Very little excitement in this over-hyped blockbuster, and the poor humour doesn't help

Rating: 4/10 (28 August 2010)

Released in 1996, when I was just under ten years old, this sci-fi action blockbuster directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich turned out to be a massive hit. I remember seeing at least a bit of it probably shortly after it was released on video, but don't remember much about that. Within the past couple years, I've seen three films which Emmerich has made since this one, which are "The Patriot", "10,000 BC", and "The Day After Tomorrow". Of those three, "The Day After Tomorrow" was the only one I was impressed with at all, though even that one certainly has its flaws and is hated by many. By the time I finally got around to watching "Independence Day", fourteen years after its release, I knew it was a popular blockbuster, but also knew that it was widely criticized and that Emmerich doesn't have the greatest reputation as a filmmaker. I thought that as popular as the movie was, there was a good chance I wouldn't like it, but obviously had no way of knowing for sure. However, after watching it, it's not too surprising that I find myself joining the naysaying crowd.
In the United States of America, it is very close to Independence Day when it is discovered that mysterious giant objects are headed towards Earth! It is believed that these are meteors, but not for long, as it is soon clear that they are actually spaceships! A New York City cable worker named David Levinson discovers satellite transmissions which seem to indicate a countdown to an alien attack! He goes with his father, Julius to warn U.S. President Thomas J. Whitmore about this planned attack, and the president orders an evacuation of the cities the intruders are targeting, but it's too late. It isn't long at all before the countdown ends and major cities around the world, including three American ones (New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C), are destroyed by hovering spaceships which blast them with destructive beams! It is now up to the survivors to defeat these evil aliens and save their planet. Whitmore, who escaped with family and staff members from the capital of the United States just in time before the city was obliterated, heads to Area 51, where it is said that a seized alien spacecraft is being kept (something he had never been told before), and must work with others to prevent the end of humanity!
This 1996 blockbuster suffers from the quality of the characters, plus the performances from the cast members who play them. None of them stand out as really good here, with a very unimpressive performance from Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore, and a number of other bland performances. Randy Quaid is worse than most of the others, playing alcoholic Russell Casse, and so are the ones who play his kids. Scenes with these characters can sure be annoying, with lines such as, "You don't want to die a virgin, do you?" I've only seen the special edition, featuring nine minutes of footage not included in the original theatrical version of the movie. Apparently, the Casses are not featured as much in the original version, and that certainly doesn't sound like a bad thing to me, but unfortunately, these characters are not the film's only problem. In addition to the problems with the characters and those who play them, I also didn't find much excitement while watching this film, as much as I know so many others have. I found SOME excitement, but very little. I also didn't care much for the story, in which we barely ever see these evil aliens, nor do we ever get to know much about them. With all the problems I found with "Independence Day", I found it to be tedious and usually boring, and I doubt seeing nine minutes less would have made much of a difference. There are parts that I could tell are supposed to be funny, but none of them made me laugh, so I can't say anything for the film's humour, either. Since this is a high budget modern blockbuster, it's no surprise that the visuals are great, but that's not enough to make a good movie.
Shortly after watching the special edition, I thought about watching the original theatrical version before reviewing the film. (One might find it hard to believe I've never seen that version!) However, I decided not to do that. It is nine minutes shorter than the special edition, but if that's the only difference, I really don't think it's worth sacrificing another two hours or so of my life watching it. Maybe the extended version I saw features some restored scenes which the film is better off without, and that might mean that the version people saw in theatres is a BIT better, but I was unimpressed with a lot more than just nine minutes of what I saw! MAYBE it would rise to a 5/10 for me if I saw the original, but that wouldn't be enough. Many viewers consider "Independence Day" an entertaining blockbuster, and I certainly don't look down on them for that, but personally, I can't imagine myself ever actually liking it. Since there were several months in between my viewing of "The Day After Tomorrow" and my viewing of this 1996 film from Roland Emmerich, I'm not sure how to compare them (though they do have similar flaws), but for some reason, I found more suspense in the 2004 release. If you like "Independence Day" for any reason, that's great, just don't expect me have the same opinion.