Well, It Could Have Been Worse

Rating: 7/10 (16 April 2013)

Welcome to WillyT Reviews. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and aliens. Now that's a recipe for success. Independence day takes place over a three day period and between those three days the world's population is reduced to basically nothing after a wave of aliens attack. Bill Pullman plays the President and he is probably my favorite portrayal of a US president on film. Jeff Goldblum knocks it out of the park again as the smartest man on Earth. Then there is Will Smith who matures from The Fresh Prince to a pilot in the army and even though he is playing a role with more seriousness but still has his wit and comedic charm. There is a lot to talk about with this movie but my limit is 1000 words, here we go.
The opening scene, if you have followed my reviews recently I talk a lot about the opening scenes and other than the cliché REM song "It's The End of the World as We Know It" the movie zoned me in right away. It starts on the moon and the spaceships just hover over and descend towards Earth. I feel like the movie kind of jumped into it and had very little character development in the beginning but they made up for it in the middle and end. The ships fly over major cities all over the world and the first act concludes with the destruction of cities and the death of millions.
Like I said earlier I love the characters and how they develop in the film, especially the president. Bill Pullman starts out as an unpopular President who has made poor decisions in the past. As disaster strikes he grows a backbone and becomes a strong leader. His little speech about Independence Day was really inspirational. It was a little cheesy but it did its job and I liked it. Jeff Goldblum learns how to love again and he becomes a stronger person and a better man. Will Smith grows up in a way and his dream comes true. It's a little weird but the destruction of Earth and the almost extinction of humanity was kind of a good thing for these people. In a way it makes the world stronger and one can assume what happens after the credits roll and my imagination went wild, which is never a bad thing.
My favorite character is David's Jewish uncle. I forget his name but he is hilarious and steals every scene he is a part of. Was his acting memorable or amazing, no, but I feel like the actor was just being himself and he did such a fluent job that reflected on screen. His lines fit well and are smart at the same time witty. Towards the end he is praying in a circle. He invites a man to join him, "I'm not Jewish" he says "Nobody's perfect." He responds. In the time of disaster and fear he still cracks a joke and made me smile. He was a perfect blend to the movie.
Let's talk about the aliens. Now I have a few problems with them. They look OK, a little unrealistic and silly but it could have been worse. I like how they use technology and communicate with each other but they have shields around their ships. That's cheating and makes it almost impossible to stop them. I thought it was lame and the movie could have worked without them, maybe even better. Finally, they have no reason for the attack. They literally go from planet to planet and kill everything. "They're like locusts." The President says after he actually communicates with them in my favorite scene. I wanted a better reason. After the buildup in the first act and half of the second act it made me think, wow that's it. That makes no sense. The aliens are so smart and are basically invulnerable but they make so many stupid mistakes. Watching the movie conclude I didn't really buy it. I was OK with the ending and I enjoyed it but it was not as good as I expected. I won't spoil the ending but it's not like War of The Worlds where they just die from the parasites and particles in the air. My feelings on that is for another time. When it comes to alien movies I have been let down so many times by the ending. Signs, War of the Worlds, and now Independence Day, out of those three movies this one had the best ending but I don't think it was enough because it wasn't realistic. Overall, Independence Day was a good movie with really good special effects. I could watch historic buildings all over the country being blown up and the wall of fire tearing cities apart all day long. The lead characters were strong, the acting wasn't terrific but it worked and they developed well. Side characters were fun and fit nicely, specifically the General and David's Uncle. The aliens were OK, foolish but still scary. The story was really good and presented well but had a disappointing ending. I see this movie on TV all the time and whenever it's on I can hop right in and watch it while still being entertained. It is a good movie to watch alone or with a group, it can be a background movie so I give Independence Day the Willyt Honorable Mention for its characters and their development, the awesome special effects and its entertainment value. WillyT out!