Customer Reviews

Independence Day (Limited Edition)

5 star:		(191)
4 star:		(115)
3 star:		(66)
2 star:		(59)
1 star:		(97)

 

 

Independence Day [Blu-ray]

Note of interest to Independence Day fans.
I bought this title and was surprised that the "Special Edition" cut of Independence Day was not on this Blu-ray release as it was listed in the Special Features on Amazon's website. Very disappointed in the listing and the release!

The movie trailer shows a picture of the White House...all of a sudden, its blown into smithereens by a laser blast!!!

This popcorn flick was all that I hoped for, nothing but 100% of everything: action, drama, humor and suspense. Many people are justified in stating that the success of "Independence Day" comes from the fact that its nothing more than what its intended to be: FUN, period.

However, in this day and age of constant threats to modern society from epidemics such as war and disease, "Independence Day" can suddenly mean more than just a cinematic escape from reality. Perhaps it symbolizes the power and determination of the human spirit to prevail against all odds. Well, I most certainly think so! Just observe the plot and you'll find out what I mean:

Several gigantic UFOs, dwarfing anything which mankind can possibly conceive, suddenly hover above major cities all over the world. Without warning, these alien ships simultaneously strike the heart of the cities with awesome laser beams, causing vast proportions of horrific destruction. Just when it seems that all is lost for the citizens of the Planet Earth, a courageous band of human rebels join forces to combat this seemingly impregnable terror. These rebels come from all walks of life, from the dead serious to the outrageously funny. You've got Will Smith, a fighter pilot with a mouth of a wise guy but having a heart of gold; Jeff Goldblum, the computer nerd who knows how to decode the alien bad guys; and Bill Pullman, the dedicated U.S. president who will stop at nothing to preserve the survival of the human race. Put them together and you have a trinity (respectively the heart, mind and soul) of the ultimate good guys to rally "mankind," a word as Pullman in the film eloquently states, "should have a new meaning to us all."

The spirit of this movie owes much to past multi-character disaster classics such as "Earthquake." If you are an avid fan of sci-fi flicks, the content and material of "Independence Day" might be familiar territory for you, but it's a treat to watch nonetheless.

So, do you feel the need to ignite that "fighting human spirit" in you? Then its time to place this on your cart or rush to your nearest video store and celebrate your "Independence Day!"

The special effects, great acting, & superb story line. I'd recommend it to everyone. I purchased this movie a few years, & this is a replacement.

"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.

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........

This melodramatic ode to Hollywood's disaster movies might not be the best, but the special effects are worth seeing on blu-ray. And since the visuals are lovely to look at, somehow everything else doesn't seem that bad. It does have a sense of humour, and the film might even be fun if you can suspend all realistic expectations (entirely). Also on the blu-ray are a few interesting bonus features including two audio commentaries, an alien scavenger hunt game, and teaser / trailers.

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.

I absolutely love this movie because it's so much action packed fun where vicious aliens from outer space unleash destruction upon the earth's human population and now they must fight back and destroy the aliens before they destroy humanity. This is just so much fun. The special effects are top notch and the acting is great! I really loved the way the spaceships looked like as opposed to looking like flying dinner plates. Go and buy this movie 2day!

What else would explain the hit this banal tripe was?

Possibly the most idiotic film of the past 30 years. The only redeeming moment is when Randy Quaid tells about being abducted by aliens. But even there, we already guess that he will not survive to the end of the film. After all, who is a better candidate to sacrifice himself, than some wretched drunk and misfit. Utterly dispensable.