Independence Day (Mini Review Series)

Initial release date: July 3, 1996

Studios: 20th Century Fox/ Centropolis Entertainment

Tagline: The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe has been answered.

On July 2nd, they arrive. On July 3rd, they strike. On July 4th, we fight back.

Plot: In the epic adventure film ‘Independence Day,’ strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world’s major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. It’s mission: total annihilation over the 4th of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.

Cast

Will Smith (Bad Boys For Life) - Steven Hiller

Bill Pullman (The High Note) - President Whitmore

Jeff Goldblum (Hotel Artemis) - David Levinson

Mary McDonnell (ABCs Rebel) - Marilyn Whitmore

Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems) - Julius Levinson

Robert Loggia (Independence Day: Resurgence) - General William Grey

Randy Quaid (The Ice Harvest) - Russell Case

Margaret Colin (NBCs Chicago Med) - Constance Spano

James Rebhorn (The Odd Life of Timothy Green) - Nimziki

Harvey Fierstein (Netflix’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) - Marty Gilbert

Adam Baldwin - Major Mitchell

Brent Spiner (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful: City of Angels) - Dr. Brackish Okun

Vivica A. Fox - Jasmine

Ross Bagley - Dylan

Mae Whitman (NBCs Good Girls) - Patricia Whitmore

Writer(s): Dean Devlin (Geostorm; Independence Day: Resurgence)

Roland Emmerich (Independence Day: Resurgence; 2012)

Director: Roland Emmerich (Midway; Independence Day: Resurgence; White House Down)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi destruction and violence (145 min)

Since this past weekend was 4th of July weekend and doing this a tad later than intended, I figured it was time to give the action-packed 1996 alien invasion flick ‘Independence Day’ another look.

No matter how many times I can watch ‘Independence Day,’ the moment the alien space crafts enter the atmosphere and make their reveal, it’s still visually incredible and very impressive. All of the visual effects work is outstanding and when the aliens begin the attack on the cities, it’s probably one of the most incredible invasion sequences seen in film.

In between all of the awesome action-packed moments that this alien invasion flick delivers, there is also some humor scattered about, especially with some of Will Smith’s scenes.

This flick, is most definitely, one of the most memorable invasion blockbusters ever released. It’s full of amazing action, very memorable characters and sequences, and some very tense moments, this alien invasion feature will be known for years to come! And, in case you haven’t had the chance to see its 2016 sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, don’t see it!!

Here are quite a few interesting tidbits about ‘Independence Day’:

• According to producer/co-writer Dean Devlin, the US military had agreed to support the film by allowing the crew to film at military bases, consulting the actors who have military roles, etc. However, after learning of the Area 51 references in the script, they withdrew their support.

• Dean Devlin said that most of the dialogue in the scenes Jeff Goldblum shared with Judd Hirsch and Will Smith was improvised.

• The President’s speech was filmed on August 6, 1995 in front of an airplane hangar that once housed the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

• The huge hype the film began generating in early 1996 caused Warner Bros. to postpone the release of ‘Mars Attacks’ from summer to Christmas, and Spielberg (temporarily) cancelled his plans for ‘War of the Worlds.’

• The alien spacecraft in Area 51 was a full-scale model measuring 65 feet wide.

• The abbreviation ‘ID4’ was invented due to legal problems with the title ‘Independence Day.’ Before 20th Century Fox reached a deal with Warner Bros. for the rights to the title, they suggested the film be called ‘Invasion’ or ‘Sky On Fire’ among many other titles.

• Matthew Broderick was offered the role of Levinson (Goldblum’s character), but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Emmerich would cast him in his next film, 1998s ‘Godzilla.’

• The idea for the film came when Emmerich and Devlin were in Europe promoting their film ‘Stargate.’ A reporter asked Emmerich why he made a film with content like ‘Stargate’ if he didn’t believe in aliens. Emmerich stated he was still fascinated by the idea of an alien arrival, and further explained his response by asking the reporter to imagine what it would be like to wake up one morning and to discover 15 mile wide spaceships were hovering over the world’s largest cities.

• While the film was still in post-production,’ Fox began a massive marketing campaign to help promote the film, beginning with the airing of a dramatic commercial during Super Bowl XXX, for which it paid $1.3 million. The film’s subsequent success at the box office resulted in the trend of using Super Bowl airtime to kick off the advertising campaign for potential blockbusters.

• The film was marketed with several taglines, including: “We’ve always believed we weren’t alone. On July 4, we’ll wish we were,” “Earth take a good look. It could be your last,” and “Don’t make plans for August.”

• ‘Independence Day’ was the highest-grossing film of 1996, beating other blockbusters of that year, such as ‘Twister,’ ‘Scream,’ ‘Space Jam,’ “Mission: Impossible,’ and ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame.’ In the US and Canada, it earned $104.3 million in its opening weekend.

• ‘Independence Day’ stayed in the No. 1 spot for three consecutive weeks and grossed $306,169,268 in the US and Canada, and $511,231,623 in other territories during its theatrical run.

• Disaster elements portrayed in the film represented a significant turning point for Hollywood blockbusters. With advancements in CGI, events depicting mass destruction became commonplace in films that soon followed, such as ‘Volcano’ (1997), ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Deep Impact’ (both in 1998). The trend continued throughout the 200os and 2010s, evident in films such as a few of Emmerich’s films, ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ (2004), ‘2012’ (2009) and ‘White House Down’ (2013), as well as other blockbusters like ‘Titanic,’ ‘Transformers’ and ‘The Avengers.’

• The studio released a long-awaited sequel in June 2016 entitled ‘Independence Day: Resurgence.’ There were plans for a third entry, but after it bombed critically and financially, plans for a third movie were scrapped.