Throwback Thursday Review: 'Independence Day'

This week I'm reviewing Independence Day to tie in with the release of it's sequel and this review is being prepared ahead of time as I'm out of town this week therefore it's unlikely my review of Independence Day: Resurgence will be published till next Monday. Next week look forward to two Throwback Thursday Reviews of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Disney's Tarzan to concur with the release of Spielberg's new flick The BFG and Warner Bros. live action adaptation of Tarzan (the story in general, not the animated film), The Legend of Tarzan.

'Independence Day' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. 
Won: Best Visual Effects.

Independence Day sees Earth being attacked by aliens with little hope being a unique group of individuals with distinct skill sets imperative to Earth's survival.

Roland Emmerich directs and does a great job creating a distinct difference in the scale of alien warships compared to Earth's meager aircraft and constructing authentic destruction. I liked the cinematography and visual effects utilized to hone in on the sense of scale and the nice shots of alien spaceships.

Independence Day was released twenty years ago and the effects actually help up quite well to today's standards. I like the unique look of the aliens that doesn't feel derivative, but rather inspired and the effects used to bring space ships, fighter jets, and a flurry of explosions look great. The story's simple and a little predictable feeling derivative of literally every film where Earth is invaded by aliens ever, but that doesn't take away from the entertainment value present. The screenplay penned by Emmerich and Dean Deavlin is surprisingly smart with many memorable lines of dialogue and one of the most rousing speeches ever delivered on film by Bill Pullman.

Another high mark of Independence Day is the film's cast. Led by Will Smith's fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller the cast is full of charming surprises. Smith is probably the most charismatic of the bunch as only he can get away with knocking an alien out in one punch and then delivering the one liner "Welcome to Earth!" Smith makes for one of the film's most likable characters given his status of the everyman, a normal man with a family to protect and look after that provides Smith some opportunity to show off his emotional side.

Jeff Goldblum makes for the perfect awkward computer geek with his own struggles in life as David Levinson. Goldblum steals the show and holds his ground against Smith when the two are paired together for a final mission crucial to mankind's survival.

Bill Pullman plays President Thomas J. Whitmore and masterfully nails the feeling of authority and also the anxiety that accompany his every decision. Pullman's delivery of the aforementioned iconic speech brought chills down my spine.

Other supporting players that deserve to mentioned for being serviceable characters include Judd Hirsch's whacky Julius Levinson father of David Levinson, Randy Quaid's unstable alcoholic crop-duster Russell Casse, Margaret Colin's Constance Spano the ex-wife of David Levinson, Vivica Fox's Jasmine Dubrow the romantic partner of Steven Hiller, and Brent Spiner's mad scientist Dr. Brackish Okun.

The one thing that's executed so well in regards to characterization is how real all the characters feel. Each character seems like they could be a real person while making them interesting complex individuals or that realistically people like them would be around in this type of situation. I can't really think of any outright negatives about the film as I had fun watching it, and didn't see any slacking technical aspects.

Independence Day is a fun viewing experience courtesy of wonderful visual effects, a charming cast, and some dialogue that's hard not to forget. Sure it's cheesy at times, but it's hard to not enjoy watching Independence Day.

Film Assessment: B