The Ultimate Summer Action Movie...Period.

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2010)

This is it. The penultimate summer action movie. Car's don't explode, they fly 50 feet away. Buildings don't fall down, they get incinerated. And if that's not enough, New York doesn't just get busted up, it gets leveled...along with every other major city in the world.
There's only one guy ballsy enough to make this movie, and that's Roland Emmerich. "Big" just doesn't cut it. Nor does "epic," for that matter. You have to at least admire a guy that completely skips on the kitchen sink and instead throws in New York, Los Angeles, The Presidency, and a space ship that's a quarter the size of our moon. Now THAT'S what I'm talking' about!
Of course, it helps tremendously that "Independence Day" is immensely entertaining. The action, of which there is plenty, is exciting, and there are more one-liners than there are fingers and toes of you and the person sitting next to you. And, oh yeah, don't forget the creepy aliens.
Anyway, the story stars on July 3, when radar picks up a signal coming from the moon. Then, after introducing us to the surprisingly vast array of characters, the alien ships show up. And they're not looking to become your next door neighbor. So after causing massive destruction, a few stragglers gather together to bring them down.
Yes, that's vastly oversimplifying things. But for a movie that has so much going on, it accomplishes everything it sets out to do: provide eye-popping action, and a good few laughs along the way. Nothing seems to be left out, and there aren't any glaring mistakes.
The cast is made up of a few well known faces and a surprising amount of character actors. All of them do their job extremely well. Of them, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman can be considered the "main" characters. Will Smith is one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood, and it's not hard to see why. He has more range than is often recognized, and his screen appeal is undeniable. He also has considerable comic skill (after all, he was the star of one of the funniest sitcoms ever on TV). His performance as fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller is among his best performances. Jeff Goldblum is once again playing a geek, but unlike "Jurassic Park," Goldblum's David Levinson is not an egotistical jerk. He has solid chemistry with his co-stars, specifically Smith, and his father, Julius (well-played by Judd Hirsch). Bill Pullman is the weakest of the three, although that's hardly a damning statement. He acquits himself well enough amidst the surrounding talent, and never fades into the background (which he has done in other roles). The smaller roles are made up of recognizable faces, including Randy Quaid as an alcoholic pilot (played with the off-the-wall panache that only Randy Quaid can give), Mary McDonnell as the First Lady, Robert Loggia as a general, Vivica A. Fox as Hiller's stripper girlfriend, Margaret Colin as a Presidential aide (and David's ex). Cameos by Harvey Fierstein as David's co-worker and Brent Spiner as an off-the-wall scientist are also good. But special mention has to go to Harry Connick, Jr. as Jimmy Wilder, Hiller's best friend. Connick is electrifying, and often steals scenes from Smith (something that is quite difficult).
This is summer fun, and Emmerich knows this. There's never a moment where it takes itself very seriously (even though there are a few times where the opportunity arises). Critics weren't very approving of this movie, and you know what? It doesn't matter. This is not an artistic movie of any sort. It's plain and simply entertaining.