this is how films should be - huge, loud and great entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2013)

Independence Day is a proper film. It is a truly great cinematic experience and even seventeen years on it's still got it! Sure you can get picky about improbabilities and moan on about it's overt American flag-waving and how this little thing wasn't entirely accurate because of so and so but you know what? Don't. There's nothing wrong with this film that a little suspension of disbelief wouldn't solve. Of course it's largely predictable, yes it's lays on sentimentality like a trowel, so what? It's fabulous and I love it. It's got a great (simple) story, lots of laughs, it says something and is good to look at.
This film is BIG and LOUD. It was amazing on a big screen. It's action packed, suspenseful, emotive and it's even got a little re-finding of faith in there as well. It has cute children, good looking men in uniform, a scantily clad beautiful woman, a gorgeous dog, humour; Jewish humour AND Will Smith no less, a comedic hysterical gay guy, ridiculous stereotypes of different races & classic world landmarks together with subtitles just in case the viewer didn't quite get that the pyramids and people dressed for the desert with camels in the background is supposed to be Giza in Cairo, ridiculous English accents that make me giggle every time, tense aerial fight scenes, heroism, politics, patriotism, great sweeping vistas, an uplifting soundtrack and theme music, pretty slick SFX (still), a rousing and uplifting speech about the strength of the human spirit and the world coming together to fight a common foe, weepy bits... hell, it's got Data from Star Trek, it's got a Baldwin and, AND it's got long leggedy aliens. And long leggedy Jeff Goldblum, who's just plain awesome. And the lovely Bill Pullman. And Mary McDonnell.
See? Just what you want from a film! Someone called it a popcorn movie, and I think that is entirely correct. It's not trying to be anything other than great blockbuster entertainment and it delivers.