*Please don't unfriend me, I'm so lonely....
Today's victim-- er, subject is the 1996 blockbuster event picture Independence Day, directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman.
Independence Day's release twenty-nine years ago was preceded by mucho fanfare, with moviegoers anticipating that generation's defining summer movie, a la Star Wars. Its interest bolstered by promotional images of landmark buildings being decimated by giant alien saucers, ID4 made an absolute KILLING at the box office, garnering over $800 million worldwide on a $75 mil budget. It was assumed this would be the first of a trilogy since it was supposed to sorta be the next Star Wars and it grossed a fuckton. But oddly a sequel was never made until two decades later. Maybe the filmmakers didn't have another story to tell.
Anywho, you might ask yourself "Why does ID4 qualify as an Awesomely Shitty Movie?" Well my reasons this time are slightly different than usual. For me, this film was unabashedly awesome the first time I watched it, and agonizingly shitty on every repeat viewing. This is a prime example of a film you should only watch one time. Then throw it away and never speak of it again. Don't even think about it. You'll only break your brain and end up in a home.
So let's pick apart this ham-fisted clod of a summer movie, shall we?
The Awesome
Effects
The special effects in this movie looked amazing at the time and for the most part still look at least pretty good a few decades later. Some of the compositing is a little messy, particularly when they show the Earth from space, but the alien craft are still convincing, the model work (which I almost always prefer over excessive CG) looks tangible and believable, and there are multiple shots in the first hour or so that still hold up.
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| This part still works |
Alien Ships Appear
For example the moments when the giant saucers appear over the various major cities. We see several shots of the massive ships emerging from behind the clouds and it looks great. The filmmakers expertly conveyed the scope of the spacecraft, showing us just how insanely huge and intimidating they are. Few things are as immediately threatening as an alien ship blocking out the sun and spanning the width of an entire city. Super cool-looking stuff.
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| So does this |
Iconic Imagery
This film also provided several lasting images, such as the saucer blowing up the White House, the Empire State Building, etc. These moments would have a huge influence on Hollywood blockbusters even to this day (More on that later). Even the poster looked boss, depicting one of the ships hovering over New York City. The marketing team certainly earned their keep with this movie.
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| And this |
