Rating: 
Summary: They sure "whooped E.T.'S" well you get the picture.
Review: When I first saw this I was six so I was scared and didn't see it again untill I was twelve. No eleven oh well I wanted to buy it but didnt.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not good, but undemanding action fans'll like it.
Review: Seven years ago, I remember seeing Independence Day in theaters. Did it bowl over then? Kinda. I remember thinking it was an extremely entertaining time at the movies, but bear in mind, I was all of 11 at the time. Having seen this movie three times since (yes, I bought it on video the first day it came out, watched it and still liked it, watched it again a year or so after that), I can say clearly the charms have worn off. Independence is most certainly not a good movie, and while it might make for so-so escapism, there's nothing about it that truly bowls me over. As a matter of fact, ID4 can't even take the claim for best alien invasion flick of 1996. Hell, it was the third best of that year (behind Star Trek: First Contact and The Arrival), which is a pretty dubious honor considering alien invasion movies aren't exactly delivered in spades. I'll dispense with a plot summary, seeing how it is you've (a) probably already seen the movie (b) or have heard about it) or (c) would never watch it on the basis of your complete hatred for anything related to science fiction and/or Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich (the last one is perfectly understandable). All you need to know is that aliens want to take over the Earth and it's up to a raggedy group of humans to fight back. Independence Day has a lot of things going for it: a great premise, energetic action sequences, first-rate special effects, a number of good laughs, and the occasional bit of awe-inspiring visuals. You might be thinking, isn't that all you need for a successful summer action blockbuster? Typically, yes, but ID4 has quite a few problems, some even involving the positive aspects I mentioned above, or lack thereof. The story is the first thing everyone will jump on, and I'll get on the bandwagon with this one; it's true, ID4's script is pretty bad. Now, the whole virus element in the climax doesn't particularly bother me, considering how it was earlier specifically stated that Earth's satellites were connected to the ships. What does bother me is why the ships would actually allow such a lengthy countdown, enough time for a lot of people to escape the blast radius. Most bothersome plot-wise, is that once the shields are down, the aliens are almost pathetically easy to take down. When the ships are destroyed, they actually crash slant-wise, thus avoiding a huge crash on the target below them. Only a fool would actually believe this doesn't somehow defy the laws of physics. Ugh, and don't even get me started on Randy Quaid's character, his deus ex machina role, and his final lines of dialogue. At this point, I'm a little tired of discussing plot, so we'll get to the action, which ID4 has a surprisingly sparse amount of. If I recall, we get three in all, the first portraying the destruction of the U.S.'s three major cities, the unsuccessful aerial battle, and finally, the successful aerial battle. That's really not a lot of action, and considering they're all airborne, the redundancy sets in very quickly. The film does deliver some thrills, but inconsistently in a movie that runs for nearly two-and-a-half hours. At this point, it feels a little pointless to even write a review on the movie. Anyone over the age of twelve who wanted to see the movie has probably already seen it. The critical backlash toward it is unsurprising, that's the case for every Devlin/Emmerich collaboration. These guys would follow-up with the even worse, Godzilla, which took redundancy to an all-time high, with its incessant rain and never-ending conclusion.
** 1/2 out of *****
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie
Review: Independence Day is a really good movie. It shows the strength of the human spirt. The human's in this movie were able to win against all odds. There is a lot of action in this movie and some funny moments as well. If you like Science Fiction and Will Smith then this is a movie for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Independence Day ROCKS!!
Review: I've always loved alien invasion stories, and Independence Day is the best I've ever seen! From the first scene to the last, this alien invasion story is a veritable feast for the senses, with flying saucers, "kewl" explosions, and aliens that make even the classic movies' aliens look like pussycats by comparison. What makes Independence Day so wonderful for me is the fact that there is also a genuine story to it that gives it dimension and depth. It tells the tale of President Thomas Whitmore (the always charming Bill Pullman), a man who is suddenly forced to confront something he'd always thought was a figment of science fiction writers' imaginations--an alien invasion force that could possibly wipe out the entire human race. He finds himself forced to enlist the aid of David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), his former nemesis and the estranged husband of his White House aide, Constance Spano (Margaret Colin), and David's father, Julius (Judd Hirsch). As the survivors drift toward Groom Lake and the mysterious Area 51, Whitmore meets up with Capt. Steven Hiller (Will Smith), a young Marine who lost his best friend Jimmy (Harry Connick Jr.) in the initial attack, and Hiller's girlfriend Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) and her son; Russell Casse (Randy Quaid), a Vietnam vet and alien abductee; and Brackish Okun (Star Trek: The Next Generation's Brent Spiner), the crackpot head scientist of Area 51. He is also reunited with his wife and First Lady Marilyn Whitmore (Mary McDonnell) in one of the most moving scenes I've ever witnessed in a film. One of the things I liked most about this DVD was the fact that it allowed me to choose between both the theatrical release and the director's cut, which has some scenes cut from the theatrical release. There is also a second DVD that is chock-full of extras, including a Russell Casse scene that was ultimately left out of even the director's cut, but which was pretty cool nonetheless. Ultimately, I have to say that this is a DVD that was worth every penny I paid for it.
