Storytelling par excellence

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2002)

I STILL rank this as top-grade storytelling. In fact I think this is one of the few films I've seen where practically all the main characters (including the females) sound like a group of top-class well-trained professionals trying to work out a complex (if admittedly unusual) situation without all instantly jumping to the stock drama textbook conclusion.
In case you haven't heard how the idea came about, the story goes that Roland Emmerich was giving a press conference in Europe for his film STARGATE when a reporter asked if he believed in UFOs. He said he didn't, but went on to say that if a whole heap of spaceships appeared over Earth's cities, it would cause a lot of people to really sit up and think. Thus the idea for the story was born.
One of the things that attracts me to this movie is the little details that give the story a personality. One of my favorites is the newscaster who says "LA residents are warned not to fire their guns at the spaceship, as it may cause an interstellar incident". It shows personality, sounds authentic, and is very ironic considering what happens afterward. And how many standard sci-fi films would have their characters accidentally back the spacecraft up while trying to take off? It's story moments like that which make the difference between a good movie and a great one. Most of the more critically-acclaimed and lower budget films don't have stuff like that (they usually can't afford to). This is when the characters sound like they give a hoot, and not like they're just brainlessly following the script. (Yes, alright; I know they REALLY are, but at least they don't sound like it!)
I think it's what attracted a lot of viewers to the movie and decided to reject the critics' overwhelming advice; which hadn't happened for quite awhile when this movie was released (and the critics are still resentful of that). I can remember on a current affairs TV show when a critic unusually came on and said; "This is the worst movie ever made! No-one should ever watch it!" (And the critics accuse the general public of being simplistic and unsophisticated?!?)
Still, I guess that sums up the eternal dilemma. Most film critics go to a movie to see how the film-maker presents themes and how well they live up to the abstract drama theory; whereas most members of the general public go to a movie to watch an entertaining story!