...to be a review of Independence Day. Is it? Err, could you just remind me how that one goes again? Marauding aliens attack Earth. Oh yeah...that's the one where those Mexican ladies kept doing things to farmyard animals wasn't it? No, that was one of those 'adult' films that can send you blind - Now stop stalling and get writing.
When an alien ship approaches Earth, the US (of A, I hasten to add) welcomes them with open arms but despite their best ... ...hype has died down, does Independence Day (ID4 hereafter) deserve a repeat viewing?
The obvious thought that springs to mind when you watch ID4 is that this is V with a decent budget (and for the uninitiated, V was a 1984 mini-series in which alien visitors came to Earth and...err tried to give us a good kicking. And there was some eating of gerbils and the well fit Jane Badler). The two do have many similarities with the most obvious being the ...
TheNeil 19.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: special effects Disadvantages: predictible
Somehow I managed to miss Independence Day the first time round, I recently watched it and haven't been missing much. On the plus side Independence Day is dramatic in places with brilliant special effects. The downsides are it's predicitibility, melodrama and one dimensional characters. It's a good, but not original idea for a film, the whole idea about what would happen if we made contact with life outside earth and what would happen if there was ... ...something like this, an extra terrestrial signal is picked up near earth. All very exciting, a concrete sign of life outside earth. However, an unidentified object is seen to be heading for a collision course with earth. Cut to high level talks at the white house and lots of generals with uniforms full of medals. Before a decision can be made the aliens arrive in huge city length space ships which hover menacingly over most of the worlds major cities. ...
ricci 01.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
...4, and the coming of Independence Day, a larger than life recreation of the whole War of the Worlds phenomenon ... it was all about enormous, vivid eye candy and we were all suitably impressed by this over the top greatest story ever told ... except ...
They forgot that there is more to film making than simply giving the software free rein and letting their imaginations run riot, with just the byeline, "So go ahead punk, make my day, blow my mind..."
... ...ready, willing and waiting for Independence Day and lapped up every larger than life second of it, willing to forgive all the flaws and lack of development ... all we really wanted to see was mankind teetering on the very precipice of destruction as the invasion happened and then fighting back with fists and feet to KICK SOME JOLLY GREEN BUTT.
Independence Day is all about the spectacular special effect and larger than life set piece, and certainly ...
dave27 02.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
...the action packed, alien saga Independence day, released on July 3rd 1996, and starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman. This is to date my favourite Will Smith action will along side Bad Boys 1 and 2. It's probably the movie that made Will Smith into an international box office success, and was certainly a step up from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
I was actually a huge fan of this film, and I would have to say it ranks in my all time ... ...Production and Filming Locations: Independence Day was filmed in several locations worldwide including America, Egypt, Sweden, Australia and Iceland. The film crew even filed in the Nevada Dessert with the help of the American army, however it is reported that the production team asked if they could film inside area 51, which obviously was rejected, and lead to production being moved away from the Army base.
The Box Office Performance:
Domestic ...
jaygami1986 06.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: Cast, bird, effects, White House decimation Disadvantages: Story could be better
Independence Day. Billed as a rather good film, It is a rather good film. There is one simple reason for this. The White House gets blown up. We English did it back in past days (pity we couldn't now), and aliens do it again. A wave of satisfaction washed over me when that happened. Scary huh?
The Characters
The lead player here is Will Smith - general cool guy. He's a top USAF pilot, pushing for a job with NASA, married to a stripper with one ... ...the crop duster (Randy Quaid, shot to fame with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation -see my op on that), Jeff Goldblum as a random nerd, along with gasping friend and cool dad, and various screaming strippers and ordinary people. Everyone does their job well, no obvious weak links, and a couple of stars (Smith and Quaid). No probs.
The Story
If you don't know this you should be shot. We have a happy America, happy world, then some nerd picks ...
Dawson 05.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: White house blown to hell Disadvantages: That Bi-plane ending...
