Corny, over-the-top space invasion film which is agreeably entertaining if you disengage the brain.

Rating: 6/10 (11 March 2007)

The most curious thing about Independence Day is that it is structured very much like a disaster movie of the 1970s. For about an hour or so, disparate characters from varied walks of life are sketched in, then the big cataclysm takes place which draws them all together in a struggle for survival. This is exactly how films like Airport, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake and The Towering Inferno were put together. The interesting slant with Independence Day is that it takes this 1970s disaster movie formula and fuses it with a genre that was at its most popular in the 1950s  the alien invasion story. With a mega budget, a cast of hundreds and state-of-the-art special effects, Independence Day is a box office juggernaut that brings out the best and worst of Hollywood movie-making. Corny, over-the-top and jingoistic one moment; exciting, entertaining and spectacular the next.
A number of massive spaceships appear above several major cities around the world. Worldwide hysteria follows, with some people welcoming the extra terrestrial visitors with open arms while others fear that the end of life as we know it is imminent. American President Thomas J Whitmore (Bill Pullman) tries to keep everyone calm, promising to take a sensible and communicative approach towards the newcomers. Meanwhile, scientist David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) breaks a code emanating from the alien spacecrafts and realises that they are co-ordinating an attack against the Earth. In a cataclysmic offensive, the great cities of the world are decimated by the aliens  the Empire State Building, the White House, airports, air bases, and city blocks are reduced to rubble during the systematic destruction. Ace US Air Force pilot Steven Hiller (Will Smith) somehow survives a mid-air duel against an alien craft, and soon afterwards seeks refuge in the top-secret desert base Area 51. Here Hiller joins forces with Levinson, President Whitmore, and various others, and together they plan one final desperate roll of the dice in their bid to save the planet from the seemingly unstoppable invaders.
It's simple to get carried away with Independence Day, especially when viewing it on the big screen. The epic scenes of destruction are done with such enthusiasm that it becomes very easy to sit back awestruck, enjoying the mindless spectacle of it all. (From a post-9/11 viewpoint, though, it's not quite such harmless fun to watch American landmarks crumbling to the ground). If you watch the film again afterwards, particularly on the small screen, some of its shortcomings are much more apparent. Things like the hopeless dialogue, the endless clichés, the non-stop jingoism surrounding American courage and ingenuity, and the largely wooden performances are a lot easier to spot second/third/fourth time around. But director Roland Emmerich is clearly having a great time with the cornball scenario - and during many sequences you can almost imagine him just to the left of the screen, rubbing his hands with glee and delighting in the sheer technical bravura of his simulated world destruction. It might be advisable to leave your brain in neutral.. but if you do just that, Independence Day hits the spot as exciting, escapist fun.