Independence Day, 1996

Independence day, 1996
Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnel

Independence day in short: The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy. Fighting superior technology, Man's best weapon is the will to survive.

Stage: Home TV selection on the 4th of July, Independence Day

Preps: I have seen this piece several times and I didn't mind seeing it again, as I think it's a classical USA memorandum to this day, uniting the minds.



Reality: The movie is again, no dissappointment. A classic, often presented on this very holiday. Has it all - national heroism, solid story, good guys winning over bad guys, a bit more humour than it is supposed to be in this kind. If there was a genre called 4th July classics, this would be it.
The cast is brilliantly chosen, Will Smith for the first time in a serious role - making him respected and well-known (if you remember, he was notorious for his Prince of Bel Air role or they used him as a "cute, but dumb" - for instance in Made in America with Whoopi Goldberg.).

Aliens taking over, humans (in this case again, US armed forces) win. Combining the luck with a historical equipment they win the battle of the battles and have a firecracker evening on this holiday. The speech that American president (Bill Pullman) gives, is solid proof of national concept and "God will give us the win if we believe hard enough". Inspiring and strong enough to make the crowd crazy. The scenes with Will Smith's spouse and the first lady are subtitled with some irony and showing appreciation to the "lower rase" that exists in US. The way Levinson and Hiller communicate, especially when implementing the virus on the mothership is truly witty - however, the implementation itself is as believable as Bruce Willis living in Armageddon.

Nevertheless, a true evening entertainment, a piece I love to see every now and then and can always be in the mood to watch.


One of the most creative dialogues between the two, fighting for the future of the Earth when discussing whether winning is at all an option:


David Levinson: You really think you can fly that thing?
Captain Steven Hiller: You really think you can do all that bullshit you just said?


My personal rating: 7,5 (a good one to choose for this holiday, cannot leave you really empty. Also a solid background if you are doing something else :)

Independence day on IMDB

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