Rated PG-13 for sci-fi destruction and violence.
145 Minutes
Directed By: Roland Emmerich
Written By: Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich
Staring: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Harry Connick Jr., Judd Hirsch, Mary McDonnell, Robert Loggia, Randy Quaid, Harvey Fierstein and Adam Baldwin
THAT’S RIGHT! Thats what you get! Look at you, ship all banged up! WHO’S THE MAN? HUH? WHO’S THE MAN? Wait until I get another plane! I am going to lower your friends RIGHT BESIDE YOU! -Captain Hillar
Review
On the fourth of July weekend a strange interference in the worlds communications system falters. The world suddenly becomes aware of mile wide ships hovering over their cities ominously. When attempts to communicate with the ships end in disaster, David Levinson,(Jeff Goldblum) a paranoid former scientist begins his own deductions about he aliens real intentions, and suddenly fears the worse. They intend of destroying our world and robbing it of all it’s resources. Within a day New York, Los Angeles, and Washington are destroyed. In panic and fear the survivors flee to area 51 where it’s rumored they have their own defense prepared. When a plan of attack is devised the President (Bill Pullman) declares the fourth no longer the Independence Day for America but for mankind in general, and then the final battle is waged.
Independence Day is what big Blockbuster special effects movies are all about. Roland Emmerich really took the worlds fear alien invasion to the next level. The idea of a not so friendly first contact experience with a species that’s technology was obviously above and beyond our comprehension was perhaps not entirely original but it had never been done on this scale before. Ships a mile in circumference, hovering over our most beloved major cities making no attempt to contact was nail biting, but offered the viewer time to take glimpses into our main character’s all coming from very different parts of the country and who “by coincidence” end up together in the end. While these character’s back rounds are more or less being explored rather than developed we get the idea of what they are about and are played by an all star cast that is talented enough to make up for the lack of depth in character development arena. But let’s be honest, was Independence Day a movie about the people in it and their personal journeys to the uber climatic finale? Absolutely not. They were merely pawns in this wild action adventure alien flick.
The actors including powerhouses like Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Mary McDonald, Vivica A. Fox, Harry Connick Jr., and Randy Quaid made for an even more perplexing movie, because there were enough big name actors to know that each was expendable, and some were. Sitting in a theatre on opening weekend and hearing and feeling the surrounding crowd react with laughter to the lines Goldblum or Smith would pull out, like “Welcome to Earth”, or gasping in disbelief or fear of what was transpiring before them, was a truly memorable and wonderful feeling. It’s exciting to be sitting in the middle of a crowd that’s really engaged in the movie your watching.
Make no mistake, while the White House being blown up is a terrifying site, especially watching it now post 9/11, the realism of it was absolutely terrifying and amazing all at the same time. The FX of this film were spectacular. It featured aliens that thank the stars weren’t bipeds and could speak the language by uploading the Internet into their brains, they were intelligent enough to learn, and had a biology different enough to be completely mysterious and frightening. From the destroyed cities to the all out final countdown battle, to the cable mans simple idea to “send a virus” (yes laughable in these days of technological awareness) made for something suspenseful, funny, and enjoyable all at once.
ID4 is a movie that will go down in history as one of the most ground breaking FX films of it’s time, not to mention a movie that really set the precedent for big summer blockbuster movies. Where the movie lacked in story it compensated with a brilliant explosion, great one liner, or a simple reminder of our simplicity in the scheme of things. You’ve gotta love Independence Day. It’s good movie stuff.
Did you like this movie? Rate it!
Independence Day was the pinnacle of blockbuster popcorn flick. It’s too bad they tried to replicate that with Armaggeddon which was not nearly as good.
Armageddon is truly one of my least favorite films ever made.
Hey Heather,
I’m hosting the My Best Post blog-a-thon.
It goes from May 21st-23rd. Want to be a part of it?
It’s pretty easy. You’ve already written your entry.
Just send me a link to your best/favorite/underrated blog post! Thanks!
http://he-shot-cyrus.blogspot.com/2010/04/big-announcement-revealed.html
I certainly do and will get back with you on the details. Thanks for asking.
Who says you have to wait til the 4th of July to enjoy this? Good on ya for calling out the love of a great popcorn flick. It has tons of replay value and above all this movie has some fun at its own expense. Great move on Emmerich’s part not making this totally serious.
I’m glad to see the love for this movie. To rip it apart would be missing the point entirely. Without Will Smith though, I still don’t think it would work. And still probably my favorite and least preachy Roland Emmerich movie.
I absolutely love the scene in the tunnel where the dog jumps into the shelter just before being burned in mid-air by the fireball (all of it in slow motion). I can’t help but be split in half at how over the top it is.
I don’t mind how over the top it is. I feel like Will Smith sells it with the humor, and even those Randy Quaid moments that the crazy really works.
Fun, fun, fun.
I always think there’s some injustice that a decade later Will Smith is a big star and Vivica Fox isn’t . Not that she exactly showed her “huge range” in the film, but I just despise Will Smith and Vivica Fox seems to have so much potential. This movie was a family favourite back in the day.
She’s beautiful and talented. I’ve always wondered why her career didn’t escalate further.
I do like Will Smith though.
This movie is always gettin’ dissed on. I liked it as a kid, and although it sort of dies down after age 13, it still is good to watch. It’s one of those first sci-fi disaster films, to make it big.
Not all movies are meant to be mind shattering or Oscar worthy. This is the epitome of summer popcorn movies. If it doesn’t do it for you, then I’d suggest you just aren’t a fan of this genre of movies.
It contains the best speech in the history of mankind.
Okay, I might be exaggerating, but it’s pretty awesome.
It is pretty awesome, and it definitely equates badness if Bill Pullman can seem that fraggin’ brilliant.
Independence Day made say “Fuck yeah! Kills those alien bastards.” Randy Quaid was batshit crazy drunk. I loved it. Goldblum, Pullman and Smith. YES!