Independence Day (1996)

Brilliant entertainment

You don't need the philosophies of Plato or Schopenhauer or Descartes to watch this film. Watch it for what it is: an suspenseful action-packed sci-fi film. Although it does seem a bit long (just over 140 minutes), the film doesn't seem to drag at all. The subplots are interesting, and the special effects won't really disappoint. The actors and their characters are memorable (the chemstry between Goldblum and Hirsch is a plus for the father-and-son genre). David Arnold's music is spectacular, and it's one of my favorite scores. And finally, I don't really mind the overpatriotism found in this film, just as long as I can focus on the action and the aliens.

A- October 1, 2008

Flawed yet still fun disaster flick

Before superpowered crimefighting men in tights dominated the summer movie landscape, there were asteroids (Armageddon, Deep Impact), tornadoes (Twister), and giant lizards (Godzilla) destroying national landmarks that caused people to flock to their air-conditioned movie theaters in the summer months. But the film that seemingly started it all was 1996's Independence Day.

Directed by Roland Emmerich and produced by Emmerich and his partner (or in most cases, co-offender) Dean Devlin, the "masterminds" behind the so-so sci-fi film Stargate. While on the press junket for Stargate, they were questioned about their belief in aliens, which they responded that one day we may wake up to find alien spaceships in the sky. At that moment, the concept for their next film was born.

Some call Independence Day "the Star Wars of the 90's", but Independence Day lacks the religious mysticism and homages to Westerns and samurai films. What it does have is a love for old sci-fi B-movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still, movies made to be more fun than based in heady subtext or scientific fact.

The story takes place over the span of three days: July 2nd, July 3rd, and July 4th. The film begins on July 2nd with the ominous shadows of the invaders' massive spaceships slowly enveloping everything they pass, and we're introduced to a number of characters and their own storylines, so many that I might not be able to list them all here. You have President Whitmore (Bill "I'm Not Bill Paxton" Pullman), a former Gulf War fighter pilot whom the opinion polls are turning against for his seemingly ineffectiveness and lack of resolve. You have M.I.T. grad turned cable guy David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) whom is still coping with his divorce and uncovers the aliens' secret plan. You have Air Force pilot Steven Hiller (Will Smith), who applies to be an astronaut but is rejected because of his relationship with his girlfriend, a stripper and single mom named Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox). Oh, and then there's Randy Quaid's Russell Casse, a Vietnam War veteran who spends his days in a drunken stupor, supporting his three children as a crop duster and recalling his own alien abduction. All of their destinies somehow intersect throughout the film as the extraterrestrials launch their attack,

The aliens attack on July 2nd, blasting blue-green rays of energy down on major cities around the world, causing tidal waves of fire that kill millions and leave the cities in flaming ruins. The Earth forces mount an aerial counterattack on July 3rd, but are vastly outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed by the swarm of technologically-advanced aliens, whom then take out most Army bases. Frustrations mount as it becomes more and more apparent that the aliens seem unstoppable. The remaining American forces retreat to the modern-day mythical Area 51, where they organize one final strike at the aliens on July 4th.

Many of the characters are stock and cliche, like the science whiz no one wants to listen to but who is always right, or the trigger-happy government suit whose only response to a problem seems to involve firing all available weaponry at the enemy despite the repeated failure of said weaponry. (Emmerich and Devlin are known for falling back on these very cliches in their other movies, as evidenced by their Independence Day follow-up Godzilla), and several of the plot points seem highly contrived and unlikely. A simple computer virus being compatible with advanced alien technology seems ridiculous, so the possibility that said computer virus being capable of taking down technologically-advanced alien force fields is even more ridiculous, and that's saying a lot when you're talking about a movie about an alien invasion. But the special effects are the real stars here (though some shots do look noticibly green-screened if you look closely), and the underdog story of outgunned and outmatched Earth forces taking on a seemingly invincible alien threat is a crowd pleaser. And you can't help but cheer a little bit when poor Russell Casse gets his revenge. This is probably the best film by Emmerich and Devlin to date, something that doesn't look to be changing anytime soon. September 13, 2008

Good character developments & acting. Special effects were good at that time but not good compared to movies of the last 4 years

It has good character developments and acting. The special effects were good at that time but not good compared to movies of the last 4 years. It's worth watching. August 25, 2008

Independence Day

I lost my original copy in the divorce. This is a cool movie.
Randy Quaid Rules August 25, 2008

independence day

it's a good movie and i like how you guys at amazon can help me get what i need even toys that you can't find in stores for my kids. thank you August 21, 2008

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