Independence Day
Re-watching Independence Day (1996) was fun, particularly when paying attention to the background characters, and realizing how many of the actors have gone on to wildly successful careers beyond making this film. There are plenty of recognizable names attached to this movie, think Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Randy Quaid, and Bill Pullman, but I found myself most captivated by the background performances. Harvey Fierstein is an absolute scene stealer, Brent Spiner would be in charge of a secret research facility in Area 51 (makes total sense to me…), and Harry Connick Jr. makes a hilarious fighter pilot (undoubtedly channeling his inner Tom Cruise a la Top Gun). Most understated performance in this film goes to Mae Whitman as the president’s daughter (child actors can make or break a film), plus it has been fascinating to watch her growth as an actress across the silver and small screen in the variety of roles that she has played over the years (including her current role on NBC’s Good Girls). However, none of these actors really got “into their roles,” you knew that you were watching the actors the entire time, as their characters were so underdeveloped, or one-dimensional, with little to no personality beyond their respective occupations. But, in a way that makes the movie all the better.
Essentially, this movie asks its viewers to believe that the fate of humanity, as we know it, is in the hands of a computer wiz, a fighter pilot, a US president, and an alcoholic Vietnam veteran who claims to have been abducted by aliens… Clearly a recipe for success… Whether these characters are believable or not is immaterial, as this plot-centric movie proves that even the loosest storylines can make for good cinema. This movie relies on the tropes that have come before it, cementing itself as one of those genre-blending action flicks; part disaster film, part action film, and part sci-fi film, but with plenty of comedic moments to fill in the gaps between the action, which has made this movie a massive point of comparison for all subsequent films of a similar genre (I’m looking at you Men in Black, 1997, and Evolution, 2001).
What stands out to me are the special effects. Independence Day won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and I can see why. In today’s overly stylized CGI-ridden landscape, Independence Day strikes just the right balance between computer generated images and in-camera special effects. I am sure that the film’s model makers had just a little too much fun recreating and then blowing up models of famous landmarks, like The White House scene, which is a particularly spectacular and arresting piece of filmmaking. Many of the other effects are reminiscent of prior sci-fi films, like the “blasters” from Star Wars, or “The Borg” from Star Trek: The Next Generation, as you can find little nods to prior films and television series sprinkled throughout this film.
Ultimately, I wouldn’t say that Independence Day is a great action film, but it is certainly entertaining. This film is one of those action films that you cannot take seriously, from the cheesy dialogue, to the flat characters, and countless plot holes, Independence Day is an action spectacle that doesn’t try to be anything but what it is. It is of no surprise that this film has garnered a bit of a cult following, with people (like those of us here at The Film Rewind) re-watching this film right around Independence Day, or July 4th, each and every year. What better way to celebrate the ‘birth’ of our nation than with a movie that speculates upon its impending demise? – Sarah 🌎💣👽
“Here come the Men in Black! Galaxy defenders!” Alas, that far superior alien invasion film (1997, dir. Barry Sonnenfeld), also starring Will Smith, was yet to be birthed, released almost a full year following Independence Day's release...
Independence Day is a movie created for someone who is not me (actually, a ton of 'someones,' as this movie was a smashing success at the box office). While very occasionally slightly charming, I find the film too unsure of itself to allow me to connect to much of anything that's happening in its two and a half-hour runtime.
Independence Day's major problem is that it tries to be too much at once, catapulting from overly serious sci-fi disaster film to slightly amusing comedy to mildly heartwarming family drama with no finesse whatsoever. As a viewer, I felt like an especially abused cat toy. I get the sense that the writers (Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich) never had a firm idea of what the film was going to be. I was actually surprised to see that there were only two writers, as the film has the feel of about sixty people each writing a few pages apiece. The tonal problems come from the ambitious decision to show responses to the invasion from several perspectives, many of which (sort of) come together by the film's resolution. While I found it interesting to begin the story from relatively disparate plotlines, the amount of time dedicated to any single character is minimal, allowing subsequently limited time for development.
While Will Smith is the top-billed actor in the film, substantially more screen time goes to Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum's characters (respectfully, the young and capable President of the United States and the environmentally-conscious computer expert). The film desperately needed to spend more time centering on Smith's character, and also choose between him as a heroic marine and him as comedic relief (he’s far more appealing in the latter role, but the sudden shifts in his character are as jarring as the shifts in the film’s overall tone). I'm frustrated because Smith is ten times more appealing and charismatic than Pullman and Goldblum, and yet the film is trying to sell Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum to me as sex symbols akin to Will Smith in 1996! WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, MOVIE? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? A FOOL??
In the end, none of that matters, because I end up hating Smith's character just as much. That hyper-masculine ending scene with Smith and Goldblum triumphantly (a bit too triumphantly, considering the sizeable losses on both sides) sauntering toward their families after the mass destruction of the invading aliens, complete with the shades and the cigars (that they deserve sooooo much) as their respective ladies run towards them and jump into their arms (🙄) elicited a sound from me that I didn't know I was capable of making, but I will attempt to transcribe it below:
"UGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGNNNNNNNNNNUUUHHHHHHHPPPPPPQQQUUAAAAAAAAHH!"
Beyond all of these issues, my biggest problem with the movie is the ‘America as hero’ mentality that was at one time merely grating and is now pretty much unbearable for me to tolerate anymore. While the movie takes moments to show glimpses of the disaster in other areas of the world, it clearly states that the rest of the world is on a standstill waiting to see what America's plan is. Everyone follows their lead. Many times casualties, real or potential, are described as "American lives," a descriptor which, while admittedly a relevant consideration for the President of the United States, puts an implied value upon these particular lives that didn't sit well with me at all. You can’t, after all, make a film called Independence Day without preferring certain Earthlings over others. If you're looking for a space movie that genuinely focuses on humanity and international collaboration that's also a hundred times funnier, I recommend The Martian (2015, dir. Ridley Scott). If you want some extraterrestrials thrown into the mix, I recommend (even more highly) Arrival (2016, dir. Denis Villeneuve), a film about humanity banding together, as well as the importance of altering entire perspectives of communication in an earnest effort to achieve understanding. Both of these films, especially Arrival, accomplish so much more than Independence Day ever attempts to, and both are somehow about half as self-important as this movie gets.
Independence Day is not a movie I would recommend, especially during a global pandemic where we need to be working together as a planet and questioning the government's expertise and motives (would that Bill Pullman were in the White House now... he’d encourage us to wear masks… oh wait, see the video below!). Also, the idea the movie poses of the rest of the world waiting to follow America's example is simultaneously laughable and not at all funny, not to mention outdated as heck. The film doesn’t even serve as a successful distraction from the problems of the world. The entire movie is nothing but a frustration, except for the bits with Harvey Fierstein, who doesn't get nearly enough screen time. Honestly, if this had been his and Judd Hirsch's movie, I probably would have loved it. - Bailey 👽💀
An important announcement from the most Presidential actor of our time…
What is your favorite aspect of Independence Day? Who do you think gave the best acting performance in this film? What film should we select for our August Film Club Pick? Share your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to check back for more posts soon! Also, don’t forget to wear your ‘freedom’ masks…
Copyright © 2020 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte
