"Independence Day" (1996) Movie Review

Independence Day takes the "Alien Invasion" section of sci-fi and refreshes it, bringing us a film worthy of being ranked high on the Best Alien movie list, right up there with the original War of the Worlds and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The film centers around three different families trying to survive and make sense of the alien encounter that is threatening the world. The President (Bill Pullman) and his old rival (Jeff Goldblum) have to put aside their differences and combine forces to come up with a plan to take down the alien crafts before they do any damage. They're too late. The aliens make their first attack on July 2 and are planning another. Good thing we have Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) on our side.

The CGI is phenomenal for a '96 film. The ships, the weaponry, the flights, the explosions all look top notch. The aliens themselves looked creepy and very real. Their motions were perfectly created and their abilities were believable.

The acting was well done, especially from the likes of Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith. Bill Pullman was his usual bland self. He wasn't impressive but he wasn't horrible either. The true stand out stars, however, were Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) and Dylan (Ross Bagley). They played their roles well and realistically, even though they were only minor characters.

In conclusion, Independence Day thrills and doesn't disappoint. It combines very good acting with spectacular effects and a good story then ties it together with a good ending. The sequel should be interesting, but if by chance it isn't, at least we still have the first.