1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Independence Day

#953- Independence Day (1996)
Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
Directed by: Roland Emmerich


Plot Summary: An alien spacecraft lands on earth, creating mixed emotions within the population. While many hope that the aliens are peaceful, others are preparing for an alien invasion. The aliens prove to be hostile and attack the world's biggest cities in an attempt of a takeover. Now, on July 4th, the fate of the world lies in the hands of David Levinson, a computer expert working as a cable technician, Captain Steven Hiller, a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and Thomas J. Whitmore, the President of the United States.

When Independence Day came out, it was a BIG deal. The marketing campaign gave us one of the most shocking images to pull us into the movie theater, with an alien spaceship blowing up the White House. When people flocked to see it, the movie became a big blockbuster success, and has since become a pop culture success through the inclusion of big name actors like Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. With the news of a sequel to Independence Day in the works, and it being the 4th of July, I thought I'd look at Independence Day to see how it fares as a '90s sci-fi movie.

Probably the biggest highlight of Independence Day is Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller. I feel like Independence Day is the film that launched Will Smith as a leading man in Hollywood. This is one of Smith's ideal roles, as Hiller is able to be serious when he needs to be, but also has Smith's brand of charm and humor. Hiller gets a lot of good one-liners and catchphrases, even when he's talking to himself. These lines could have been disastrous if in the wrong hands, but with Smith, he is able to make the lines sound cool through his natural charisma. There's something very relatable about Hiller because, even though he's a Marine Corps fighter pilot, he's written to represent the every man and what lengths we would go to survive the alien attack.

Bill Pullman plays President Thomas J. Whitmore. Whitmore is one of the most clichéd of movie presidents, but Pullman plays him very straight. Everything that Whitmore says, he believes, which makes the audience very interested in his actions and words. He gives one of the best, and over the top, speeches in film history when he speaks to all the troops preparing to fight the aliens. It's a surprisingly good motivational speech and it is one of my favorite moments in the film. However, Whitmore is responsible for one of the film's goofiest moments when he, the President of the United States, flies with the troops to fight the aliens. While it is definitely cheesy, it is good for his character, because it shows what lengths Whitmore will go to ensure the safety of the planet.

David Levinson is played by Jeff Goldblum. I won't waste anyone's time by ranting about Jeff Goldblum's stereotype acting (I refer you to my review of Jurassic Park to see what I mean by that). I will say that Goldblum does try to add drama to what he says, but he goes a little too high on the dramatic, and it comes off as comedic. Although, based on some of his previous roles, I can believe Goldblum in the role as a quirky computer genius. Levinson doesn't have the biggest string of support in who he is and what he does from his father and ex-wife, but Goldblum plays him with a self-confidence in his skills and very heroic, as he knows what he needs to do to help save the world. What's great about Levinson is that he is a very under-appreciated character among the rest of the film's characters, making his actions towards the end of the film, where he uses his skills to figure out how to stop the aliens from taking over, all the more impressive to everyone else.

My biggest complaint with the movie is that it is a very safe movie. There are no shocking plot twists or interesting character development. Everything that happens is what you would expect to happen, and while that isn't bad, I was hoping for a little more depth. The aliens don't feel like actual characters, but instead, are just there to fill the "we need a race of aliens to invade" spot. The supporting characters are not characters, but are stereotypes instead, most notably a redneck stereotype, a gay stereotype and a Jewish stereotype (no offense intended on my part). I don't know if Roland Emmerich thought that would make them more relatable, but I find it to be very lazy character writing. However, the characters do have their entertaining moments, and I do feel like Independence Day is a fun movie, if you are able to go along with the motions, like the film itself is doing.


Rating:  3 out of 5 stars.

While it isn't groundbreaking in its plot or characters, Independence Day was a pop culture phenomenon and one of the biggest science fiction films of the '90s. Highlighted by entertaining performances from its three main actors, I recommend that everyone should see it at least once, particularly on the 4th of July.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review 

Independence Day and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox