140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
The total embodiment of the blockbuster concept. Played far better in 1996 than in 2014, especially the major American cities exploding…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Independence Day:
So, how to review this movie – as a film or as a phenomenon? Because really, it’s not much of a movie.
That’s not to say that it doesn’t succeed at its goals, which it surely surpasses. It was ridiculously successful, becoming the 2nd largest grossing film at the time. It probably created or at least greatly contributed to the way modern movies are teased & marketed (I’m not thanking them for that…), if not ringing in a new era of “event” movies than being a big part of the movement.
It also reinvigorated the sci-fi genre, which was getting a little stale at the time. It launched actor Will Smith into the stratosphere, expanding his profile from Bad Boys to become one of the world’s largest movie stars.
The movie couldn’t have been less subtle if they casted Schwarzenegger or Van Damme. (I wonder that they didn’t; I bet they tried.) It’s helmed by German director Roland Emmerich and produced by Dean Devlin (they both also co-wrote) and these guys don’t exactly deal in middle distances.
The film’s casting is definitely a case of quantity over quality and fails the Randy Quaid test (i.e., it contains Randy Quaid). Ever character is a caricature and the picture is lousy with character actors for that reason.
Perhaps uniquely for this genre and style of filmmaking, the digital effects are rather minimal. I don’t know if it’s still true, but at the time of release this movie featured the most miniatures ever used in a feature film. The practical effects help sell the action quite well. Although it really doesn’t still elicit positive thrills watching famous buildings explode, for obvious reasons, you have to admire the technique and realism.
Independence Day is sort of a transitional movie. I can’t be sure, but I suspect that a number of people went to go see this movie for the same reason I did; because at the time it didn’t appear that they were going to be making any more Star Wars movies and this might be the closest we’d get to seeing big-budget space action. Of course, we’d soon realize that the Wars would be continuing, and thanks in no small amount to the success of this movie, that there would soon be a ton of genre pictures with great effects. So it’s sort of a time capsule – worth more for its impact than for its merits. But not a bad picture all the same…
Poster:
Trailer:
http://youtu.be/V7IuQtzGmRM
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Will Smith Captain Steven Hiller, Bill Pullman President Thomas J. Whitmore, Jeff Goldblum David Levinson, Mary McDonnell First Lady Marilyn Whitmore |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Release Date | Wed 03 Jul 1996 UTC |
| Director | Roland Emmerich |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi |
| Plot | The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy. Fighting superior technology, Man’s best weapon is the will to survive. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 153 |
| Tagline | We’ve always believed we weren’t alone. On July 4th, we’ll wish we were. |
| Writers | Dean Devlin (written by) &, Roland Emmerich (written by) |
| Year | 1996 |
