Subject: REVIEW: INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)

From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Legeros)
Date: 8 Jul 1996 21:06:29 GMT

INDEPENDENCE DAY
                       A film review by Michael John Legeros
                        Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros

(Fox)
Directed by     Roland Emmerich
Written by      Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich
Cast            Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Margaret Colin,
                Robert Loggia, Vivica Fox, Judd Hirsch, Mary McDonnell,
                Randy Quaid, Brent Spiner, James Rebhorn, Harvey
                Fierstein, Harry Connick Jr., Adam Baldwin
MPAA Rating     "PG-13"
Running Time    162 minutes
Reviewed at     Mission Valley Cinemas, Raleigh, NC (2JUL96)

==

     Talk about fireworks!  Director Roland Emmerich (STARGATE) and his
co-writing and producing partner Dean Devlin (also from STARGATE) have
cannily combined three decades worth of popcorn pictures-- chiefly by
drawing upon the colliding worlds of George Pal, George Lucas, and Irwin
Allen-- to create this spectacular, super-cheesy, and surprisingly
good-natured depiction of the end of the world as we know it.  The
formula should be familiar to anyone under the age of seventy:  ominous
music precedes a coming threat which is followed by mass destruction
which is survived by an ensemble of stock characters who are played by
B-list actors who must react to special effects that we know they can't
see all while looking very serious as their characters work together to
save the rest of the human race.  Did I miss anything?  Oh yeah, and
they make a *lot* of jokes along the way.

     INDEPENDENCE DAY is conveniently divided into three acts.  On day
one, titled "July 2," an armada of 15-mile wide spaceships position
themselves over the world's major cities.  In the United States-- the
movie focuses almost entirely on what happens in America.  Touche
international interests-- panic ensues, people head for the hills, and
the President (Bill Pullman, probably miscast but who cares?) wonders if
we can't all just get along.  In Los Angeles, a rooftop group of "New
Agers" are the first to be vaporized-- an amusing touch-- in the most
frightening firestorm seen on-screen since TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY.
New York and D.C. are also leveled, but not before Air Force One
escapes.  Billions die and hundreds of theater seats are mangled as
audience members hold on for dear life.

     On day two, titled "July 3" and do you see a pattern here?, the
survivors begin formulating their strategies for fighting back.  The
brain trust, congregated at a secret military installation in the
Southwest, includes a brilliant broadcast engineer (Jeff Goldblum), a
wise-cracking fighter pilot (Will Smith, a scene- stealer), a suspicious
Secretary of Defense (James Rebhorn), and a geeky government scientist
played by none other than Brent Spiner, better known as Data from the
television series "Star Trek: the Next Generation." (Needless to say,
his appearance causes certain audience members to begin foaming at the
mouth.  Don't forget your Ritalin, boys.) There's even a kooky crop
duster on hand, played by Randy Quaid, who swears that he was once
abducted by aliens.  Thank goodness we're watching a movie that doesn't
take itself too seriously!

     Day three is the big finale, when the President makes a cornball
speech and everyone charges off to "kick E.T.'s ass." This last hour is
also the weakest section in the film.  In particular, the editing could
use a few nips and tucks toward the end.  (Here, a scene runs long;
there, a sequence seems slightly truncated.) Another suggestion for the
inevitable director's cut:  add more scientific mumbo jumbo.  Though
INDEPENDENCE DAY consistently adheres to its own scientific principals--
such as joysticks being the intergalactic standard for fighter craft
controls-- even a *little* more explanation would go a long way to
satisfying the nit-pickers who are currently clogging the Internet with
their discussions of same.

     INDEPENDENCE DAY is probably the most honest of the summer movies.
Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are, indeed, the Real Thing-- that
increasingly rare breed of genuine showmen, whose dedication to their
craft can seemingly survive any attempt at prepackaging by their
marketing department.  These guys want nothing more than to put on a
good show and, thus, their movie lacks even a whiff of pretension.
(Which, undoubtedly, is a source of frustration for many critics.) All
that is good, bad, and ugly about sci-fi and disaster films is
represented here.  Given the range of intentional references-- from the
likes of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE to THE WAR OF THE WORLDS-- I suspect
that both Roland and Dean would even be proud to see their movie shown
on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.  It's *that* cool.  

     Grade: B+

--

Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC 
[email-masked] (h) - [email-masked] (w)
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