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Independence Day (Five Star Collection)

Independence Day (Five Star Collection)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best I have ever seen
Review: Hi, my name is Derek D. Kim and I bought this DVD because this film is very well made. The quality of the dvd is exceptional. The storyline was a little bit silly but in general, it was well done. I worked on this film, ID-4 as a Korean Newscaster back in summer of 1995 at Culver Studios. I worked on the newsroom scene so I know how they shot this entire film. I was surprised to find my scene(alien invasion, mockumentary)was included. However, the film editors put Chinese characters on the screen when I was actually reporting the news in Korean. I still give 5 stars for this DVD.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Audiences watched because everyone was watching it
Review: Independence day relies on special effects to get by it has no story line of what so ever. I really don't about anyone else but I love to watch a film that makes sense and you just watch a story not one of these rediculous special effects movies where you are there so you can get you eyes flashed and become hearing impaired. Everyone once again copies everybody who saw this movie the only reason why it made so much money is because your next door neighbor was watching it so you felt like you had to see it to. People were forced into theatres by there friends and family probably because they wanted to be cool and say that they viewed this movie. I saw this flop and I think it stinks when I watched it I got bored and got irritated with the actors in the movie. Will Smith thinks he is the coolest thing in the movie and he just laughing to the bank for his paycheck and so are the other characters.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Picture great -- Sound not so great
Review: The audio track of the DVD has some serious problems. The dynamic range is limited and the volume level constantly changes. Whenever the great low frequency rumble should be present, the sound reduces to a whisper. These problems do NOT exist on the VHS version.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic sci-fi
Review: Good, old-fashioned Earth-against-the-bugs warfare. Once again, mankind fights off "unbeatable" odds. Great special effects, and I liked the way they mixed humor in with "drama".

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fun Action Romp
Review: Independence Day. Full of special effects, aliens, airplanes, UFOs, and big big explosions. All kinds of fun stuff! When earth is targeted by a clan of power-hungry aliens, the President and a group of unexpected people must help save the world.

This has got to be one of the funnest movies out there. It's got everything needed in a movie. Action (That's what the movie is all about), drama (A couple of subplots that were dealt with very nicely and not left open), comedy (Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Randy Quaid - what do you expect from these great actors?), horror (I count the "jump" moments given by the aliens as horror), and of course, science fiction (Er...the aliens). The extensive cast is full of A list actors and actresses, as well as some unknowns, and all pull through with great performances. And I must say, when Bill Pullman gives his own "Independence Day" speech, I was ready to fight the aliens with them. I also enjoyed how each group of characters were given their own subplots, and those subplots were closed and didn't leave the viewers wondering how what would have happened. The special effects in ID4 were amazing. It was pretty fun to see Washington DC, Paris, and other big cities get blown to pieces. The aerial fights were also pretty awesome.

The DVD lives up to its "5 Star Collection" title. We get the original theatrical release on one disc, and the uncut version on another. The chapter list even tells us when things are added and extended. Although there's only a 9 minute difference, it was still interesting to see it. The alternate ending is also very interesting. The "fake-amentaries" and news reports are fun to watch. There's plenty of stuff here to keep you busy for at least a couple of hours. There's even 2 easter eggs. I'll let you find them.

Independence Day is a fun action romp, and is fun every time you watch it. I'm glad it was given a worthy DVD.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Who is watching this for the plot?
Review: C'mon get real! It's eye candy and melodramatic! This is the cotton candy of movies and fun to boot. Turn off your brain and enjoy the cliche!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Popcorn flick with one the usual cheesy plot holes
Review: All in all this film can be enjoyed if you don't expect too much from it. Yes, there are some pretty unrealistic moments, and one wonders when hollywood will start thinking about depicting computer technology with any sort of realism, but on the whole this film does what it sets out to do. If only it had set out to do more...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Thank heavens for Area 51
Review: While 4 stars is probably pretty generous for this film, it is entertaining, nonetheless. It most certainly has some of the best special effects I have ever seen. It's kind of like a remake of a 1950s movie with an updated SF package.

Will Smith is certainly not my favorite actor, but he turns in a suprisingly strong performance as a Marine fighter pilot ace. Bill Pulman is a likeable, youthfull president who was a fighter pilot himself during Desert Storm. [Now, class, 3 guesses as to why the writers put in the President of the United States as a former fighter pilot, please. Could it be that they want the President himself to go ballistic on some aliens, maybe?].

The one fatal flaw of this movie is that it is unbelievable to anyone who has ever been in the military, or knows anything at all about the military. These huge, 5 mile long flying saucers come to earth, and apparently all the military has to use against them are air-to-air missiles and nuclear bombs. Excuse me? I would think that there would be stuff in-between sidewinders and Nuclear missiles that we could fire at these nasty aliens....I mean, trying to knock a gargantuan alien mothership out of the sky with sidewinders is a bit like trying to knock out George Foreman using nothing but jabs.

Anyway, word has it that the military was excited about collaborating with this film project, just as they have done with movies such as "Crimson Tide," "The Rock" and many others. However, a glitch came up when the military advisors learned that some of the movie was to concentrate on all of the mythology / hoopla behind the infamous "Area 51." I'm sure everyone is aware of those rumours, so there is no reason to go into them. Anyway, as soon as the Brass learned about this, the military washed its hands of the project. So, what you end up with is basically what the original writers seemed to be looking for: a cross between "Star Wars" and "Top Gun."

That said, this movie does pass as good eye candy. I just hope that, if there ever really is an alien invasion, we don't try & shoot down UFOs using the weakest weapons in our arsenal. 8-)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pretty Good, But Far From Great...
Review: "Independence Day", for me, was really two movies rolled into one. The first part of the film, where the giant alien spaceships arrive above the Earth's major cities and then blow them into tiny pieces, is well-done. The special effects of the alien attack are indeed dazzling, and this part of the film is truly scary as well as action-packed (how would you feel if you flipped on the tv set tommorrow and saw miles-long UFOs floating above the planet's largest cities?). Unfortunately, the second half of the movie, even with the great battle scenes between the US Air Force and the alien warships, is just too corny and hokey even for a sci-fi junkie like myself to accept. The lead characters don't even seem to notice (or care) that billions of people are dead or dying, but instead throw off cocky, terrible one-liners that left many people groaning when I saw this film at the local cinema. (Just one example: Will Smith, as a heroic US Air Force pilot who flies a captured UFO into the alien mothership to blow it to bits, yells "Elvis has left the building!" as he flies the UFO through an impossibly tight hangar door with enemy ships in pursuit and the mothership about to explode). Randy Quaid, as the drunken cropduster pilot who learns to fly a fighter jet and saves the world, is so ridiculously over-the-top that I almost expected him to break into his famous role from the National Lampoon "Vacation" movies. Overall, this film's first half (the initial alien arrival and attack) combined with the truly impressive special effects throughout the film, make this an entertaining movie. But I seriously doubt that "Star Wars" or any other classic sci-fi film will ever have to worry about competing with "Independence Day". It's good, but far from great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Grab the Popcorn and Enjoy!
Review: If you haven't seen ID4, you're in for a treat! Its almost non-stop action will keep you glued to your seat from the minute it starts with a slow crossing of an advanced alien ship between us and the moon. There's some outlandishness in this movie, some coincidences only Hollywood could pull off, but there's a lot of fun, humor, warmth, action, and drama in it as well. If you're looking for deep meaning of mankind's search for extraterrestrial life, get Contact. If you're looking for some fun, adventure, and popcorn munching fun, look no further!


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