A sad commentary on the insecurity of a nation.

Rating: 1/10 (5 July 2000)

This piece of tripe was one of the worst and most offensive movies I have ever seen. 0 out of 10. Negative numbers, even. Was there one, single original idea in the whole film? Not that I could spot. The aliens were a bald faced copy of H.R. Giger's "Alien." Their fighter craft were knockoffs of those used in "War Of The Worlds", released more than 40 years prior. The idea that a computer virus could be used to defeat an alien technology millions of times more advanced than our own is insulting to anyone with half a brain. It's been done, and the idea comes off as badly here as before. (Read "3001: Final Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke.)
These points alone aren't enough to ruin a movie completely; they merely add to the ridiculousness of it in this case. When ID was released, I read an article in Time magazine that talked about the psychology behind the movie. At the time, the United States had run out of Enemies. The Soviet Union wasn't a threat anymore, and the Middle East had already been pounded into submission during the Gulf War. There was no one for us to pick on, to show our overwhelming superiority to. Sensing the void, Hollywood created a new enemy in the race of planet conquering aliens seen in this film. And they made that enemy seem so invincible that it's all the more remarkable in the end when the macho Americans are able to defeat them single-handedly. Yes, it is the good old USA that saves the day, all by itself. Wil Smith's machismo is nauseating. In a movie that doesn't take itself so seriously (Men In Black) this kind of acting is entertaining. But not here.
I am an American, and I take pride in America. But this movie exemplifies everything that is wrong with our outlook. We shouldn't have to build up our self esteem by pretending we are so superior, even to alien races who have conquered space. From a credibility standpoint, this is absurd. Like so many bad sci-fi movies, the producers never stopped to consider the unlikeliness of the scenario. Without going on a tirade about "alien paranoia"- that is, the belief that extra terrestrial life forms are always hostile and want to steal our planet- I'll just say this: to say that the "Melissa" or the "I Love You" virus would be effective against their technology would be like saying that a couple of guys armed with pea shooters could take out an entire Panzer tank division.
Don't waste your time with this. Watch an intelligent sci-fi movie, like "2001: A Space Odyssey", or "Contact." Films like that make you think; ID4 makes you want to sink back in the lazyboy, crack open another beer, and say "Hot dang, we kicked some alien a**!"