...i'm talking about ID4, Or independence day, the film made record amounts of money, and made people think that will smith might be able to handle a 'real' film role! If you have never seen ID4 then i really suggest that you rent a copy or borrow it from a friend before you buy it as it is very much a two camp film, you love it, or can't stand it! The story is about earth being attacked by aliens from another planet, yet again America saves the day ... ...(you can't really blame them for this though, they MADE the film and so have full right to make themselves look good, heaven knows they need all the help they can get...) On may 2nd the people of the world wake up to huge ships closing in on the planet and setting up orbit over the capital cities, these city ships have a mixed effect upon the general populace, some welcome them, others fear them (one even tries to warn the world about what they did ...
stew_b 02.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: Good special effects, fast moving action Disadvantages: Tries too hard to be good at everything, soundtrack isn't great, predictable
It's probably one of the classic films of the nineties. It was massively advertised and consequently drew one of the hugest audiences ever.
The film contains humour, great special effects, fast moving action, unwavering patriotism and a few moments of sadness and happiness.
The fist half of the film deals basically with setting the scene and the arrival of the aliens. The huge mothership releases giant saucers the size of cities, which position ... ...all of them and move on to others, intent on wiping the planet of resistant life so that they can plunder the planet before moving on to another. This is unconvincingly discovered when an alien communicates this to the american president (they obviously speak english!). The human retaliation to the destruction of so many cities is completely uneffective, delivered by F/A 18 Hornets, and eventually, nuclear weapons from B-2 Spirits. The breakthrough ...
Oliy 29.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: Fantastic effects and fun all the way Disadvantages: Not exactly intelligent
...that I went to see Independence Day twice at the cinema. It was such an experience, not just because of the film but the fact that it had some of the most spectacular special effects sequences in any film i've ever seen. The plot, lest it be forgotton, is that aliens have finally come here and despite all our peaceful welcomes they decide that it would be a good idea to destroy Earth. Sounds familar, right? Well, the story is actually based loosely ... ...of the same ideas, it is a completely modern film in all respects. It's not exactly an intelligent film by any standards, there are so many plot holes and the story is pretty basic at best, but with the level of entertainment on offer it doesn't really matter much.
There are enough famous faces in the film to make any hollywood filmgoer feel at home, Will Smith heads the cast of heroes that try to save the planet as a gung-ho fighter pilot who seems ...
pbyron 24.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: Well Filmed Disadvantages: Wont appeal to everyone
...The documentary on that conflict, Independence Day, is out on DVD and will show you in glorious detail the arrival of massive alien ships, their unprovoked bid to exterminate mankind and how the good guys eventually prevailed. It is a terrific piece of film-making that manages to cover the entire struggle from first contact to destruction. In between, we have massive battlescenes involving hundreds of air force planes up against alien fighters, an ... ...intelligence war to crack the enemy codes and the scientific breakthrough that can save Earth. There are close-up features on US President Bill Pullman - who as a former fighter pilot, fires up the human race to belt the invaders around their five ears - on top boffin Jeff Goldblum - who develops a way that may deal with the enemy's superior techno-wizardry, and pilot extraordinaire Will Smith - who shoots down an alien and whups its ass big time. ...
puneet_anand 15.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: Exciting, lots of action Disadvantages: Moments of American sentimentality
...really have got it covered. Independence Day is one of my favourite films of the last decade - probably ever. It's not a demanding film, in an intellectual way (he understated) but it's exciting, dramatic and fun.
Aliens have decided to take over the planet. From the opening sequence of the film, there is a rapidly increasing feeling of dread, as the creatures' spacecrafts descend on every major city across the globe. One of the key elements of ... ...constant conflict that ensues.
Independence Day was one of the first major film successes for WIll Smith, who went on to become a Man in Black. He is, as you might expect, a wise cracking all-American dude - this time serving in the US Air Force. Smith has some genuinely funny lines, and I couldn't help but warm to him. When the future seems this bleak, someone has to keep the jokes coming.
The special effects were impressive, and still appear ...
LostWitness 25.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: ID4 : a special-effects block-buster. Disadvantages: Just like Marmite - you'll love it or you'll hate it.
I imported Independence Day from WWW.DEEPDISCOUNTDVD.COM so I had the US version before it was released on DVD in the UK. I had originally watched ID4 at the cinema and bought it on video when it was released. I am one of the people who absolutely love it - but this opinion is about the facts, you can make you own mind up from the may other "reviews" about this film.
