How Did This Get Made? Battlefield Earth w/ Rob Huebel (HDTGM Matinee)
Sep 16, 2025
Rob Huebel, an actor and comedian known for his roles in The Descendants and Childrens Hospital, joins the hosts for a hilarious critique of Battlefield Earth, one of cinema's most notorious flops. They dive into Travolta's bewildering accents, excessive slow-motion scenes, and the film’s many inconsistencies. The discussion also touches on its surreal green screen effects and chaotic production history. Despite its flaws, they reveal how the film's absurdity can surprisingly entertain, sharing laughs along the way.
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Episode notes
Ambition Without Coherent Execution
- Hosts agree Battlefield Earth is exceptionally bad and confusing despite ambitious production.
- They highlight slow-motion overuse and inconsistent worldbuilding as core failures.
Good Craft, Bad Story
- Rob praises the physical craft work like sets and costumes despite the film's flaws.
- He argues production designers and makeup artists did a lot of earnest, visible work that the script squandered.
Travolta's Moving Accent Problem
- The cast's performances and accents are inconsistent and distracting, especially Travolta's.
- The uneven delivery amplifies the movie's incoherence and comedic tone.
