The film's success was partially credited to an extensive marketing campaign which began in the United States with a dramatic commercial during Super Bowl XXX. The movie was scheduled for release on Wednesday, July 3, 1996, but due to the high level of anticipation for the film, many theaters began showing it on the evening of July 2, the same day the action in the film begins. The movie's total gross was $816,969,268, the 15th highest gross for a movie of all-time.
Contents
1Taglines
2Plot
3Characters
4Novels
5Criticism
6Radio spin-off
7DVD versions
8Trivia
9Errors in continuity
10References in culture
11References
12See also
13External links
Taglines
Don't make plans for August.
"GET OFF OUR PLANET!"
On July 2nd, they arrive. On July 3rd, they conquer. On July 4th, we fight back...and the real fireworks begin.
The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe has been answered.
We've always suspected we weren't alone. On July 4th, we'll wish we were.
Welcome to Earth.
THESE extraterrestrials don't want to phone home...They want OUR home.
Alien ship using force fields to fend off missiles fired from American aircraft.
Using advanced directed-energy weapons, the aliens destroy these cities, along with millions of people, and annihilate virtually every famous landmark in the world. Conventional missiles and even tactical nuclear weapons are useless against them, as the alien ships are shielded by impenetrable force fields. The President of the United States, a veteran fighter pilot of the First Gulf War, leads the human resistance from Area 51, where the military has kept an alien fighter spacecraft - identical to the ones used in the invasion - that crash-landed in 1947, to ultimate victory over the invading aliens. In a confrontation with an alien survivor from a recently-crashed fighter, the President learns that the aliens are essentially locusts, traveling from planet to planet and consuming its resources, making it clear that a peaceful resolution to the conflict is impossible.
The movie climaxes on July 4, as the humans use the captured alien fighter to infiltrate the mothership, insert a computer virus to disrupt the aliens' shields, and sneak a nuclear weapon aboard. The disruption of the shields opens a window of opportunity for humans to strike back and destroy the smaller alien ships and fighter craft.
During the counterattack, all the American fighters have shot their missiles when the primary weapon (aka "City Killer") prepares to fire. Suddenly, Russell Casse, an American volunteer who is a crop duster and an alien abductee, appears from nowhere stating he is armed with the one remaining missle. As he attempts to fire it, it jams on the launch rail. Russel realizes what he must do and after asking the ground control to "tell my children I love them very much," pilots his F/A-18C into an alien ship's primary weapon as it is about to fire, causing a chain reaction that destroys the ship. Task forces around the world use the same weak point to destroy the rest of the alien ships while the nuclear missile detonates and destroys the alien mother ship, ultimately saving Earth.
Characters
President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman): President of the United States throughout the movie, Whitmore is a former fighter pilot who served in the Persian Gulf War. Although his approval rating has fallen recently, he wins back the public thanks to his leadership of the resistance against the alien invaders.
Captain Steven “Steve” Hiller, USMC (Will Smith): A U.S. Marine CorpsF/A-18Cpilot, Hiller is the only person able to bring an extraterrestrial aircraft down in the failed first wave of the human counterattack (albeit by tricking it into crashing into a wall). Hiller's ambition is to join NASA, and his dream to fly into space comes true when he flies the captured alien spaceship from Area 51 up to destroy the mothership.
David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum): Employee of New York-based Compact Cable, Levinson is an MIT-educated chess enthusiast who discovers the aliens' plans to attack after stumbling upon their hidden satellite signal, and later suggests the idea of infecting the mothership with a computer virus in order to deactivate the shields protecting the alien craft.
Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch): Jewish immigrant and widowed father of David Levinson.
Constance Spano (Margaret Colin): White House Communications Director and David's ex-wife; she divorced David because of his lack of ambition, but they reconcile at the end after his plan saves the planet.
First Lady Marilyn Whitmore (Mary McDonnell): President Whitmore's wife. Was fatally injured while fleeing the destruction of Los Angeles. Died later of internal bleeding.
Jasmine Dubrow (Vivica A. Fox): Exotic dancer, Steve's girlfriend, and eventually his wife; the two marry shortly before he goes to destroy the mothership.
Russell Casse (Randy Quaid): Viet Namveteran pilot and crop duster, claims to have been formerly abducted by aliens. He was ridiculed because of this. Although his eldest son does not think he is a very good father, when Casse sacrifices himself taking out the alien ship over Area 51 (by crashing his F/A-18 into the ship's primary weapon) he becomes a hero.
