This week, as Americans from across the land start to celebrate our Independence Day, some of us will mark the occasion by actually watching “Independence Day.” And why wouldn’t we?
The sci-fi classic first blasted onto screens back in 1996 and was a runaway summer hit and an instant classic. Unlike other 90s action films (looking at you Bronsan-era Bond movies), this film has stood the test of time. There are plenty of reasons why, so let’s go over some of them.
The movie had a lot of likeable characters, some of which were very true to form. Will Smith playing a Marine pilot? Sounds plausible. But how about this? Will Smith playing a Marine who is dating a stripper with a kid? I don’t think there has ever been a more accurate depiction of a devil dog on the silver screen.
Other characters were much less believable. A President who served in the military? Please. A cable repairman who knows how to give alien ships computer viruses? No way. A stripper with a heart of gold. Yeah, right. A Secretary of Defense who was bad at his job? Okay, let’s maybe leave that one alone.
(20th Century Studios)
The movie had a lot of great (great for the ’90s) special effects. They could’ve gone the route of the Scorpion King in “The Mummy Returns” or the airplane crash in “Air Force One.” But instead, they actually spent time and money to destroy everything from the White House to the Empire State Building to a tall building in Los Angeles (I mean, they could have blown up something more recognizable, like the Hollywood Sign or the Chinese Theater or Nakatomi Tower from “Die Hard,” but whatever).
We were so hooked by the sight of aliens completely destroying whole cities that we still have this fetish for watching blockbusters where whole cities are destroyed (looking at you, Marvel). We got so hyped up watching famous landmarks get obliterated that movie directors began running out of monuments to destroy. I think we’re now at the point where Godzilla destroys the Great Pyramids after a communications mix-up with King Kong. Angkor Wat or Machu Picchu are probably up next.
“Independence Day” really took the best of everything from the 1980s and gave it back to us in ’90s form. It had the “Top Gun”-style dogfights. It had the “V: The Miniseries” flying saucers over every city. It had “Star Wars” space battles. It had aliens who were predators. It even had a “We Are the World” moment when every nation put aside their differences to fight the aliens. Yes, even the Israelis and Arabs joined up. Take note, Mr. President.
And speaking of presidents, “Independence Day” had THE SPEECH.
Ask any run-of-the-mill American and they might not be able to recite the Gettysburg Address, FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech, or JFK’s Inaugural Address, but bet your bottom dollar they can quote President Whitmore declaring that “today we celebrate our Independence Day.” (You did the salute after reading that, didn’t you?)
The speech wasn’t the only memorable scene. Will Smith punching out an alien cemented his status as an A-list movie star. Randy Quaid, as a Vietnam veteran who gets his revenge on the aliens while earning the respect of his family, had us screaming “up yours!” to anyone and everyone. We got to see Air Force One outfly an alien fireball like it was the Millennium Falcon escaping the Death Star.
And of course, we got to see the good guys win.
And really, that’s what made us love the movie and every movie studio trying to recapture that mood with every blockbuster since. You can have a gorilla and lizard destroy pyramids. You can have the Avengers fight off aliens in New York City. You can have Earth wrecked by asteroids, comets, and uh, climate change (see “2012,” from the same director who brought you “Independence Day”).
But there can be only one summer blockbuster that makes us wave the red, white, and blue. This week, between the hot dogs and fireworks, make sure you fire up this American classic and say the line: “Welcome to Earth!”
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