ID4ever will watch this movie

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 2010)

First impressions rarely let me down. Rarely.
Picture it, way back in 1996, Cine Capri in Phoenix, AZ, I first watched Independence Day andhated it. I went with two buddies, one of which said afterwards that it was realistic portrayal of the aliens. I said, "In movies? Or (pointing) up there?" He confirmed he meant from above. Sheesh. Eh, to each his/her own, but I didn't (at the time) find anything realistic about it.
It was the second time I saw this, however, that grabbed me and opened my eyes to the best big-budget-B-movie ever made up to that point. And that's exactly what it is: a B-Movie with a Budget. It took elements from practically every MST3k-mocked mid-20th Century alien invasion story, but added the element of excessive funds.
Further review of this movie, it also added hilarious lines, decent acting and state-of-the-art (EVEN by today's standards, 14 years later) special effects. So, you must know, this is the ultimate leave-your-brain at the door movie. Sit back and have a roaring time.
Impatient people do not have to wait long for the movie to kick-start what it's here for; the alien mother ship makes it's "Star Wars" entrance seconds into the feature and all hell breaks loose first in the US government, but then the world as smoky-fire clouds reveal the "baby" 15-mile-wide ships over the world.
Bam! Start the soap opera list of stars from various parts of the US. We've already met Constance (Colin) and President Whitmore (Pullman) in D.C. but then there's his First Lady Marilyn (McDonnell) in L.A. who shares the city with couple Steven (Smith) and Jasmine. NYC holds David (Goldlum) and Dad (Hirsch) – not to mention the hilarious Marty (Fierstein) who, instinctively cares for his mother and lawyer. For good measure, throw in crazy Russell (Quaid) who, not to really spoil anything, acts like Cartman from South Park episode one. There'll be more, but, I believe the movie revolves around this already extended cast.
Unlike most disaster/end-of-the-world films, this is the best cast ever assembled in this particular genre. Unfortunately, even though I really did like the actors and their characters and felt the chemistry was perfect, that statement isn't saying much. Take Director/Producer/Writer Emmerich, since he happened to direct this one. Three of his follow-ups had so many big names and so many disappointments that I hardly cared enough about them to mind if they perished prior to the big and clichéd finales. 2012, 1998's Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow were all sub-par to painful and each and every character was so one-dimensional and thoughtless, we lost a lot of what those movies were all about: hope.
Don't get me started on the other Emmerich comrade, Michael Bay, and his terrible list of both movies and assemble of way below average characters: Pearl Harbor, Transformers 1-2, The Island and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010.) (Personally, I didn't like Armageddon, but at least he had one-two worth rooting for in that disaster film.)
At any rate, I loved the characters in Independence Day, but the true stars of the film was the special effects and tongue-in-cheek dialogue. After you get to know the different personality and employments of the actors, the rest of the movie is a just plain roller-coaster of aliens trying to eliminate us, humans failing at eliminating them, an actually plausible and believable love story and, of course, the kick-ass, though obvious FIGHT-BACK finale that does NOT disappoint for a single second.
I'm a score-man. I love a beautiful and relevant instrumental background music track, and this movie's got a great one by David Arnold. It's not only action-packed and has elements of perfect Sci-Fi moments, but the number one quality it had was: HOPE. The movie centers around humans (FINALLY) banding together, putting way "petty differences" (LOVE THAT LINE) as spoken by the President in a great motivational and human speech, and the hope we have to survive. Truly, I love a score that through no spoken words, speaks tons for the movie, and mood, at hand.
I've already mentioned how I liked the cast, but I'd like to focus in on some of my favorites. Back in the mid-1990s, it was unquestionable that the summers belonged to WILL SMITH. Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, heck, even some unfortunate fools went to see Wild, Wild, West. Personally, I like when he actually acts and not just play "Will Smith" but here he's at the top of his "Hey, I'm Will Smith" game.
Further, I'm a fan of Jeff Goldblum, and you kinda have to be, to like him here. He's also playing his signature "Hey, I'm JeffuhuhGoldblum" role. He was hilarious, smart and I liked his true desire to use his talents to solve the little alien invasion problem.
Mixed these two together, meaning Goldbulm's David and Smith's Steven, finally, and towards the end of the movie, it was heaven. They played off each other; two complete strangers who could both bounce off each other with 100% separate personalities, but had extreme chemistry. You almost wonder what took the movie so long to get them together.
Finally, just plain see this movie, if you haven't already. It's extremely fun and even better on a big screen. In fact, this movie has been used in one of my long-standing arguments whenever I hear someone say "Oh, I'll just wait for video." Like Twister, Independence Day looks just, well, so small when you watch it on the television. Picture how threatening a 15-MILE-WIDE (TV Series) "V"-shaped ship hovers over the cities as seen in the movie theater and then do the same for a 7 inch spacecraft on your TV and tell me this one was "worth" the wait for video.