Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Sci-fi!
Review: One of the great sci-fi movies of our time, ID4 Independence Day is a roller-coaster ride of a movie. Action, Adventure, Humor, Romance, you name it this movie has got it. Anyone that thinks this movie stinks does not deserve the honor of being a movie fan. It is an excellent and powerful ride of a movie. It's even better widescreen
Rating:
Summary: This movie is great fun and it makes a good point!
Review: Sure, you can slam the writing but do we really want to see this move toned down just to make it more real to life? This movie has it all action, romance, aliens, space ships, jet fighters, nuclear bombs and great special effects! the heck with writing - if you want writing go read a book. If you want thrills, spills and good fun then this is your movie. Oh yes, the point that I feel this movie makes is that humans may not be the center of the universe (even though we think and act like we are) and if we keep blindly advertising our existance with radio waves etc. we just might attract a life form that is higher on the galactic food chain than we are and we had better be prepaired!
Rating: 
Summary: It Stank
Review: This movie epitomizes everything that's wrong with Hollywood moviemaking today. A ludicrous plot, stock characters, pathetic dialog and a host of other ills make it unsuitable for anyone with an intellectual age in excess of 12. END
Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: This was a great 90's science fiction movie. It had a detailed story line and smash-bang special effects. The cast was made up of several hip movie stars such as Will Smith and Bill Pullman. I especially liked the aerial battle scenes. They were da bomb. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a movie they can watch over and over and never tire of. END
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS
Review: The person or persons resposible for writting this film should be punished. If your going to make a serious a movie, then make a serious movie, if your going to make a comedy, make a comedy, don't mix them. You can do that with some films, but not the one because it does not cleary draw the line at where the seriousness begins and the comedy ends. What makes me even more mad is that I saw a critic on T.V. who said that it was THIS generations STAR WARS, this scum should never even look the way of STAR WARS. The special effects are the only thing that sold this poor excuse for a science fiction film, and to tell you the truth they weren't anything that SPECIAL. END
Rating:
Summary: A great up lifting movie.
Review: I really enjoyed this one. I saw it in the theater when it first came out and it had me cheering for the good old U.S.A Great affects, great acting, and has a few funny scenes in it. A must see for those who enjoy this type of movie.
Rating: 
Summary: No No NO NO NO NO
Review: Boring disappointment. Oh yes, folks, I said boring. Not recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Big-Budget Fun Ride
Review: Director Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow & The Patriot) became a popular name in big-budget summer movies with the successful 1996 blockbuster "Independence Day". Massive alien spaceships mysteriously enter the Earth's atmosphere and unleash a devastating assault on the world's major cities. Now, a small human resistance organizes a final stand against the powerful invaders. "Independence Day" is a 153 minutes of pure movie fun. Its simple plot and stereotypical characters are rather predictable but still quite enjoyable. Its amusing humor, intense battle sequences and outstanding special effects are this Sci-Fi film's true highlights. The all-star cast features Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, Vivica A. Fox and Robert Loggia. "Independence Day" Limited Edition is a worthy bargain DVD. Both theatrical and extended cuts are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains an amazing picture quality with rich color detail and great resolution. The clear 5.1 Dolby Digital sound delivers some well balanced surrounds and awesome bass, but a DTS audio track should have been included in this new release. Among special features, it contains two audio commentaries by filmmakers and FX crew, and a sneak peak at Emmerich's FX epic "The Day After Tomorrow". Despite the lack of supplements, "Independence Day" receives a pleasant "B-".
Rating: 
Summary: There's always something...
Review: This fulfills all of the expectations of a summer blockbuster;
things flying around, stuff blowing up, flag waving, etc etc and yes it is escapist and all good fun all good stuff (although a little over done, as others have
pointed out, with the flag waving bits -- but then given the
title, i think people must have known that before going in) but it does fall foul of the usual fault of having one
supremely bad plot element. i'm referring to the odd idea that
the alien shields can be taken down by injecting a computer
virus (oh so easily). in this case, it is a cop out -- a cheap
way for the screenwriter to get from point A to point C without
bothering with B a wise man once said never let the facts get in the way of a
good story. and a writer once said he never checks the technical
aspects of a screenplay (for the same reason) the problem with this (and many films suffer a similar problem)
is that it pulls me right out of the film. the suspension of disbelief of an action rah-rah film can take you to a certain
point, but it is easy to step over that line. the virus did it
for me in this one any film that uses classic dialogue such as "this is real
life -- not a film" is almost guarenteed to suffer this sort
of problem
Rating:
Summary: You didn't like this film? What are you anyway, a commie?
Review: Normally I don't use reviews as a forum for sniping at other reviewers, but it would appear that Thomas B. Clark came as close as he could to calling me un-American because I didn't care for the jingoism that saturates this film. Well by golly, I guess it is now clear that this film must be a litmus test of the patriotism of all Americans. If you hate it, you must be some sort of com-symp pinko --- it's off to the Russkies with ya. Incidentally --- I would have refrained from socio-political commentary if only you had also --- I would gently remind you that the Indian Air Force is reported to have done very well against the USAF in exercises conducted in February this year, so maybe the USA really isn't the only one who can get the job done. I'd be willing to bet that the Israeli Air Force, to name just one, might be able to hold its own as well. Of course, maybe I am just whining again. The argument also seems to be that critics (in addition to being part of the 5th Column) cannot endure a film that engages in make-believe. You can't be serious. Just because a film requires the viewer to suspend belief doesn't necessarily mean it has to suck. I enjoyed "Hellboy," "Men in Black," and "Alien," for example. None of these is remotely believable, but they are well-crafted films with decent performances from their respective casts. Likewise, films packed with explosions & mayhem can also have compelling storylines & characters --- "Master & Commander," for example. I guess I am guilty of expecting the makers of a movie --- even one that is "just fun," should give us more for our money than some paint-by-numbers hack job. And that is exactly what this movie is, Thomas B. Clark. Contrary to what you claim, I hardly did any nit-picking on all the plot holes in the story, although other reviewers have gone over this movie's silly inconsistencies with a fine-toothed comb. My main complaint was that with the disengaged acting, the cardboard-cutout characters, and the painfully predictable storyline, all the movie really could rely on is lots of special effects & nifty explosions, which really on works on the big screen. The commercial success of this turkey has only encouraged Hollywood to even greater FX excess, to the point that filmmakers seem to think that if they throw enough CGI and special effects at you, they are not responsible for also giving you a decently-crafted movie with a plot & characters and stuff like that. Hey, it's your money. I spent $1.50 at the budget theatre watching this and I guess I broke even. I pity the people who blew 7 or 8 dollars for this, but again, spend it on what you want. I learned my lesson sooner rather than later. Being the anti-American creep that I am, I just purchased a nice bottle of the 2000 Canon-la-Gaffeliere, which is the equivalent of about 10 viewings of "ID4"-type films, and I think I got the better end of the deal.
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