Independence Day

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2005)

This was one of the highest grossing films of 1996, it made breakthroughs with special effects, and is still remembered as one of the greatest disaster movies of all time, directed by Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, White House Down. Basically on July 2nd, communication systems worldwide are sent into chaos by atmospheric interference, caused by an enormous alien mother ship, it deploys large objects that approach Earth, they are alien spacecrafts, spreading to major cities across the world. MIT-trained satellite technician David 'Dave' Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) has discovered a signal embedded in the global satellite transmissions, he determines it is a timer counting down to a coordinated attack. President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) orders the evacuation of New York City, Los Angeles and Washington D.C., but the countdown ends and the ships activate, blasting energy weapons and destroying large cities, and killing millions of people. On July 3rd, Whitmore, Levinson, his father Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch), General William Grey (Robert Loggia) and other White House staff has escaped the devastation, an aviation force is sent to counter-attack an alien ship, Captain 'Steve' Hiller (Will Smith) is among the pilots fighting, but the attack is unsuccessful, as the alien spaceships, and smaller pilot ships, are protected by a force field. Whitmore and everyone on Air Force One are taken to Area 51, Nevada, where evidence of the aliens attacking Earth has been kept secret, eccentric scientist Brackish Okun (Star Trek: The Next Generation's Brent Spiner) leads the project, and shows them a recovered alien pilot ship, and deceased alien lifeforms. Hiller crash landed following the counter-attack, and subdues an injured alien pilot, the unconscious alien is taken to Area 51 where Dr. Okun and his team operate, but it regains consciousness and attacks, it uses Okun's body to communicate telepathically and speak, before attempting a psychic attack on Whitmore, it is shot dead, Okun is left in a coma. Whitmore orders a nuclear attack on the ship positioned over Houston, but the ship remains intact, Hiller meanwhile takes a helicopter to search El Toro for his girlfriend Jasmine Dubrow (Vivica A. Fox) and her son Dylan (Ross Bagley), he finds a group of other survivors, including First Lady Marilyn Whitmore (Mary McDonnell), who later dies of her fatal injuries. On July 4, Levinson demonstrates that the alien force fields can be deactivated by uploading a computer virus, he suggests entering the mother ship to upload a virus into all alien ships, disabling all force fields, and plant a nuclear bomb on board, Hiller volunteers to pilot the attacker, with Levinson joining him. While Whitmore joins the aerial battle of military pilots and volunteers with flight experience, including alcoholic crop duster Russell Casse (Randy Quaid), to destroy the ship above Area 51, Hiller and Levinson infiltrate the alien mother ship, the virus is uploaded, all shields are disabled, but missiles are exhausted attacking fighters and causing minimal damage to the outside of the ship. In the end, Casse unable to fire his one remaining missile sacrifices himself, flying into the energy weapon as it fires, causing the ship to explode, and Hiller and Levinson activate the nuclear weapon, the mother ship is destroyed as they narrowly escape, humankind rejoices their survival and watch the mother ship burn up in the atmosphere, it resembles a firework display. Also starring Margaret Colin as Constance Spano, James Rebhorn as Albert Nimzicki, Mrs. Doubtfire's Harvey Fierstein as Marty Gilbert, Adam Baldwin as Major Mitchell, Donnie Darko's James Duval as Miguel Casse, Mrs. Doubtfire's Lisa Jakub as Alicia Casse, Mae Whitman as Patricia Whitmore and Harry Connick Jr. as Captain Jimmy Wilder. Then Fresh Prince Smith is fantastic as the wise-cracking fighter pilot and became a massive movie star, Goldblum gives a great variation on his Jurassic Park boffin role, Pullman is a good straight-faced President, and the supporting cast all get their moments as well. I agree with critics that it is a very Americanised movie, the rest of the world is targeted but hardly seen, the Yanks are ultimately representing everyone, but it doesn't matter, the big draw of the film is the brilliant special effects, seeing city-size alien spaceships covering the world in shadow, and blowing up the Empire State Building, the White House and the big cities with huge explosions, it doesn't matter how many times you watch, it is a highly entertaining science-fiction adventure. It won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, and it was nominated for Best Sound, and it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Special Visual Effects and Best Sound. Will Smith was number 51 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and the film was number 47 on The Ultimate Film. Very good!