Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely First-Rate Entertainment
Review: The word "entertainment" derives from the Greek work "entrata" which means "to hold" i.e., one's attention. Independence Day certainly succeeds in that regard. Some have criticized this movie for being shallow, but did anyone honestly enter the theater or rent the video expecting King Lear?The story has been done before, true, but never as spectacularly as it is here. The acting is fine, without overshadowing the story, particularly from Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Brent Spiner in a scene stealing supporting role. Since most will have already seen the movie, I'll address this DVD issue. Picture transfer and sound are of demonstration quality. The movie comes with a French soundtrack. However, the added footage in the special edition is not dubbed into French, so subtitles have been provided for these scenes. The commentary track by Devlin and Emmerich was recorded two years ago for a laserdisc issue and appears again here. The other track by the special effects team was created for the DVD edition and gives much useful information for special effects enthusiasts. The movie is still superior in the theatrical edition. The added footage is of passing interest, but really feels like padding. The second disc is crammed with extras including various theatrical and television trailers, a documentary about the special effects, and an amusing "mockumentary" about the invasion. A must have DVD for popcorn movie enthusiasts.
Rating: 
Summary: A must own DVD set.........
Review: I have not seen this movie since it was in theatres in 1996 because I was waiting for the DVD. Now its here and its better than ever! The extra scenes, though nothing major, are entertaining to say the least. It is mostly character development along with a couple of funny scenes. The picture is beautiful and the THX sound is what it should have been in the theatre! Whether or not you enjoyed this film, this DVD edition is well worth the money. It is filled with lots of cool behind the scenes documentaries, including the Fox special wich aired just prior to the films release. I highly recommend this DVD special edition to any and everyone! The film itself may not be that spectacular when examined closely, but this is still a very nice DVD set to own! The film on its own gets three stars, but the DVD set gets four stars.
Rating:
Summary: A great popcorn movie, pretty good DVD
Review: My only problem with this movie is the same I had with Centropolis' last release Stargate. The branching technology doesn't work very well with older players. My Samsung DVD-907 is about a year old but jumps and skips everytime an extra scene is stuck in. Some of the scenes I really question why they were stuck in at all, like repeating several times that the boy is sick but not bothering to say from what. The supplimental disk has an excellent menu of the Area 51 hanger and includes 3 documentaries, and plenty of trailers. It would have been nice to see some storyboards, production art, merchandise, or even some UFO stuff but it's still cool. The commentary by Devlin and Emmerich is ok, but they start watching the movie a little too much leading to lengthy periods of silence. All in all it's a good set, but the Armageddon 2-DVD set is much better.
Rating:
Summary: DTS Would have Made it Complete
Review: I enjoyed ID4 on the big screen and recently purchased it for use on my home theatre system. The 5.1 mix is okay, the THX encoding helps, but the "low effects" during the big explosions (e.g. "The White House") lack earth-shaking feel. I heard more bass resonance from the Eagles - "Hell Freezes Over - DTS." True fans of ID4 will not be disappointed, but with so much on these disks, DTS encoding would have rocked. The surround effects are still present, but are not reached to their fullest potential for a movie of this type. The special edition is a value, but ID4 falls short of being the DVD that you want to astound your friends with when you show off your system, primarily due to "average" sound editing.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Sociological Observances
Review: ID4 was a fun event movie. A popcorn-muncher roller coaster kind of film. Not one that anyone should bother with thinking about too deeply. It is the cinematic equivalent of going on a ride at a carnival. Lots of show, but not too much else. That being said, what is interesting is how many people have had such strong differing responses to this movie. I've read several reviews condemning the film for Racial stereotypes, particularly Will Smith & Judd Hirsch. And yet in Israel the movie was praised for these exact same portrayals -- "Here we have a movie in which a Black man and a Jewish man save the world." In other nations of the Mid-East the film was condemned for that very same reason -- "Only in America would they dare to make a movie where a Black man and a Jewish man save the world." Several of those countries cut out as much of the Judaism elements as possible. Another bit of irony is the pro-smoking message in the movie. Cigars are regarded as a "victory dance." This is ironic because in Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich's previous feature, "Stargate," cigarettes are equated with death. Other bits of criticism seem unfair. In one of the reviews above, for example, the critic mentions how Will Smith just happened upon his girlfriend in the ruins of L.A. He missed the part where Smith told her he would meet her at the Air Force Base. The film shows her and a few other survivor going to the base, which was also destroyed. But Smith did know to go there & look. I still would like to know how Hirsch & Jeff Goldblum managed to drive from New York to D.C. in 5 hours, however. One great extra on the DVD is the alternate ending footage where Randy Quaid flies his Bi-Plane into battle against the Alien ship. The directors cut it because, among other reasons, they felt the sight of an old, outmoded plane flying among sophisticated F-18s & the alien fighters would be just too silly. An odd thought considering the rest of the film. I did, however, agree with the other reasons for changing it. I just wish they could have come to a decent compromise to keep that bi-plane in. I would also like to add, as much as I enjoyed this movie on DVD, the one I am really looking forward to is JAWS! Now there is a great Popcorn movie!
