Yes, it's Kind of Dumb and Cliché Ridden, But it Has Something Very Special

Rating: 8/10 (21 May 2013)

Some people might be surprised that I give this movie a star rating of 8. After all, everything the critics said about it is true: the story is a stupid one (honestly, if a race of creatures out there really were so advanced as to be able to make such long journeys through space, would they REALLY do so just to make war on us?), there is virtually NOTHING in it that has not been done already and usually by far superior films (WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, for example), and to describe the script as cliché-ridden is an understatement: it positively REVELS in clichés and trite old memes from low-rent Fifties invaders-from-outer-space trash. The plot has more holes than a Swiss cheese and the movie at times seems to be daring the viewer to keep watching.
Why, then, with all these faults, is this one of those films that whenever it comes on, I simply HAVE to sit down and enjoy? BECAUSE IT'S FUN.
Don't get me wrong; I love serious drama; I studied the works of Tennessee Williams for two years at University. But the director/writer team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin did not set out to make serious drama. They set out to ENTERTAIN, a goal that is equally as valid as the goal of most serious drama which is to elicit a certain emotional response. There is a place in the pantheon for movies made just for fun.
And entertain this film does, and it does it well. Thanks largely in part to a script that was positively audacious in its deliberate loading the film of every outdated sci-fi idea in the book, aided and abetted by an incredible cast. The people in this film are all utterly believable and ground the film in a way that lesser attention to the acting would not have done. There are even a couple of moments I choke up every time: President Whitmore's (Bill Pullman) rallying speech to the pilots on the airfield; the reunion of David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and Constance Spano (Margaret Colin); and most especially a quiet moment between David Levinson and his father Julius (Judd Hirsch, a particular favorite of mine) when the father looks at the son and says, "I'm very proud of you" that gets me every time: the father and son look at each other for just a moment, and so much is said in that moment.
Some folks reading this might think I just have a taste for really bad movies (and I won't deny that some movies I hold very dear are indeed VERY bad), but this is a film that knows what it's doing from the first frame to the last; a roller-coaster ride that is even more fun after you've seen it a few times.
Pass the popcorn and enjoy.