July 3rd 1996: a day that I will never forget. With our nation celebrating it's 220th Birthday on the following day, the film industry decided to give the nation a blockbuster. It was on this Friday that my father took me to ID4: Independence Day, the greatest movie of all time.
This movie has forever set the standard for Alien Attack movies and perhaps all movies, ever. This movie had action. It have love. It had crazy scientists. Will Smith deals with aliens...wait wrong movie. That's better. Jeff Goldblum plays some sort of scientist. Something that is a stretch for him since he is such a diverse actor. The world is ending, can the United States save us all? (ed note: Has there ever been a movie where the USA didn't have the answer to all of the questions? Is that just a United States type of thing?)
The Aliens in this movie were some bad ass extraterrestrials. These guys (did they have genders?) did not mess around. They blew up the damn White House! The White House! There is nothing more bad ass to do then blow up the White House. It trumps any terrorist attack ever. Try and think of a better way to show someone who is the boss then to blow up that nations most prestigious building. Score one for E.T.
I also know I wasn't the only one that was terrified during this scene. When that arm started moving you knew it was game over for everyone in that room. How terrifying would that be? Some alien that you think is dead so you open it up to see what is inside when suddenly it wakes up and mushes your brain through some special power. Shitty way to go if you ask me.
You have to remember that the special effects for this movie were unbelievable for 1996. I would argue it is still the most realistic alien movie that I have ever seen. It looks like they actually dissected an alien. It appears that the aliens actually blow up buildings with a single beam of light. It was as if the US Air Force was truely doing battle in the skies with alien pilots in tricked out alien fighter planes. Amazing that this movie was made 13 years ago.
ID4 also features perhaps the best President role in a movie, ever. Was there more likable character to play President of the most powerful nation then Bill Paxton, I mean Pullman? He rallied the nation together unlike any President we have seen.
The ending of this movie is a perfect one to wrap up this blockbuster hit. It ends with our hero's blowing up the mother ship, escaping the alien fighter craft before the gate closes, returning back to earth and smoking cigars. The only question I have is, where is the love for Russell Casse?
All of this adds up for a movie that can be watched over and over again. Whether you like the part where David Levinson (is Levinson a Jewish name?) said "oops" after backing the alien space craft into the wall or if you enjoyed Harry Connick Jr get lit up by some alien plasma gun; all in all this movie is Awesome with a capitol A baby!
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