it. Except for the very basic of plot lines.. this movie has NOTHING in common with the book. The Psychlos looked like Klingons gone punk, which is nothing like they were supposed to look. TERRIBLE movie.. save yourself the pain.