Battlefield Earth (2000)

 

 

It's the year 3000 A.D., and the Earth is lost to the alien race of Psychlos. Humanity is enslaved by these gold-thirsty tyrants, who are unaware that their 'man-animals' are about to ignite the rebellion of a lifetime.

Trashy sci-fi drama is pretty bad in almost all departments including a silly plot and hammy performances; it actually seems like a parody, but unfortunately, it isn't one.
 

Halliwell (no star): "Asinine pulp science fiction is treated with the utmost respect: the result is never less than ridiculous, from the aliens' appearance to the juvenile narrative."

Maltin BOMB: "Clumsy plot, misplaced satire, unbelievable coincidences and a leaden pace trample Travolta's weird but amusing performance." 

 

 

 

Crawl (2019)

A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.

Run-of-the-mill creature feature is made with competence and obvious knowledge of the genre, but there simply are no surprises here. 

True Grit (2010)

A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer.

Solid and tasteful remake of a John Wayne classic with a great central performance, but the movie doesn't add anything new or unique.

On rewatching: Entertaining and well-made, but not better than the original; perfect role for Jeff Bridges, though.

Maltin***: "Remake of the 1969 hit allows Bridges to put his own stamp on the role...The Coens' script calls on their love for language..., while cinematographer Roger Deakins fills the screen with beautiful imagery. Entertaining, to be sure, but being as unsentimental as it is, there isn't any emotional resonance when it's all over."