ID4 was a huge box-office hit - with only a 75 million dollar budget it raked in ... ...It even had it's own advert during the superbowl..!
The 2-disk set gives you the option of watching the original final version or the version with all the extra footage included. The extra footage is about 6 mins but is in chunks of 20 to 30 seconds and seems a lot more. This footage digs deeper into the characters and brings out much more of the "story". The film (after these cuts) still runs for 153 minutes and yet a lot of corners are cut - the ...
PHickman 23.04.2001 (19.04.2001)
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Independence Day is one of my all time favourite films because it has got a great cast who all act superbly. It has stunning special effects and a lot of action. To top it all it is funny as well, so what more could you ask for.
The plot involves massive alien craft entering earths atmosphere and strategically positioning themselves all over the planet. They then attack firing laser beams that causes buildings to explode and cities to be destroyed. ... ...attack have to stand as one in order to beat the powerful enemy. It may sound a simplistic plot but it really is excellent and the actors hold it all together very well.
The acting in this film can't get much better. There is an incredible cast of Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Randy Quaid. Its the type of plot in which every concievable type of emotion from happiness to terror is conveyed and the actors and actresses really do a wonderful ...
elspeth334 14.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Advantages: Good film, brillant special effects. Disadvantages: none
...the reason they call it Independence Day in this movie.
The special effects are brillant in this film, but you need to see it, to see what i mean.
The acting is brillant, there are many good actors in this film. But for some reason i Can't remember any names except Will Smith was in it. This is a film for anyone who doesn't get frightened easily. ...
moonlightmist 12.08.2000
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Director: Roland Emmerich
Producers: Dean Delvin.
Writers: Roland Emmerich and Dean Delvin.
Stars: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Mary McDonald, Vivica Fox, Margerat Colin, Judd, Hirch and Randy Quaid.
Released July 2nd 1996 to coincide with the actual dates that appear in the movie this turned out to be a brilliantly made movie.
**BRIEF PLOT**
The date is July the 2nd and the US officials are tracking many massive UFOs orbiting the ... ...cable company employer, David Levinson, (played by Jeff Goldblum),who soon realises that the transmission is more sinister than everyone realises.
Can he warn the President and the world about his findings?
When the Aliens show their true intentions mankind must find a way to fight back before the world is obliterated..
Then, with intervention of the military, especially the 'Black Knights', led by Captain Steven Hiller, (played by Will Smith), ...
blissman70 14.05.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Independence Day (DVD)
Independance Day is a pure and simple action movie - don't expect too much from it. If you don't take the film too seriously, you will almost certainly derive at least some enjoyment from it. But 'some' isn't always enough. At the time, Independance Day's special effects were unsurpassed, but now it seems as if every other movie released has similar or even superior visuals. So, what does that leave? Not particularly much. It's not that it's a bad ... ...particularly spectacular. If you rent it rather than buy it, you probably won't be disappointed, but there is very little here to make you want to watch it more than a couple of times. A few years ago Independance Day was the film that you had to see, and after all these years I can still remember jumping out of my seat at one particular scene, especially as I saw it in a great surround sound cinema. The plot is simply an alien invasion, a large ...
martinwright 05.06.2001
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InIndependence Day, a scientist played by Jeff Goldblum once actually had a fistfight with ... more
a man (Bill Pullman) who is now president of the United States. That same president, late in the film, personally flies a jet fighter to deliver a payload of mis...
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InIndependence Day, a scientist played by Jeff Goldblum once actually had a fistfight with ... more
a man (Bill Pullman) who is now president of the United States. That same president, late in the film, personally flies a jet fighter to deliver a payload of mis...
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One of the biggest box office hits of all time delivers the ultimate encounter when ... more
mysterious and powerful aliens launch an all-out invasion against the human race. The spectacle begins when massive spaceships appear in Earth's skies. But wonder tur...
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Production Year: 2006 - Science Fiction - Director: James Hawes - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri, Penelope Wilton, David Tennant, Billie Piper
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith