Still as optimistic and inspiring as it was in 1996

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2012)

I was 14 when Independence Day came out in 1996. Being a boy, into war games and sci-fi, it is perhaps no surprise that I loved it and went to see it about five times at the movies (no small achievement when you're a kid with hardly any money). At the time it was to me, the perfect movie. It had a great storyline, non-stop action, humor and incredible special effects. The love interest stuff went over my head of course.
Fast forward to today - July 2012. I am much older, and hopefully (?) much wiser. I've seen loads and loads of films since Independence Day. My tastes have become more sophisticated and I know much more about how films are made and why they made in the way they are. I've also become much more cynical about movies - unfortunately - and I guess that is somewhat inevitable with age.
Independence Day was on TV the other night and I thought 'what the hell - I'll watch it again.' I was a bit wary of doing this because I was fairly sure that I would hate it. I would be embarrassed that I liked it as a 14 year old. This has already happened to me with other movies I've watched as an adult that I loved as a child. But I loved this movie so much that I wanted to give it a chance. Maybe at 29 I would still enjoy it as I did 15 years ago.
By the time I had finished watching it I felt like I was 14 again. I was optimistic and hopeful about the human race - again. Screw the Global Financial Crisis - we can beat it! Yeah climate change is a big worry - but we can beat that too! Yeah! And I'm not joking either. I felt so good after watching this movie that it felt like I'd been injected with a shot with Anthony Robbin's personality.
How does a popcorn flick like Independence Day do this?
Yes, I liked the humor, especially Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsh. Yes the special effects stand up pretty well. The pacing is pretty much perfect. The script isn't amazing but there is some good dialogue in there. Even the president's speech wasn't as corny as I remember.
The reason I think Independence Day is such a great movie is that it is imbued with a sense of optimism about mankind. I don't think it's forced either. Movies are a reflection on the politics and history they are produced in. Independence Day was made in 1996, a time where the world was generally at peace and hopeful and optimistic about the future.
It is hard not to get carried along with the confidence and optimism in Independence Day. My cynic turned off after about 30 minutes and by the end I was cheering along with everyone else. Maybe harder. It feels like it's been so long since there has been any news in the world to be positive about.
In 2012 the world has changed a lot from 1996. America is no longer the superpower it was then. 9/11 and terrorism still cast a shadow. Most of the world is in recession. Climate change is becoming a reality. Some think it could get worse. There isn't a great sense of optimism at the moment.
Watching Independence Day again renewed my hope in mankind, like many great movies do. The cynic in me wanted to laugh at the idea of the world uniting together, mock the idea of Israelis and Syrians fighting side by side, and ridicule out of a crop duster pilot giving up his life to take out a city sized alien space ship. But the 14 year old inside me won out - that idealism and optimism was still there - thankfully.
I can't wait until movies like this are made again. That will mean that we are again moving forward with a sense of optimism and confidence about the future. And Hollywood movies will begin to reflect that. Maybe we will work out how to beat climate change. Or maybe the world economy will start booming again. There is a lot to look forward to. Great films help us rediscover our sense of optimism about the future. And Independence Day, for all its flaws, is one of them.