Image courtesy of moviemania.io
Since the 4th of July has arrived, I figured why not do another holiday review… by celebrating Independence Day with a review of Independence Day.
On July 2nd, 1996, a large mothership enters Earth’s orbit and launches a worldwide attack by sending saucers to major cities, three of which are ultimately decimated.
On July 3rd, world leaders begin attempting counterstrikes of their own, to no avail. However, the Americans do discover why they’re here. When July 4th hits, people around the world come together for what may be either a triumphant victory… or their last stand.
What Worked: The cast is really good. The standouts are Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum, with some highlights also coming from Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, Brent Spiner, and to some extent, Harvey Fierstein and Harry Connick Jr. in what are basically extended cameos since both of them are only in the movie for a few minutes.
The script, written by Roland Emmerich himself alongside his producing partner Dean Devlin, is actually pretty good for a disaster movie. It does what a disaster movie should: take the absurdity of the story and embrace it. It shows that everyone involved had fun making it, and in turn it helps show that you are having fun watching it. It also provides some memorable and quotable lines, as well as one of the best speeches in a movie ever. Emmerich’s direction isn’t bad, either. In fact, this is probably his best movie.
When it comes to the effects, the first question that will likely be asked is: Do they hold up now over 20 years later? For the most part, yes… or at least the majority of them do (examples being the designs of the aliens, and how they move around; they looked very practical).
I don’t normally mention this, but it stood out to me here: I really liked the structure of the movie. It takes place over the course of three days: from July 2nd up until July 4th. This timeframe not only shows how the conflict escalates, but it also allows for progression of the narrative. July 2nd - the aliens arrive and three major cities are destroyed. July 3rd - the Americans discover the aliens’ motive. July 4th - you can probably figure out what happens from there. This means the clichés are there, and yet, that’s another result of the absurdity: it becomes more fun to watch because they’re there. It happened in a lot of movies in the 90s (especially in sci-fi and action movies), and this one is no exception, so it gets a pass because it acknowledges them. It may be a predictable pattern you may have seen done before and done better, but it’s still fun to see how it plays out here nonetheless.
Even if it’s more of a sci-fi action movie, it does have some moments that feel like a sci-fi horror movie that are pretty creepy, especially a lab scene, where nothing could possibly go wrong.
What Didn’t Work: Although the majority of the effects on display here still hold up, the rest don’t really stand out. For me, it was some laser effects and some of the fire and explosion effects. Though they are great for the time, the moment I saw the visuals in those scenes, I realized they did not hold up well at all. Also, speaking of the lab scene, while it is creepy, it is one of those scenes you can’t help but predict what’s going to happen.
Overall: Independence Day is a prime example of a blockbuster that accomplished what rarely happens now: get the moviegoing audience interested, and let the hype build up from there. It’s one of those movies where people were actually excited to go see it to the point that it became an event, and ultimately delivered on the hype. It also helped bring large-scale disaster movies back, leading to several being released throughout the rest of the 90s, and garner renewed interest in sci-fi as a whole.
On top of that, it serves as a prime example of what popcorn entertainment should be: fun. The movie in question may not be perfect and have some cheesy moments here and there. However, as long as it shows that it can be self-aware about it and just run with it, it’s done its job, because what’s most important is that the movie ends up being a lot of fun.
Independence Day does exactly that. Even if it’s not a perfect movie, it is still solid in the action, sci-fi, and especially disaster movie departments, and it does hold up really well today.
One thing it is perfect for, though, is your collection, as it’s definitely one to pop in for when you feel like making some noise. For those looking for a movie to watch this Fourth of July weekend, this is a good one to celebrate the occasion.