Some friends and I went to the early showing of Battlefield Earth. [1] All three of us were not expecting a good film, and in that we were not disapointed.
The small details were very well done. When the movie focused in on the human point of view, the aliens spoke in their own uncomprehensible language. And yet, when the focus shifted, the aliens then spoke “English” and the humans were then uncomprehensible, sounding like animals, which was understandable, considering that the aliens thought of humans as animals.
Another small detail were the breathing tubes. The aliens used them outside their dome, and the Humans used them inside the alien dome. Nice detail, as the two races didn't breath exactly the same atmosphere.
Yet another one: the humans breaking into a weapsons storage closet, stealing guns and when they try to use them, find they have no ammunition. “Silly humans,” goes the evil alien, “Do you honestly think we'd store the guns loaded?”
Small details like that. Good details.
It was the large details that they missed. Big time. Plot holes large enough to drive a planet through (just what are the odds that a thousand year old flight simulator will still work? Or that aliens as incompetent as those weren't wiped out sooner?)
This almost made the “It was so bad it was well worth the six bucks” list, but not quite.