At Least America Saved The World

Rating: 7/10 (6 February 2007)

When I first decided to watch this movie I had a very clever idea. Why not, I thought, invite around some friends, and rather than watch this movie quietly, absorbing all of the pathos and dramatisation on screen, encourage them to talk through it, recording what they say and picking the highlights out to use as the bulk of this review. A fantastic idea with but one draw back. You couldn't understand a word on the Dictaphone. All I was left with was my friend Carole saying "At last, Will Smith" as 24.29 minutes into the movie we see the star, Jeff Goldblum being told that the thing they are sticking on the ship he is about to fly in is "the strongest radio transmitter we had. It'll tell us when you've uploaded the virus." my friend Dean proclaiming 'that looks like a big metal d***o' and my good self booing loudly at the line, spoken by British officers, '"It's from the Americans. They want to organise a counter offensive." "It's about bloody time! What do they plan to do?"'. Come to think of it that may well have been the witty highlight of the night Let us move to the plot. *Takes a deep breath* Actuallyicantbebothered. *Gasps* I decided when describing the plot it was best not to waste time with spaces, besides it already has enough gaps in it, and I could plunge right into talking about the cool special effects and set pieces.
Actually, that's not totally fair. For a start the version I watched had 8 whole extra minutes of footage, which translates as Independence Day: Now With Added Trailer Trash. However, I enjoyed the added trailer trash. Suddenly I find myself actually caring about the family in their mobile home. There are also some added scenes with Jeff Goldblum, which is never a bad thing in my opinion. Thanks to adding in this extra footage, a few bits of the movie make more sense. Although no, they still don't explain that whole computer uploading thing. I can't get mine to notice my printer, and these are Aliens for crying out loud! So special effects. Wow. They still look amazing. The blowing up of the White House is now part of movie history but the amount of love and attention that Joseph Viskocil, head of mechanical effects puts into destroying things is a joy to behold. Not only the special effects but also the visual effects as well. My favourite being the canyon chase with the F-18 and the Alien space craft. Roland Emmerich had the guts to shoot the entire chase in daylight. There really is no margin for error here and yet it still rips along at a fantastic pace, not once giving the audience a chance to really question what they are watching. This movie set out to be a summer block buster, and it really, truly is.
Amazingly enough, the acting isn't too bad either. Will Smith gets to finally take on the part of action lead hero but having done his time as The Fresh Prince his timing for those oh-so-important one liners is spot on. Jeff Goldblum, who in my eyes can do no wrong, does no wrong. Unfortunately, their better halves in the film suffer from the fact that they are, well, women in an action movie. Margaret Colin, who initially seems independent and feisty gets to basically keep the home fires burning (though the Aliens also do a pretty good job of that one) and look all impressed when her man comes back having done the job and chomping on a stogie. Vivica A. Fox also has very little to do as her exotic dancer, despite driving around in a big truck at one point and picking up survivors. The fantastic Mary McDonnell gets to die and that's about it for female roles. Judd Hirsch in support as Goldblum's father is hilarious, while Randy Quaid, the washed up bum of previous note, is just a bit annoying. However, Bill Pullman as President Whitmore is perfect. I want to like him, I want to believe in him and, after he gives his speech (I don't think Thomas would mind being paraphrased) I want to follow him to the gates of hell. I would like to point out that I think it is Pullman who manages to make me like that speech. Read it on it's own. It could not be any more bombastic if it tried. I would like to point out that that statement comes from someone pretentious enough to use the word bombastic.
The rest of the supporting cast fill their rolls admirably, and surprisingly enough you never feel that any of the cast are ever fighting for the screen. Unlike many 'modern' high effect movies (it was made way way back in 1996) the live action actors are never upstaged by what is happening around them, and here I think lies the true strength of this movie. If a viewer doesn't care about the people on the screen then they cannot connect with their plight enough to have any real suspension of disbelief. When you go to Alton Towers you know you're not going to fall out of The De-atomiser, or what ever attraction it is you chose to loosen your bowls: however, while you are riding it, there is still that fear, that adrenaline rush. You get that because you connect with the moment. In Independence Day you connect with the characters. You care about them and so you care about the fate of the world. It's because of this that all these years later the effects still bring a grin to your face.