Plot
A group of intrepid humans attempts to save the Earth from vicious extraterrestrials in this extremely popular science-fiction adventure. Borrowing liberally from War of the Worlds, Aliens, and every sci-fi invasion film inbetween, director Roland Emmerich and producer and co-writer Dean Devlin present a visually slick, fast-paced adventure filled with expensive special effects and large-scale action sequences. The story begins with the approach of a series of massive spaceships, which many on Earth greet with open arms, looking forward to the first contact with alien life. Unfortunately, these extraterrestrials have not come in peace, and they unleash powerful weapons that destroy most of the world's major cities. Thrown into chaos, the survivors struggle to band together and put up a last-ditch resistance in order to save the human race. As this is a Hollywood film, this effort is led by a group of scrappy Americans, including a computer genius who had foreseen the alien's evil intent (Jeff Goldblum), a hot-shot jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). While some critics objected to the film's lack of originality and lapses in logic, the combination of grand visual spectacle and crowd-pleasing storytelling proved irresistible to audiences, resulting in an international smash hit. ~ Judd Blaise, RoviReview
A movie you either go with or completely resist, this cheerfully disreputable science fiction blockbuster actually has more in common with its '50s film brethren than many other modern films. Unlike the director's heavily dismissed follow-up effort Godzilla, Independence Day revels in its genre conventions and aliens-from-Mars clichés, not to mention its steadfast rah-rah patriotism that pervades throughout. Borrowing heavily from such films as Alien and especially Star Wars, the film has enough broad performance style and overheated exchanges to fit in nicely with the films it semi-parodies. In fact, at times, it almost feels like a product of Cold War paranoia, especially in designing its alien invaders as predators before we even get to know who they are. Director Roland Emmerich pulls out all the stops, and even if it's not to everyone's liking, you can't blame the guy for trying. An Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects, and part of the $300 million-plus box office club, though it's one of those blockbusters that has as many detractors as admirers.~ Jason Clark, Rovi
Cast
- Will Smith - Capt. Steven Hiller
- Bill Pullman - President Thomas J. Whitmore
- Jeff Goldblum - David Levinson
- Mary McDonnell - Marilyn Whitmore
- Judd Hirsch - Julius Levinson
Credit
Peter Winther - Associate Producer, Wendy Kurtzman - Casting, Joseph Porro - Costume Designer, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan - First Assistant Director, Roland Emmerich - Director, Dean Devlin - Second Unit Director, David Brenner - Editor, Roland Emmerich - Executive Producer, Ute Emmerich - Executive Producer, William Fay - Executive Producer, David Arnold - Composer (Music Score), Michael F. Blake - Makeup, Katalin Elek - Makeup, Craig Smith - Makeup, Peter Jochen Krause - Camera Operator, Oliver Scholl - Production Designer, Patrick Tatopoulos - Production Designer, Karl Walter Lindenlaub - Cinematographer, Dean Devlin - Producer, Jim Erickson - Set Designer, Sean Haworth - Set Designer, Mick Curkurs - Set Designer, Pamela Klamer - Set Designer, Julia Levine - Set Designer, Jeff Wexler - Sound/Sound Designer, Chris Carpenter - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Bucossi - Stunts, Norman Douglass - Stunts, Chris Howell - Stunts, Tom Morga - Stunts, Rick Barker - Stunts, Gilbert Combs - Stunts, Frank Ferrara - Stunts, Jery Hewitt - Stunts, Ray Lykins - Stunts, Eddie Matthews - Stunts, Allan Graf - Stunts, Doug Coleman - Stunts, Gary Charles Davis - Stunts, Dana Hee - Stunts, Dan Bradley - Stunts Coordinator, Douglas Hans Smith - Special Effects Supervisor, Dean Devlin - Screenwriter, Roland Emmerich - Screenwriter, Josh Rose - Digital Effects, Bob Beemer - Re-Recording Mixer, Volker Engel - Visual Effects, Joseph Viscocil - Visual Effects| Independence Day (1976 Film), Independence Day (1983 Film) | |
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