It Just Doesn't Get Any Worse Than This

Rating: 1/10 (26 May 2004)

Before he became an over-inflated egotist, Will Smith was actually a likable guy. He was a fairly talented young rapper (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince) and a gifted, comedic television actor ("The Fresh Prince"). It wasn't until he started starring in trash like "Independence Day" that his welcome began wearing thin. "Independence Day" does nothing to redeem Will Smith. In fact, 1998's bomb did more to reinforce the notion that Will Smith should have remained in television rather than going into motion pictures.
But I can't pick on Will Smith for this mess alone: remember, it takes a village. In the case of "Independence Day", it took many months of pre-publicity and advertising to pitch this bloated, idiotic, absurd story to audiences. It worked, given the fact that its opening weekend grossed an astounding $36.1 million at the box office. But just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good. ("Independence Day flopped with critics.)
Essentially a poor remake of H.G. Welles' "War of the Worlds", "Independence Day" offers the same story line with a few modern twists and variations on the original storyline. Yes, Roland Emmerich's version contains ground-breaking special effects--visuals that defied existing technologies at the time, rightfully winning awards for their breakthrough brilliance. But you get a much stronger remake of "War of the Worlds" with M. Night Shyamalan's far superior "Signs"--also loosely based on the original tale--sans the spectacular effects. Why? Because "Signs" gave us characters to actually care about and a claustrophobically atmospheric screenplay soaked in mystery and suspense. "Independence Day" merely assumes we are even the least bit interested in its characters and could care less about plausible plot development.
By the time Will Smith and company take the helm near the end of this wreck, we are asked to believe they can figure out the same alien technology attacking the earth to stop the invasion. I didn't buy it. Neither should you.
Leave "Independence Day" on the shelf where it belongs.