Wednesday, June 15, 2016

THROWBACK REVIEW: Independence Day

This week, we get a sequel, granted none of us really asked for, but will probably go see anyway, because it'll probably be boatloads of fun. I've said it before, but director Roland Emmerich is a director I call a huge guilty pleasure. He is by no means, a guy who crafts a masterpiece, but I don't think anyone can deny he has a lot of fun ideas, and a lot of fun movies. Whether it was the 1994 sci-fi film "Stargate", the 2004 disaster movie "The Day After Tomorrow", the 2013 shoot'em up thriller "White House Down", heck some of you, myself included might even find some fun in his reimagining of 1998's "Godzilla".  And I'm sure a lot of us find his classic fourth of july alien shoot-em up movie, "Independence Day" as a popcorn classic to pop in and just enjoy around this time of the year.  Why is this?  Who knows?  Nearly every movie by Roland Emmerich that I've seen, (all of the above, plus "The Patriot", and "2012") have something in them to enjoy.  They are all predictable, clichéd, silly, dumb fun.   And "Independence Day: Resurgence" will be no different. I'm looking forward to it none the less.  So let's take another look at the movie that started it all.

The first time I saw this movie was ironically enough, when I was in high school I believe. I'd not seen it in theaters, and it wasn't in our family movie collection.  I saw Day After Tomorrow before I saw Independence Day. And well...when I finally got the chance, I loved it. Of course, I've since grown up a bit and am able to tell for the most part what makes a movie good or bad.  I mainly look at the factor of my enjoyment.  And Independence Day is absolutely full of enjoyment, even amongst it's many many...many flaws in it's black and white character stereotypes, predictable elements of storytelling, and overdramatic clichéd reveals. The story is one that's been told a hundred times before, of aliens who come from billions of light-years away, all the way out to Earth, out in the middle of nowhere, and decide to exterminate the human race. The story has been told for decades, the only difference is that this one takes place on the Fourth of July.

But I will give the movie credit, where credit is due, it tells it in it'sown fun little way, that makes the film a blast to watch from beginning to end.  Even when the film falls on its face, there's something to enjoy.  For one thing, the ways we are introduced to the multiple characters in this movie is by no means, that good.  Right off the bat, we all see that stereotype they are meant to signify.  And if the characters aren't two dimensional enough, the story itself gives you so many of the typical plot elements in your typical alien invasion story, that you wonder if they even tried to write something original.  From a drunken redneck pilot who claims to have been kidnapped by aliens years ago (and may or may not be right in this movie), to aliens moving to exterminate all life on this land, to Area 51 of all things. There are some silly things in this movie that may make you rub your head a bit, but with how fun it's all executed, you can't help but just keep watching. Some of the performances of these characters, as goofy as some can be are actually very fun to watch.  Brent Spiner outside his normal role as Data is an absolute riot at times. And Dr. Ian Malcom...I mean Jeff Goldblum is a riot when you catch him acting just like his Jurassic Park role.  I mean come on, he straight up says a line straight from the movie. And of course there's the always likable Will Smith, who can just carry the show at times. Paired with Jeff, they can be downright funny. And of course you got Bill Pullman, responsible for delivering the most likable cheesiest movie scene in American Cinema history. 

On the legitly good aspects of this movie, the effects strangely still hold up. I'm not even kidding either. When you see the alien ships, as bland as they look, raining their destructive beams down on major cities all across the globlee, from New York City, to Washington D.C., it is just something you sit back and enjoy from start to finish. Yeah, even in these scenes they manage to practically invent the "save te dog" cliché, and throw in some levels of goofiness, but the wall of flame is still very cool to watch. And the action, oh my God, the action. Watching fighter jets taking on swarms of alien fighters is nothing short of absolute fun. DUring these scenes, you can feel the excitement in your chair, and at times you will actually feel like you are in the scene itself.  If you manage to do that with me, you get massive points. I love immersive scenes like that. And the music that backs these scenes up is absolutely incredible.  I must give a huge props to David Arnold for his musical score. ESPECIALLY during the last fight.  THe pacing and heroic tones that music has gives me chills down my spine.

All in all, there's a lot of good, and a lot of bad things about Independence Day that are pretty much universally known by this point, but what makes Independence Day so special is the fact that it pretty much knows how to tell a good alien invasion story, without taking itself too seriously.  It doesn't need to be on the levels of things like District 9 in order to be enjoyed.  Every goofy aspect, every laughable line, every silly character fits nearly perfectly in this silly movie, and though critics are divided, I think most of us can say, "Hey, there's something to enjoy in this movie." And when the film hits the target, it really does shine in ways that make it more unique than other alien flicks. To date, I cannot think of any other go-to alien shoot-em up movie that I'd rather see. I only enjoy it more each time I see it, I always find something to criticize or praise whenever I see it, and you can bet your ass I'm looking foward to seeing the undoubtedly silly sequel that comes out in only a few days.

Independence Day scores a three star rating out of four. Despite it's many faults, which can at times be somewhat annoying to the point where you're wondering if that really happened, the fun that this film is most successful at portraying will make you forget most annoyances. It's an alien invasion film with the title Independence Day, I think we all should know what to expect. It's Roland Emmerich. It isn't gonna be a masterpiece by any means, but man does he know how to entertain the masses. If you're one of the few out there who hasn't given this movie a chance?  If you're into sci-fi, check it out if you're in the mood for one of the funnest films out there in the genre. It's got plenty of action, plenty of humor, and plenty of aliens. And it's probably one of the most American movies I can think of. Coming from a German director, I think that's the best irony out there.

Feel free to request a movie for me to review in the near future. Leave a comment down below expressing what you think of the film, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 3/4

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