Independence Day
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Independence Day
Directed by: Roland Emmrich
Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsh, Robert Loggia, Randy Quaid (would've been two weeks in a row with Randy if we had done Brokeback).
Released July 3, 1996
Budget: $75M ($125.8M 2021)
Box Office: $817.4M ($1.371B 2021) became the highest-grossing film of 1996 by surpassing Twister and Mission: Impossible. The film also became the second-highest-grossing film ever at the time, behind Jurassic Park.
(Avatar is still the highest grossing movie, $2.802B)
Ratings: IMDb 7/10 Rotten Tomatoes 67%
Metacritic 59% Google Users 89%
The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound.
Plot:
July 2: We see the plaque Apollo 11 left, and the astronauts boot prints vibrate and sift away, as a shadow falls and the alien space craft flies overhead. SETI head quarters, an alarm sounds and tech calls someone, we hear chatter. They realize the distance is too close, not from an alien planet, but the moon. The Pentagon: A man briefs the Major and the first radar images are shown. He asks how they know it's not a meteor; because it's slowing down. Bill Pullmans President Whitmore takes a call from the first lady, and leaves as she speaks to their daughter. He strolls through the white house for breakfast. He is called by the Secretary of Defense as satellite harmlessly smashes into the alien ship. In Brooklyn, Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsh as father and son David and Julius Levinson play chess. David gets checkmate, and as he gets to whatever office he works at, he finds it in a panic, scrambled images, snow, on channel's. He talks of cycling satellites, looks at a print out and utters "that cant be right." Cut to Imperial County California, a man is unhappy about his crops, and Randy Quaids Rus flying a crop duster (I've been known to be a crop duster occasionally... though, more recently, a sprinkler). He lands and his son (?) tells him he dusted the wrong field. The space ship starts disengaging smaller vessel. At the white house, they are discussing what to do and what it is. The smaller ships, still 15 miles in diameter, will be in the atmosphere in 15 minutes, and they move to defcon 3. David figures out how to break/fix the signal. In Iraq people run to watch the ships enter the atmosphere. In the whitehouse they watch a special broadcast about russia. A radar plane is flying off the california cost, looking for the ship and explodes. They start to mobilize the emergency broadcast and the President refuses to leave. Back to David who realizes the pattern is reducing and will be gone in 7 hrs. Rus is recovering in a diner when some locals start making fun of him saying he was abducted years ago. One of the ships shades the diner, and the the hollywood hills. Will smiths Hiller asks if it's an earth quake, and the ships also cover DC and NYC. Over NYC, the ship finally emerges from the smoke and fire and menacingly hovers over the city. David realizes what the signal means and the ships park over the various famous landmarks.
S:
-I forgot how cheesy/90's the opening is
-Fairly good introduction to characters
-LOVE the practical effects, the ships entering the atmosphere
-Didn't realize there was SO much that happens so quickly and early on. They hit the gas and don't stop. I read the idea came to the Director while doing Stargate, and how aliens always seem to hide, or have these tiny ships that dart in and out; so what if they flipped that and they full on invaded?
