Independence Day

1996 "The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe has been answered."
7| 2h25m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 25 June 1996 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

On July 2, a giant alien mothership enters orbit around Earth and deploys several dozen saucer-shaped 'destroyer' spacecraft that quickly lay waste to major cities around the planet. On July 3, the United States conducts a coordinated counterattack that fails. On July 4, a plan is devised to gain access to the interior of the alien mothership in space, in order to plant a nuclear missile.

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classicsoncall This movie might possibly hold the record for IMDb reviewers calling it the worst movie of all time. Wow! Obviously those folks have never seen "The Aztec Mummy Against the Humanoid Robot" or "Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell", a couple of sci-fi flicks that would immediately vault this film into the ranks of early 'Star Wars' territory. Personally I didn't think the film was that bad, in fact, it was better than I expected it to be. I was thinking along the lines of the same year's "Mars Attacks" which truly was deplorable. That's not to say that the film didn't have it's share of problems. Someone thought it would be a pretty good idea to put a delusional drunk (Randy Quaid) and a sitting U.S. President (Bill Pullman - what!?!?) into the cockpit of a fighter jet to wage war against a massive alien strike force! Really?!?! And the computer virus idea while sounding good on paper doesn't quite square against the advanced alien technology that would have brought the invasion into Earth's atmosphere. Uh-oh, it sounds like I might be joining the naysayers on this one if I keep on thinking this through.But I did like the early reference to 1951's "The Day the Earth Stood Still". However in that one, the aliens offered us Earthlings a chance to redeem ourselves from the self destructive path humanity was on, while here, the foreigners weren't going to give us even half a fighting chance. The picture's special effects and cinematography were pretty sensational for 1996, and the concept of bringing the planet's inhabitants together seeking common ground against the alien invaders was a brief feel good moment even if a fleeting one. And if you're feeling nostalgic, Randy Quaid's kamikaze attack on the mother ship echoed that famous scene in 'Dr. Strangelove' where Slim Pickens rode that bucking bronco joyride to Armageddon in all of it's patriotic glory. Oh yeah, take that you nasty aliens!
stormhawk2018 One of the most criticized movies that I remember, and for a large sector that far from seeing its true pretensions, which are none other than those of a pure and carefree entertainment judge for their patriotic messages. They can not argue otherwise than the worn and boring speech "Americanized", the same ones who do not mind that concept when they come out of films like "Save Private Ryan", "Flags of Our Fathers" and many others that according to the director the same message seems to be forgotten, when dealing with more serious issues should be more objective. In any case Roland Emmerich, he goes through the lining (fortunately) the opinion of critics and is limited to perform the kind of show that he would like to see in a movie theater. For "Independence Day", he does not hesitate to take references such as "The War of the Worlds" or "Star Wars" as well as the cinema of catastrophes of the 70's, recycling what was the day of its premiere a spectacular production with extraordinary visual effects, which combine exemplary models and digitalisations with a result of reference. The story is not new, but if it is, the dialogues are not Shakespeare's, but who cares? when it comes to spending two hours of pure action in which there is hardly room for absurd ramblings. It is therefore an easy target for those who believe themselves to be scholars and try to make those who enjoy this type of products complacent, who at least have a clear objective, to collect and entertain. I certainly had a great time and fully enjoyed this excellent science fiction film, to "Hamlet" we will leave for another day.
juneebuggy Taken on entertainment value this is a good movie; its big, thrilling, and action packed. The special effects stand up today and I enjoyed the extended cast. On the downside the plot and character development is thin and its corny at times with much gung-ho flag waving as the rest of the world (Brits) wait for America to decide how to handle this Morse code. Great entertainment though.For the most part the story follows Will Smith as an army of alien spaceships attack earth and threaten to destroy the human race. There's a huge cast attached, banding together to stop the invasion with multiple story arcs converging. The initial take down by the aliens is well done, devastating on a global level with fire balls etc. It's one of those movies that I catch myself watching and enjoying every time I stumble across it on TV.I enjoyed Bill Pullman as the president, Jeff Goldblum's banter with his crotchety dad Judd Hirsch. Robert Loggia,Harry Connick Jr, Mary Mcdonnell and a drunken Randy Quaid saving the day.
justin-fencsak When it comes to sci-fi alien invasion stories, older generations think of HG Wells' War of the Worlds, which spawned a classic radio broadcast and two movie versions, both of which were successful. Then came Invasion of the Flying Saucers, and then Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Star Wars would soon put the genre to rest. In the mid 90s, the directors of the surprise hit Stargate came up with an idea to make a big budget alien invasion movie set on our favorite holiday in this country...Independence Day. The movie would soon break records and gross around $800 million worldwide and sell even more on VHS, laserdisc, and then DVD and bluray and digital HD and pay TV, and the rest is history. Watching it today vs 21 years ago is kinda outdated but this movie is much better than the box office failure that was Resurgence and the movie that Centropolis made two years after ID4, a rehash of Godzilla that wasn't as good as the original one or even the 2014 reboot. The visual effects in the movie as well as the sound mix are pretty good, the casting is great, and the acting is classy.