space (I believe in)

Rating: 2/10 (21 November 2003)

One of the biggest hits of the year 1996 (especially in the USA) but certainly not one of the finest science-fiction movies ever made.
The sole advantage of the movie rests in the special effects that are really impressive (the gigantic spacecraft). But the assets of Roland Emmerich's movie stop here.
Then, "Independence day" accumulates the faults that damages the interest of the movie. First of all, "Independence day" wavers constantly between the science-fiction but also the disaster film. But the main problem of the movie is definitely the script. It's a weak and ridiculous script that alternates borrowings: "Alien" (the physical appearance of the extraterrestrials), "Star Wars" (the pursuit between the flying saucer and Will Smith's plane), "the day the Earth stood still" (1951) and homages: "War of the worlds", 2001: a space odyssey" (when Jeff Goldblum turns on his portable computer, this is "HAL 9000" that appears on the screen!). In the long run, the movie's got nearly nothing new and it easily falls into the stereotypes of science-fiction. It's hackneyed and not inventive at all.
This is also a movie spoiled by an atrocious performance of nearly all the actors, especially the minor roles. Moreover Roland Emmerich's crew wanted to introduce humor so as to avoid to tell too seriously the story. A good idea but the humor doesn't fly high and it's sometimes very crude.
An average and pretentious movie.