Hiller gets up and makes fun of the neighbors moving because of the quakes. As he looks at the paper, he realizes everyone is packing up, looks up and sees the ship and is struck. David is frantic realizing the signal he found is a countdown. David tries to call his ex-wife, who works for the white house, and he tries tell her to leave, and she hangs up on him. Chaos as people are trying to leave. Jasmine is upset that Hillers leave was canceled, but he has to go. David gets his dad to drive him to DC, while President Whitmore tries to convince his wife to leave LA. Rus is arrested, but released, only to find the kids are trying to leave. Hiller arrives to base, only to find a letter he wasn't accepted to NASA. As Wilder consoles him, Hiller drops a wedding ring, and he picks it up, which makes a funny sight gag making him look like he's proposing; then gives Hiller some advice that he wont fly the space shuttle married to a stripper: cut to Jasmine dancing and asking one of the other dancers not to go to the UFO. David and Jules drive towards DC, then triangulates her signal and waves to her from outside the white house. They show how they've fit a helicopter with lights to welcome the aliens. David explains how he got into a fight with the president. He comes in and David explains why they have satellite disruptions and that the aliens are using our own satellites to coordinate, with less than 30 minutes to zero. Whitmore tells everyone to evacuate and pull the helicopters back, when the ship starts to open/respond... and destroys the helicopter. As they're evacuating, David watches the countdown, as everyone tries to evacuate, some even welcoming the visitors. The bottom of the ship starts to open, with an eerie blue glow... "So pretty"... Shown at LA, NYC, DC, Etc. They rush to escape. On Air Force One, the timer reaches zero: times up. The ships start to draw power and shoot a devastating beam that explodes EVERYTHING. Capital Records in LA, Empire State Building in NYC, and the white house in DC. Fire is shown sweeping through the streets destroying buildings in fire and carnage, and cars and trucks fly. The capitol rotunda explodes, and the fire chases air force one off the runway, but they escape. Jasmine grabs her boy and boomer, and takes off on foot as the fire chases, kicks open a door, and takes cover just as the fire passes. Cut to black.
S:
-The guy doing the thing about I gotta call my lawyer, eh, forget my lawyer.
-As critics have said, it's pretty shallow character development.
-As much that happens... There's not much to say.
-Love how they practically did this shot.
-wouldn't fire have filled where Jasmine was?
July 3
Devastation is shown. Statue of Liberty is down. Rus in the RV listens to a news report. They observe Rvs and refugees. On air force one, Whitmore regrets not evacuating cities earlier. There's no news on the first lady, either. Jasmine is seen crawling out of the rubble to devastation. Hiller is in a briefing and anxious to whoop ETs ass. They approach alien ship and fire. Missiles are fired, and they hit shields. The aliens send out fighters that also have sheilds. They're decimated and told to fall back. Hiller and Jimmy are separated, Jimmy breaks off and his jet destroyed. The aliens then attack the airfield, as Hiller dodges in the canyons. As he runs out of fuel, he pulls a parachute, cuts it loose on the alien craft, and bails. His plane blows up, and the alien ship crashes. Hiller is VERY excited. As he explores the crashed alien ship, one emerges which he punches, and tell it, "welcome to Earth." He then proceeds to have his victory dance, and cigar. Jasmine finds a truck and takes the keys. One of Russ's sons is sick, and another person offer penecillin. Back on air force one, David is sick and his ex thanks Julius. David overhears Whitmore arguing about a nuclear strike on US soil; NORAD is destroyed. As they argue about what to do, Julius tells them they knew because of Roswell and Area 51. As Whitmore tells him there's no such thing, hes informed that's not entirely accurite. Jasmine is driving a truck load of survivors, and they find the first ladys downed helicopter, and she's injured pretty badly. Hiller is dragging the alien, complaining about what he's doing, and the smell; when he sees an army of RVs coming towards him. Hiller tells Russ to take him to a base that's not on the map. The president arrives at area 51 and they check out the main research chamber. They meet Dr. Okun, who takes them to see the big tamale, a crashed alien craft. He explains that they haven't been able to replicate the kind of power they need, but since they showed up, it's started powering up in the last 24 hrs. Okun asks if they want to see them... He shows them the vault, 3 alien bodies, and explains they use biomechicanical suits and they're just as frail as we are, once you get through the technology. Whitman asks David to help the scientists.
S:
-Whooping ETs ass... Classic line
-they clip their masks on... aren't they suppose to stay on?
-The whole Vox 1/2 thing... is that accurite.
-Love all the practical effects in the canyon sequence.
-Does anyone ever really keep keys in the shade?
-I love Brent Spiner in this role. Straight out of TNG.
