Rating: 
Summary: An updated "War of the Worlds".
Review: After viewing Independence Day, I was amazed by how many similarities it shares with The War of the Worlds. Both are about a devastating attack launched against The Earth by other world beings. Both show mans vulnerability when his most powerful
weapons, even nuclear bombs are useless. Additionally the invaders from both movies even use a force field to protect their fighting craft. There are other likenesses, but I'll not reveal them all.
The casting director did a grand job of picking the players. I
especially enjoyed Randy Quade as an alcoholic crop duster and
Robert Loggia as a gruff army general. All in all performances were quite good.
I felt that what really gave the movie a crucial boost were the dazzling special effects portraying the distruction of major cities. This was complemented by David Arnolds stirring music.
They don't make 'em like this anymore!
Rating: 
Summary: Qualities of "Independence Day"
Review: What's hot is:
-The air combat
-The destruction(in some scenes)What's not is:
-The title is kinda cheesy for a movie involving aliens
-They don't show the aliens that much
-It gets kinda lame after a while What's strange:
-Should'nt there be some ground combat against a whole rack of aliens? What's the final word:
This is not as good as they say it is. There could at least been some more non-cheesy action, then maybe it would be better.
Rating: 
Summary: Embarrassed to say I paid good money to see this
Review: The fact that a film like this could make so much money at the box office truly shows how unintelligent human beings really are.
Rating:
Summary: Baffling nonsense
Review: People pretend they understand ths movie, But there lying because there is NOTHING comprehensable about the so-called "plot". And don't tell me any psuedo-intellectual gobbledygook about how its "post modern' or "deconstructuralist". Your just pretending to understand it, but you don't.....Because there is nothig to understand. I watched it 12 times and never even began to make sense of what was going on> But people like to say it was a great movie to make themselves look smart. This is a case of "The Emporor"s New Clothes" . But The Emporor is naked. Take my advise and spend your money on something good; ("Gladiator" is much better).
Rating:
Summary: I loved it in the theater and even more on DVD
Review: I know that a lot of people dislike this movie because it's not the "Citizen Kane" of sci-fi/alien movies, but I think it does a great job of entertaining, and I have watched it many times. The plot is thoroughly described in other reviews, so I won't belabor it here. Suffice to say that its implausibility is really irrelevant, and for most viewers, that will not be a problem. What I liked about the movie the first time and on each successive viewing, were the great special effects (I cannot understand the reviewers who found them to be deficient) and the way that humor is used throughout the movie. I also enjoyed the subplots and the fact that the characters are developed enough to be individuals, not just a group of anonymous Earthlings. Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith are great together, and seem to be enjoying themselves. The other actors are good in their roles, too. Some people are critical of this movie for not succeeding as a patriotic movie, or for trying to be one in the first place. I agree that some of the President's appeals to humanity might sound hokey, but within the context of this movie, it didn't seem out of place to me at all. The movie sets out to accomplish a few basic goals, the primary one being to entertain the viewer, and on that level, it succeeds as well as any other recent film of its type. The DVD has excellent video and audio.
Rating:
Summary: A First-Rate Sci Fi Thriller
Review: This was one of the largest grossing movies at the box office when it was released in theatres in 1996, and it is still fun to watch on video. ID4 is loaded with futuristic special effects, such as the destruction of the Empire State Building and the U.S. Capitol. Other effects, such as the large alien ships and the dogfight sequences between aircraft and alien ships make this a fun movie to watch. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman give first-rate performances throughout the movie. Smith, the fighter pilot, Goldblum, the scientist who discovers the weakness of the aliens, and Pullman, the President of the United States who just happens to be a retired Gulf War fighter pilot who gets another chance to fight the bad guys. The special effects and the actors make this a movie worth watching several times.
Rating:
Summary: Made for Money Only
Review: This has to be the biggest money maker to have nothing to it. It has no story, no plot, no acting, and no script. The special effects are average at best, it looks really fake on TV. The aliens use Macintosh software to run their spaceship no wonder they lost. This movie released in 1996 made 306 million dollars and was the first in many to just base a movie on special effects. Please don't buy this because they will just keep making more movies like this.
Rating:
Summary: Worst movie in Hollywood history... Bar none.
Review: How this movie merited a special edition is beyond my understanding. I can't even describe how bad this movie is, so I won't even try. Watch it and judge it by yourself. Who knows, maybe some folks enjoy this kind of slop. They must... it made money.
Rating: 
Summary: Still a Good Popcorn Film
Review: ID4 set multiplexes on fire when it was released on July, 1996, mainly due to its irresistible trailer and word-of-mouth hype. And while the majority of viewers dismissed it as a cliched alien-invasion film, I still stand as one of its defenders. For sure, it doesn't hold a candle to "Close Encounters...," but it's still a watchable, above-average flick despite its hokey touches. The plot is simple: aliens come to earth and destroy major cities around the US (If you haven't seen the picture of the White House blown to bits, you clearly don't get out much). The president (a Clinton-esque Bill Bullman) calls upon military services to fight these creatures. That's when a bigshot Marine (Will Smith) comes in to save the day. That's the plot in a nutshell. The special effects are good but not great, and the suspense leading to the attack keeps the viewer glued to the story. Trust me, I have seen far worse "event" summer movies that are doubly unoriginal and rely on cliches that are just as tired. Yet, ID4 overall succeeds because it doesn't take itself all that seriously. If you're in the mood for mindless entertainment, this will do. It's far more interesting than anything Jerry Bruckheimer will ever produce.
Rating:
Summary: The Aliens Are Bad!
Review: Independence Day was a film made by the same filmmakers of the films Godzilla and Stargate and stands on its own as a science fiction modern day classic. Dean Devlin and Roland Emerich have made a few Sci-Fi adventures but this one is my favorite. With a star studded cast and some great character roles, Will Smith, Bill Pulman, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Firestein, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsh, Harry Connick Jr., Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, Vivica A. Fox and Brent Spinner, all shinned. The effects were really outstanding and the destruction of the White House became the signature add campaign for the movie. The aliens were creepy and cool. The space ships were strange but believable. The score was even memorable. Overall it is a fun film to watch and enjoy. The DVD extras include a very clever menu system and many behind the scenes looks at aliens, make-up, special effects and production. You should find the extras just as interesting as the feature itself.
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