Review: Independence Day

Independence Day Promotional Poster

During the 1990s, summer blockbusters were coming out of the woodwork with each new movie to be a bigger and bolder spectacle than the ones before. The movie Independence Day was just such a movie, and it was characterized by bold special effects, action and adventure. This movie first came into development shortly after producer Dean Devlin and director, Roland Emmerich, had completed the movie Stargate. At this time, they had been asked if they believed in aliens or not, and from there they began putting together the pieces for a movie about what would happen if aliens came and invaded Earth.

Independence Day opens two days before the American Independence Day when a strange alien ship is moving toward the Earth with a mysterious intent and purpose. Then the alien mothership releases large city-sized destroyer ships that take stationary positions over some of the world’s largest and most noted cities. Meanwhile, at a major television network, one of its employees, David Levinson, (played by Jeff Goldblum), discovers that the alien objects are broadcasting a signal through satellite networks which is disrupting television reception. On further inspection, he realizes that the signal is gradually deteriorating (suggesting some kind of countdown). Fearing a planned invasion, he contacts his ex-wife Constance Spano, a White House associate, in hopes of communicating with the heads of state.

Realizing what’s going on, the President of the United States Thomas Whitmore (played by Bill Pullman) reluctantly calls for an evacuation and plans to retaliate by calling in all available military personal. The results, however, are a total disaster. They soon discover that the alien ships are each protected by powerful shields and without a way to penetrate them, no weapon would be powerful enough.

However, his secretary of defense soon admits that they may have had previous contact with these aliens, and they fly Air Force 1 to Area 51 where they discover a captured alien ship as well as its now-dead alien pilots. Using this alien technology, combined with the genius of David’s technical mind and Steven Hiller a marine soldier (played by then rising star Will Smith), the United States organizes a world-wide counter-offensive and a dangerous plan to stop the alien invasion before all life on Earth is exterminated.

This movie broke new-ground by incorporating then emerging computer graphics technology with the use of traditional models and miniatures to simulate the mass destruction of major cities and civilizations. Volker Engel, the visual effects supervisor, was responsible for most of the movie’s effects. There were extensive use of miniatures and traditional models for the ships and cities features in action scenes. Many of them were combined with live-action elements and background using a process called digital compositing. This help simplified the process and gave the director greater control over the look and feel of each shot. In addition, sometimes CG elements would be added (ships, dust, debris, etc.) to complete these scenes and make them come to life.

Also, large scale puppets and animatronics were used for many of the scenes with the alien creatures. Sometimes, several different types of puppets and action shots would be combined to complete even a single scene. Again, many of these shots would be combined with other live action shots or CG elements were added.

One of the more notable scenes featured included the destruction of several national landmarks, including the Empire State Building in New York and the United States White House. In addition to this, Emmerich also was able to create the illusion of fire expanding through the city by filming the city models turned up sideways. This way, when the explosives are set off the fire would erupt upward, giving the illusion it was moving toward the camera. Many of these shots and extensive special effects, allowed this movie to not only be nominated but also win an Academy Award, and this movie has served as an example for many others to follow.

The cast for Independence Day included a very mixed group. Stars Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum deliver exemplary performances. Other notable actors include Judd Hirsch as Levinson’s father, Star Trek’s Brent Spiner as Dr. Okun and Mary McDonnell as the First Lady. Others, however, maybe do not play as well, mainly due to their characterization and off-beat, comical tone. For instance, the trailer park characters were under-served due to their lack of depth and character, and the comical nature of Russell Casse is a clear remember for the viewer not to take this movie that seriously.

While this movie clearly has its shortcomings, it does still deliver on its main promise – a thrilling ride as we witness what can happen when aliens come to Earth. Upon its release, Independence Day was a world-wide success and it brought great fame to director Roland Emmerich. It had action, adventure and epic fun, but only if one is willing to stretch the limits of imagination. As such, it makes for an exciting show with stunning special effects and visuals that still hold up even against today’s standards.

Note: There is also an extended cut of the film, which adds just a few minutes to the movie and further explores the characters. The differences, however, are quite small and have little impact on the overall movie.