Only in Hollywood would a nerd and a fighter pilot be our last best hope

Rating: 7/10 (22 June 2016)

Watching "Independence Day" takes me back to that fateful day in early 1996. I saw the trailer right before "Broken Arrow" and that image of a wall of fire and debris coming toward the screen blew my 15 year-old mind . Some serious seeds were sown that day. So I guess I've got a soft spot for this movie even to this day. Even now, those fireballs are still pretty awesome, and even after seeing this as much as I have, I still get caught up in it.
To me, "Independence Day" is synonymous with huge effects spectacle, at least in terms of Summer escapism. In a way, the movie really embodies it. Sure, we've had billion-dollar grossers since then, but can any of those movies really compare? None of them scream the July 4th holiday like this one, even while famous D.C. landmarks are decimated. I dare say that this has become synonymous with the idea of tentpole Summer titles, and even ingrained as a patriotic movie.
Bottom line, it's the assured direction and across-the-board likability of the cast that makes this so watchable. I love the dogfights, and to this day, Bill Pullman's speech is rousing, to say the least. As cliché-ridden as this is, it's very well packaged.
7/10