Some good special effects and scenes, overall a hollow effort...

Rating: 4/10 (2 April 1999)

Several good reviews ("John" and anonymous on the Spanish conquest of the Americas), but all generally say the same thing: Great effects, so-so to lousy film. The characters here were poorly drawn, the American flag-waving a little excessive, Bill Pullman gives one of the WORST "rally 'round the flag" speeches ever (he should see Kenneth Branagh's St. Crispin's passage in "Henry V"), and a severe drop-off in the second half of the film. This could have been a great one...I was also struck by how incongruous a couple Pullman and Mary McDonnell were. And, I was amused by the thought that if all exotic dancers were as attractive AND resourceful as Viveca Fox, the question of who will be the nation's first female presidential candidate is resolved. Oh, well...what happened to the sense of discovery or wonder that infused the early SciFi films of the 50s and 60s, where real questions about progress and humanity were raised? I must say that "Independence Day" is a poor effort even in comparison to "The Day the Earth Stood Still" or "Fantastic Planet". A "4" out of "10".