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD set, okay movie.
Review: The movie was dumb fun back in theatres, and I never gave it much thought afterwards. But seeing the special edition dual-disc DVD in the store made me jump at it. Most DVDs list widescreen and the trailer as their "extras." This one has a separate disc dedicated to them, and its chock full of neat stuff. I really liked having the choice between the theatrical and special edition(kind of like the Poison Ivy DVD where you could choose between R-rated and Unrated versions before viewing). The menus are animated with certain adapted scenes and audio clips from the movie, not just some single image like most DVDs. While the movie's not great(we all know that), it's still a good purchase to exploit the digital format.
Rating:
Summary: Believable? No! Fun? Yes!
Review: I watch and read science fiction for the fun of it. There is good sci-fi (based on sound scientific principles), and there's escapist sci-fi/fantasy (like Independence Day). While I am trained in the sciences myself, I enjoy the occasional side trip to escapist worlds and stories. It doesn't all have to make scientific sense for me all the time. OK, back to the show... If you have been off-planet or in a bomb shelter for the past four years and haven't had a chance to watch this show, here's the scoop. Military intelligence spots an incoming alien mother ship that releases several smaller satellite ships that take up station over key world cities. In the meantime, no one knows what to do or what to expect. In true Hollywood fashion, the only one who catches on to what is happening is the least likely person around -- a cable TV company techno-guru, who's former wife happens to be the President's press secretary. Well, Earth takes a beating before things come together for the underdog earthlings, but it all turns out for the best in the end. That sounds kind of snippy doesn't it! On the other hand, this film is amazing! There is tactile suspense, good character development, a great assemblage of talented actors (though Dr. Okin at Area 51 is not all that believable), and great visual candy. The special effects make this movie a great one to see. Sure there are gaping holes in the story. Sure there are silly scientific oversights. Sure there is a formulaic story underlying the whole affair, but, so what? It's great fun. Smith, Pullman, Goldblum and friends put on a great show. 5 stars for the fun of it. Totally watchable! Give it a try. Good action, good fun. Alan Holyoak
Rating:
Summary: Great film, problems with DVD version
Review: Regardless of the implausibilities and poor acting in this film, I have strangely found it thoroughly enthralling since the first time I saw it. I own the VHS and the DVD now, and the DVD was very sloppily put together. The ends of some scenes are almost cut off, and there is a point when they have a shot of Air Force One and the thing just pauses for a second -- unacceptable! Nevertheless, with a DD receiver and 5.1 channels w/ a decent TV, the city destruction sequence is...well, a semi-religious experience. Don't miss out!
Rating:
Summary: Great popcorn flick
Review: Come on people. It's a great popcorn flick to while away (and waste two hours). The special effects alone make it worth the effort. Yes, there are gaping holes in the plot and science. Chief amongst them is the connection between Jeff Goldblum's computer and the mother ship. We can't usually connect two Earth laptops on the same platform. And assuming Jeff could connect with the alien network don't you think they'd have Norton Antivirus 3000? Ah well, kick back, pop in the DVD with 5.1, grab the popcorn and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome special effects
Review: I love this movie. this is a sci-fi film and total action from beginning to end. sometimes it is good to see a show with no-brainer. just sit back and enjoy the action kind of show.
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