Brilliantly Entertaining.

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2003)

I saw this movie when I was twelve and I remember I couldn't wait to see it. As a twelve year old it was the greatest film ever made. The mixture of aliens, explosions and Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum blowing up the mother ship all made up for my favorite film at a young age. While it may no longer hog the top spot (I have grown up a bit since then) the film is still a favorite of mine, owning it on video and DVD and I still find it great fun to watch. Okay, okay, so the American patriotism is a little overdone at the end, but Jeff Goldblum is great value for money, especially when playing the cocky scientist who is destined to be right and mixing it up with a cockier Will Smith this has the basis to be a fun film which it is.
While the special effects are what the film relies on the most, it is the affectionate tribute to the many genres that inspired Emmerich and Devlin that makes this a joy to watch. Clearly in love with alien invasion films and disaster films from the 50's and 70's, they have ever cliche in the book thrown into the film, from the frightening, although fantastically done, alien attack that sees some of the most famous landmarks in America being blown up, through to the self sacrifice of a character through to the death of many a loved one who are merely one dimensional characters who serve no purpose other than to be killed and cause a gamut of emotions, Emmerich and Devlin have done their job well. The film is affectionate to the genre's it is paying tribute to and in doing so they have created one of the most entertaining Hollywood blockbusters in many a year. While the film would seem to have a lot in common more with a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay collaboration (explosions, explosions and some more explosions), they do in a less excessive mode and in doing so do create some funny and moving character moments. Goldblum and Judd Hirsch have some fantastic scenes together, while Bill Pullman's president having to watch his wife die is genuinely sad, never have the word sleeping seem so weepy.
It is the action scenes where this film comes to life and boy does Emmerich know how to put on a good show. From the aforementioned attack scene to the the retaliation of human kind, the film is a fast paced fun ride that never lets up and never has a dull moment. It may be corny and it may be a film made for twelve year old boys, but seven years have passed since the film was released and I'm going to admit it. I still love it.