Independence Day (1996) – Encore Review

“I picked a hell of a day to quit drinkin’. ” – Russel Casse

Number of Times Seen – at least 10 times (Theater in 1996, video, DVD, 23 Oct 2001, 10 Feb 2014 and 1 Aug 2016)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – The world is surprised when alien ships appear in the sky and everyone must try and figure out what their intentions are.

My Take on it – This is a film that I recall seeing in the theater on Opening Night and being amazed at how it looked and felt on the big screen.

I’ve seen it so many times since and have loved it each and every time, but there really is no substitute for seeing a film like this in a theatrical environment.

Looking back, this is one of the best Global disaster films of the 90’s because they got so much right.

The characters are created in a way that despite there being a lot of them to focus on, we quickly get the gist of who they are and can easily differentiate between them all.

This helps the viewer care whether each and every character will live or die and makes the film more watchable because we feel more of a connection to it.

The special effects and sound of this movie are amazing and despite a few frames that need 2016 touch-ups, it all looks quite realistic (which is the whole point of special effects in films).

The cast is superb with Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith leading a great list of actors/actresses here.

The musical score by David Arnold really hits all the right notes because the theme is able to expertly capture both the patriotic and emotional aspects of this film so well.

Not a film that needs much thinking, but despite being an all-out action/disaster movie, it’s a top film from the 90’s and still holds up twenty years later.

Bottom Line – Excellent Global disaster movie that is one of the best of the 90’s. The characters are developed well enough for us to want to care about them which is extremely important for a movie like this.  The cast is superb. The special effects and sound is done very well for the 90’s even though some of the effects don’t look as good 20 years on.  Amazing musical score by David Arnold really captures both the patriotic and the emotional aspects of the film.  Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia –  Director Roland Emmerich was notified one day that Robert Loggia was very upset and refusing to leave his trailer. Days earlier, producer Dean Devlin accidentally suggested to Loggia that he watch Airplane! (1980) for inspiration when he actually intended to suggest Airport (1970). Not familiar with either film, Loggia rented Airplane! and after watching it thought that he had unknowingly been participating in the production of a “spoof” movie. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (no change from original review)

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