Rent Independence Day (1996)

3.5 of 5 from 238 ratings
2h 18min
Rent Independence Day Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
One of the biggest box office hits of all time delivers the ultimate encounter when mysterious and powerful aliens launch an all-out invasion against the human race. The spectacle begins when massive spaceships appear in Earths skies. But wonder turns to terror as the ships blast destructive beams of fire down on cities all over the planet. Now the worlds only hope lies with a determined band of survivors, uniting for one last strike against the invadersbefore its the end of mankind.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Dean Devlin
Writers:
Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich
Others:
Douglas Smith, Volker Engel, Clay Pinney, Joseph Viskocil, Sandy Gendler, Bob Beemer, Tricia Ashford, Jeff Wexler, Bill W Benton, Chris Carpenter, Val Kuklowsky
Studio:
20th Century Fox
Genres:
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like: King Kong, A Brief History of Film Weddings: Part 3, History of US Presidents in Cinema: Part 2, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide: to Tim Burton, Top 10 Films About Planes and Pilots, Top Films
Awards:

1997 Oscar Best Visual Effects

BBFC:
Release Date:
03/05/2004
Run Time:
147 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS 5.1
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Main feature includes 8 minutes of restored footage - not included in the original theatrical release, restored picture quality
  • Audio Commentary by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin
  • Inside Look: Behind The Scenes
  • Theatrical trailer and TV spot
  • 'Creating Reality' - The making of
  • Original Biplane Ending Sequence
  • Storyboards, original artwork
  • Production stills
  • HBO First Look 'The Making of ID4'
Disc 1:
This disc includes the following episodes:
Disc 2:
This disc includes the following special features:
- Theatrical trailer and TV spot
- 'Creating Reality' - The making of
- Original Biplane Ending Sequence
- Storyboards, original artwork
- Production stills
- HBO First Look 'The Making of ID4'
BBFC:
Release Date:
24/12/2007
Run Time:
138 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles:
Danish, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
30/05/2016
Run Time:
147 minutes
Languages:
English DTS:X
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.39:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B

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Reviews (2) of Independence Day

ID4 - 5 stars - Independence Day review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
06/08/2007

To be honest, there is only one way to watch this movie: Sat in a cinema the size of Wembley Stadium with a sound system on loan from the Rolling Stones and enough popcorn to last the duration.

From the opening scenes of a shadow falling across the moon to the eventual arrival of the alien invaders, Independence Day was always going to take the breath away when seen on the big screen. On the box, however, the effects may look far from special, but it actually works rather well as a sort of trumped-up version of Eighties sci-fi soap, V.

In case you actually have been on another planet for the last 11 years, here's the plot: cocky fighter pilot Will Smith, cable repairman Jeff Goldblum, sozzled crop duster Randy Quaid and struggling president Bill Pullman are the main protagonists who join forces when alien invaders prove they have not come in peace.

As the world's military join forces to kick alien butt, it seems apparent that all our combined might doesn't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to intergalactic warfare. Our alien cousins have come armed with 15 mile long space ships and nifty fighters that look like croissants. Can Goldblum come up with a plan to defeat the evil ETs?

Is the Pope Catholic?

Lifting heavily from Top Gun, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and countless war movies, writer/director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin beat the odds to turn ID4 into a relentlessly silly and enjoyable crowd pleaser.

For anyone who grew up on Star Wars, this was the perfect stop gap for those of us frothing at the mouth with anticipation until The Phantom Menace finally saw the light of day. As it turned out, the movie ended up boasting, among other things, better make-up than the much-hyped George Lucas offering.

It also boasts some wonderful in-jokes from the R2 logo on the wall of the Roswell hangar to Star Trek's Brent Spiner as a wide eyed scientist who's spent a little too long in a desert laboratory.

Aside from some knockout special effects - the Whitehouse being destroyed by a UFO is jaw-dropping - ID4 also features some wonderfully bad dialogue. For example, Harry Connick Jr's plea to friend Will Smith: "They're never going to let you fly the space shuttle if you marry a stripper," and Bill Pullman's rousing speech near the end, almost a direct copy from Henry V. "We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day."

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Very Entertaining Big Blockbuster Action SciFi - Independence Day review by GI

Spoiler Alert
27/03/2023

This is still an entertaining science fiction, action blockbuster, pure hokum but full of panache. It has some wonderful set pieces not least of course the destruction of the White House but also the sight of the fleeing motor homes coming across the Nevada desert and the aerial combat scenes. There's the cringeworthy and the very over-the-top American patriotism and the way that the film presents all other countries as sitting back waiting for the USA to save the day and you have to forgive the now (in)famous speech by Bill Pullman's President Whitmore. Once you forgive this and excuse Brent Spiner's mad professor character, which is a huge script error, you can sit back and enjoy the sheer spectacle of the action, Will Smith's witty one-liners and Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch' father and son relationship and it has Mary McDonnell who is woefully underused. A gigantic spaceship arrives in orbit and despite fear and suspicion there's a hope by the US President and his staff that this is a friendly alien visitation but alas, no the aliens are hostile and begin a massive invasion. Luckily though the President is a former fighter pilot who has Will Smith and scientist Goldblum and a drunk Randy Quaid crop dusting pilot to save the day. This is a typical Michael Bay style auctioneer , full of explosions and gung ho all the time being great fun with no reason to think beyond the sheer spectacle although I sorta like Goldblum's environment obsessions.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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