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Independence Day (2-disc Special Edition)
 
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Independence Day (2-disc Special Edition)

Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | Format: DVD
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (521 customer reviews)

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Additional Features

Of the two commentaries, the most interesting is the one with the special effects supervisors, who engagingly demonstrate how the film's illusions ran the gamut from traditional "model & string" effects to the most sophisticated CGI applications. "Creating Reality" is the best of the three behind-the-scenes documentaries; "ID4 Invasion" is an interesting compilation of fictional news reports (some of them quite convincing) that were created for the TV reports within the movie, while the "HBO First Look" featurette hosted by Jeff Goldblum is rather glib and redundant. Of greater interest is the "special edition" cut of Independence Day and the original unused ending with Randy Quaid heroically piloting a vintage biplane instead of an advanced fighter jet. As producer Dean Devlin explains, the sight of a rickety airplane keeping pace with F-18 jets was "just not believable." --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com Essential Video

In Independence Day, a scientist played by Jeff Goldblum once actually had a fistfight with 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 missiles against an attack by extraterrestrials. Independence Day is the kind of movie so giddy with its own outrageousness that one doesn't even blink at such howlers in the plot. Directed by Roland Emmerich, Independence Day is a pastiche of conventions from flying-saucer movies from the 1940s and 1950s, replete with icky monsters and bizarre coincidences that create convenient shortcuts in the story. (Such as the way the girlfriend of one of the film's heroes--played by Will Smith--just happens to run across the president's injured wife, who are then both rescued by Smith's character who somehow runs across them in alien-ravaged Los Angeles County.) The movie is just sheer fun, aided by a cast that knows how to balance the retro requirements of the genre with a more contemporary feel. --Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews

521 Reviews
5 star:
 (190)
4 star:
 (114)
3 star:
 (63)
2 star:
 (57)
1 star:
 (97)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (521 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy the Tributes Ignore the Science, Dec 25 2002
This review is from: Independence Day (Widescreen) (DVD)
"Independence Day", is a fun film, which is good science fiction combined with a good story. The film is filled with tributes to other films in the genre, but it pays tribute as opposed to just taking the ideas of others. By definition science fiction takes all matter of liberty with what is believed to be possible, but at the outset there is one issue that is rather glaring. The mother ship of the aliens is said to be between one fifth and one quarter the size of our Moon, if this was the case some things would be obvious. Firstly, there would be no need to use anything high-tech much less science fiction to know something was wrong. You would be able to see the shadow this ship would cast with your eyes, no telescope needed. The size of the ship would greatly affect the world's oceans, weather, and other issues. This is not a stealthy invasion.

This is a great film visually, and Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum are very entertaining, and Judd Hirsch also makes the film even more fun to watch. There is also a fairly small part played by Brent Spiner that will be enjoyed by fans, by this member of Star Trek who has played Data for so many years.

HG Wells first brought this story to the screen, and also created real world panic when he broadcast, "War Of The Worlds", over live radio, and caused a good deal of pure terror from listeners who believed an invasion was actually taking place. The film also includes pieces, or nods to a variety of other films like; "2001 A Space Odyssey", "The Right Stuff", "ET", "Close Encounters", and "the Poltergeist Films", among others.

It is all presented with a fresh and very well done set of special effects, and like the film HG Wells first brought to the screen, the invaders do plenty of damage before being brought down by the modern computer equivalent of what stopped them in the original film. The difference of course is that man, or a few good men and women save the day, instead of the original, when Mother Earth protected herself. I don't point out the parallels to detract from his film, just in the hope people will see out and enjoy the films that inspired today's modern flicks, so many decades ago.

Enjoy this film and watch, "War Of The Worlds", as well; it's a great way to spend an afternoon.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun over and over again, Oct 12 2005
By 
Andre Villemaire (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Independence Day (2-disc Special Edition) (DVD)
For classic science fiction movie fans of the 50's to the 70's, you
will surely enjoy this film. Its lots of fun, lots of effects and
does not stop till the film ends.
Its quite a good Alien invasion film.
But Warning,, reading other reviews it seems people either love
it or really really hate it.....
To me, this film hits the right buttons........
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3.0 out of 5 stars Great Entertainment, but leave your thinking cap at home, July 23 2008
By 
A. Wheeler (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Independence Day (Widescreen) (DVD)
This review has a bit of a spoiler, so don't read on if you don't want to risk it.

Independence Day is great fun to watch, but it is not a great science fiction film by any means. Howvever, the film I think was made to be strictly entertainment, in the mold of old Saturday morning matinees of a bygone era like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. It is not high art and the storyline is franky irrational and stupid. The writers obviously threw logic out the window in order to focus on action,comedic momemts, drama, and adventure, not to mention a guaranteed happy ending.

Nevertheless, the film is an achievement in the realm of technical prowess at the very beginning of the film. The way it presented the technical superiority and power of the aliens is quite stunning, but after that original awe the film somewhat degrades into a series of Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica battle scenes. Good mindless entertainment, but nothing special.

Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum are both competent given the limited script. As for Bill Pullman as President acting as an acient King leading his tribe into battle, well I don't know. He just didn't seem right for the part, though again, maybe it wasn't his fault since the part was ridiculous.

Finally, this film shouldn't be reviewed. It should simply be enjoyed for what it is, that is good ol' fashioned science fiction adventure as entertainment. Nothing more.
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