Rating:
Summary: Worth watching, worth owning
Review: I first saw this movie in the theater. Then I purchased it and watched it over, and over, and over, and over [I didn't have cable]. Anyway, I think that this is a pretty good movie. It is in no way based on fact (I hope!) but it has a good story line, and it made artfully. Its interesting to watch the beginning with all the different characters all over the country living their lives, and at the end, its neat to see them all come together. And the speech- the speech about Independence Day is pretty good too. I particularly liked Jeff Goldblum's character in this movie, and Goldblum himself is such a good actor. His lines and gestures are always so natural! I would recommend this to any fan of science fiction as a great addition to their home collection.
Rating:
Summary: Let's Kick Some Alien Butt!
Review: This is a great movie! The special effects are brilliant. It's a really good plot, as well. When I saw it in theaters, my friends and I got all freaked out when they were vivisecting the live alien, but it turns out that that was really the only scary part in the movie! I have watched this movie so many times, it's great. It makes me feel good that I don't live in a big city like New York... maybe the aliens will skip over little ol' Salinas. Hehe. Anyway, this was a huge blockbuster hit and it's no surprise why. The cast was excellent and the special effects were really really cool! My favorite shot it when all of the RV's are driving through the white desert, it's really funny, but cool! The special features didn't realyl excite me that much, but the movie is still great. But the only thing is, what was the extra parts that they added in? I guess I'll have to watch the original cut to find out. I reccomend this movie to anyone, it's really great! I love it and you will too! You won't regret buying this. Enjoy!!![...]
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy the Tributes Ignore the Science
Review: "Independence Day", is a fun film, which is good science fiction combined with a good story. The film is filled with tributes to other films in the genre, but it pays tribute as opposed to just taking the ideas of others. By definition science fiction takes all matter of liberty with what is believed to be possible, but at the outset there is one issue that is rather glaring. The mother ship of the aliens is said to be between one fifth and one quarter the size of our Moon, if this was the case some things would be obvious. Firstly, there would be no need to use anything high-tech much less science fiction to know something was wrong. You would be able to see the shadow this ship would cast with your eyes, no telescope needed. The size of the ship would greatly affect the world's oceans, weather, and other issues. This is not a stealthy invasion. This is a great film visually, and Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum are very entertaining, and Judd Hirsch also makes the film even more fun to watch. There is also a fairly small part played by Brent Spiner that will be enjoyed by fans, by this member of Star Trek who has played Data for so many years. HG Wells first brought this story to the screen, and also created real world panic when he broadcast, "War Of The Worlds", over live radio, and caused a good deal of pure terror from listeners who believed an invasion was actually taking place. The film also includes pieces, or nods to a variety of other films like; "2001 A Space Odyssey", "The Right Stuff", "ET", "Close Encounters", and "the Poltergeist Films", among others. It is all presented with a fresh and very well done set of special effects, and like the film HG Wells first brought to the screen, the invaders do plenty of damage before being brought down by the modern computer equivalent of what stopped them in the original film. The difference of course is that man, or a few good men and women save the day, instead of the original, when Mother Earth protected herself. I don't point out the parallels to detract from his film, just in the hope people will see out and enjoy the films that inspired today's modern flicks, so many decades ago. Enjoy this film and watch, "War Of The Worlds", as well; it's a great way to spend an afternoon.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but hardly great "cinema"
Review: Devlin & Emmerich have chosen to revive the popcorn movie. Every film they've made is essentially another attempt at capturing an audience's attention and wowing them. ID4 serves that purpose quite well. Essentially a rip off of H. G. Wells War of the Worlds (right down to the "virus" that destorys the aliens although in this case it's a computer virus), it's not great or even good cinema just plain old fashioned fun. Defying the laws of physics (and good plotting) the aliens have come to turn the Earth into a wasteland. They are essentially like Locusts--they use a planet's resources and move on. It's never pointed out that we have already done a good job of the same thing. Bull Pullman gives a nicely textured (and believable) performance as the President of the United States. If the world is ever destroyed by aliens, I'd vote for him to save the day. Jeff Goldman turns his usual nervous tics and gestures into another scientist character. Stock characters aside, ID4 works because of the sheer epic scale. It's not a science fiction movie. It uses all the props mind you, but, really, it's a disaster movie. The visuals are pretty good eye candy and the commentary on how they were achieved is also quite good. The extras are little more than fluff pieces that were prepared as part of Fox's advertising campaign. Why the alternate version wasn't put on the main disc as an option is beyond me. Yes, it's unbelievable but it's fun in a B movie sort of way. In fact, that about sums up ID4; it's a fun B movie made on an A budget. Just leave your brain in cruise control. If you try and think too much about this illusion of a film, you'll strain yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and Entertaining
Review: Science-FICTION?? Yes, and many of the scenes are unbelievable last second escape, but this is what adds to the excitement and value of this movie. The graphics are awesome, and the movie keeps moving for 2 hours and 15 minutes. There are several stories taking place at the same time that intertwine, and every action they take to save the earth is built up to. It is also good to see alians that are not the usual primate like most films. The film is so filled with little details that go so fast that the film is worth watching again and again.
Rating:
Summary: This is what I call a close encounter
Review: This film seems to have it all. The classic space-alien invasion story has been embellished in this film with a political-thriller kind of style, and combined with adventurous humor and characters that are relatively well defined. The plot is immense, even though it only spans three days. In those three days, many major cities in the world is destroyed, and then we retaliate and destroy all of the aliens (seems like it would take longer). It may actually be unbelievable, but then again, the entire concept of an alien visitor may be unbelievable. Regardless, the film's storyline is fun. The special effects are highly advanced (for its time, at the least). The characters, as I've previously said, are fairly well developed. I guess all I can really say is that this is fun.
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