Hiller and the RV army arrive to Area 51 and after showing the guard the alien, he lets them pass. Okun shows David inside the ship and how to operate it when someone yells "they've got one alive!" They wheel it in to the base to examine it. In a briefing room, it's discussed how all major cities will be destroyed in the next 36 hrs. HIller says he's anxious to get back to El Toro, which he is informed it's been completely destroyed; Jasmine finds the same as she pulls up with survivors. She has a quick discussion with the first lady and admits to voting for the other guy. Okun begins dissecting the alien. As he's working, it's hands start to move, and it wakes up, psychically attacking Okun, breaking free of it's restraints, and attacking the others. Whitman arrives to view, and the alien is speaking through Okun. Whitman asks for peace, which the alien rejects; informs them it wants them to die. It then psychically attacks Whitman, and the others shoot and kill it; Whitman tells the others the aliens are like locusts, just consuming resources and moving on. He's ready to nuke 'em all. David is drinking to the end of the world when he and the ex have a discussion about past regrets. Hiller steals a helicopter, and B2 bombers are shown flying to their targets. Houston is first. The nuke is launched, but fails to destroy the ship. All other bombers are called back. Hillers copter touches down and he finds Jasmine and they start boning right then and there. Not really. Whitman is told his wife is bleeding internally and they can't do anything to stop it. They share an emotional moment and he emerges from the room and sits with his daughter, telling her mommy is sleeping now, and they embrace.
S:
-There's still not a lot of depth
-Can you imagine nuking an American city!? Jeez. would they have ground units like that?
-The part where the wife dies, that always got me.
July 4th
David is drunk trying to screw the planet up, hoping the aliens will leave; when his dad gives him an idea. He calls a meeting and shows how he can disengage the shields with a virus; but to upload the virus, they'll have to deliver it to the mother ship. The plan is argued against, but ultimately approved. Whitman fires his secretary of defense and they begin coordinating a worldwide attack via morse code. They begin recruiting any pilots with experience, and Rus volunteers; adding he's dying for payback after getting anally probed years before. Basically. As they plan for the mission, Hiller and Jasmine get married. Whitman then comes out and gives a rousing, inspiring speech about Independence Day. He then suits up to fly. Hiller and David say thier good byes. Blowies all around. Again, not really. David and Hiller take off, much to Davids chagrin, and Hiller is loving it. Meanwhile the aliens are moving towards Area 51. As their ship is brought into the mothership, they see the invasion force prepping. They dock and David hacks in and begins to upload the virus, which succeeds. On Earth, Whitman fires one shot, which hits shields; as they begin to disengage, he takes another shot and the shields have dropped. The fighters come out and they engage. HIller tries to get the ship moving, but it wont. Meanwhile the aliens begin attacking civilians at area 51. The main ship settles over area 51 and begins powering its main weapon. Everyone has fired all their missiles, except Rus, so they clear a path for his shot... When he takes it, he has a launch failure and the missile wont fire. The weapon is charging, as Rus stares at a picture of his children, he flies his jet into the energy beam and detonates it, destroying the ship. Whitman tells them to spread the word how to bring down the ships. Back on the mothership, David and Hiller are surrounded, and David calls checkmate. They light their victory cigars with only one thing left to do. The alien screens flash a skull and cross bones, as they shoot the nuke... Which disengages their ship and they begin their escape. After some tight flying and maneuvering, they barely escape, the nuke detonates, obliterating the ship. A fireball envelops them and it cuts to scenes on earth where they've taken down the alien ships. As they celebrate, they confirm they lost contact with Hiller and David 20 minutes ago; but there is something on the radar, which is shown to be the men having crash landed. They all watch parts of the ship disintegrating in the atmosphere, and cut to end credits.
S:
-The dad is one of the greatest characters... I wish I had a Jewish dad.
-And the Rus guy, crazy drunk guy is fun.
-Damn good speech
-During the dog fight scene, after everyone has fired all their missiles, and Rus shows up with one missile left... They start clearing out the alien ships with the machine guns... Why didn't they do that all along if it works?
-Also, it's a good thing the ship moves to the side instead of dropping straight down on to area 51
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