Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 18-February-07
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Independence Day (1996)

"Independence Day" is an escapist bonbon with no brains, a hint of heart, and a lot of nerve. It's loud, predictable, simplistic, and two and a half hours long, and I love every minute of it. Even in the dead of winter instead of the heat of summer, and even on my 20-inch TV instead of the big screen.

This movie imagines a wonderful fantasy world in which an idealistic U.S. president (Bill Pullman) is an ex-fighter pilot endowed with bravery and honesty; a drunken loser (Randy Quaid) earns his son's respect by becoming the planet's savior; a kindhearted stripper (Vivica A. Fox) addresses the First Lady with mutual respect; and love — between parents and children, boyfriends and girlfriends, even divorced husbands and wives — conquers all. Such glories are revealed when Earth is invaded by a host of tentacled parasites whose diabolical plan is uncovered by a Jewish computer nerd (Jeff Goldblum). Whereas many a movie boasts a complex villain who's at least as interesting as the hero, "Independence Day" notably bucks this trend. Its clean, depth-free charm relies on the fact that the invaders have a single goal: annihilation of the human race. This frees up screenwriters Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich (who also directed) to indulge in whatever goofy fireworks they want, since the audience is guaranteed to connect with the non-tentacled characters and stick around for global liberation. The melting pot in this movie has a reason to appear well-integrated. Everybody's on the same team except the aliens.

The fireworks are indeed goofy, and deliciously so. It's a close call, but I have to rank my two favorite moments as (1) a Labrador retriever leaping in slo-mo to escape a fireball, keeping the sanctity of the family unit intact, and (2) the president's speech before America's last-ditch counterattack, in which he himself participates. (I also love the absurd computer messages like UPLOADING VIRUS, but these are common in the movies.) On top of it all is the nominal star of the picture, Will Smith as a flyboy who realizes his dream of heading into space. Of course his presence only contributes to the feel-good vibe, which is disrupted on just a few occasions by a so-gay-he's-funny (ha) Harvey Fierstein. Outside his unfortunate schtick, "Independence Day" is pure fun.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.