Albert Nimziki (James Rebhorn): Formerly a CIA officer and the current Secretary of Defense. He was fired near the end of the movie when President Whitmore had had enough with him. Later seen during the war scenes when he sticked around at Area 51, praying with Julius.
Marty Gilbert (Harvey Fierstein): David's flamboyant boss. He is killed during the destruction of New York City, when a car blown into the air by the explosion lands on his car, with him in it.
Dr. Brackish Okun (Brent Spiner): Chief scientist at Area 51. While examining the alien that Hiller captured, it regains consciousness and kills all the other scientists in the medical facility, leaving Okun in its mental captivity. The alien then uses Okun as a mouthpiece when Whitmore attempts to communicate and negotiate a truce. Okun is killed as a result of the alien's telepathy.
Miguel Casse (James Duval): Russell Casse's stepson.
Author Stephen Molstad wrote a tie-in novel to help promote the film shortly before its release in the summer of 1996. The novel goes into further detail on the characters, situations and overall concept that many later felt the film lacked.
Following the success of the film, a prequel novel entitled Independence Day: Silent Zone was written by Molstad in February of 1998. The novel is set in the late 1960s and early 1970s and details the early career of Dr. Brackish Okun. The novel goes into much detail on the aliens' technology and goes into even further detail of the crash at Roswell, New Mexico. Okun discovers that a second craft crashed in a part of Mexico nicknamed the "Silent Zone". Future Secretary of Defense Albert Nimziki has a small role in the novel as the director of the CIA. The novel ends with Nimziki shredding a report by Okun on the possibility of aliens one day visiting Earth.
Molstad wrote a third novel, Independence Day: War in the Desert in July of 1999. The novel is both a midquel and sequel to the film. Set in Saudi Arabia on July 3, Capt. Reg Cummins of the RAF and many of his fellow pilots lead a successful attack on one of the many "city destroyers". The novel mainly deals with Reg and his pilots fighting a ground war with aliens that survived the destruction of their ship, whom the characters infiltrated earlier in the novel to dispose of any survivors. The novel also goes into detail of the aliens' psychic abilities, their use of ground vehicles, their hand-held weapons, and also contains a subplot of a blooming relationship between Reg and the Saudi king's daughter. Reg and Colonel Thompson are the only characters from the film to be featured in this novel (they being the two British pilots briefly seen receiving the Morse Code message), however, President Whitmore is mentioned.
Criticism
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While a massive commercial success (it made over $300,000,000 in the U.S. alone), the film was given mixed reviews by some critics. Criticism of the plot included the claim that it would be impossible to cause the aliens' high-tech computers to malfunction by infecting them with a simple computer virus. Another scientific criticism was the fact that an object one-fourth the size of the moon and so close to Earth would cause tidal waves. An object of that size exploding in Earth's orbit would rain debris over the entire planet and probably do more damage than an alien invasion.
Advocates of the film point out that alien virus protection could have evolved to such a high level that archaic viruses might have passed under their notice due to a need to allocate processor power to more advanced scanning.[citation needed] They also suggest that the modern computers of the film may have been developed based on technology recovered from the Area 51 craft, thus making the two systems accidentally compatible.[citation needed] Another set of ideas suggest that the aliens had to modify their own computer systems to interface with the Earth's satellite network, thus making them vulnerable to viruses.[citation needed] Others pointed out that, "It was just a movie" and not meant to be taken too seriously.
The political overtones of the film were widely criticized by foreign reviewers; Movie Review UK described the film as "A mish-mash of elements from a wide variety of alien invasion movies and gung-ho American jingoism".[1] Pullman's pre-battle speech, in which he states that victory in the coming war would see the entire world henceforth describe July 4th as its "independence day", was described as the "the most jaw-droppingly pompous soliloquy ever delivered in a mainstream Hollywood movie" in a BBCi review.[2]
The theatrical version of the movie was 2 hours, 25 minutes in length. A Special Edition, released on DVD, contains an additional nine minutes of footage. Much of the reincorporated material involves the Casse family. For example, it reveals that Troy is chronically ill (in the theatrical cut, he just throws up along the way), and receives treatment in the Area 51 infirmary upon arrival. Also, the Special Edition featured a DTS 5.1 track that was used in theaters. The DTS track is considered by many DVD critics and enthusiasts as far superior to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which was a reference track for LaserDisc.[citation needed]
Trivia
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In an alternate ending scene, Russell Casse (Randy Quaid) was originally denied service in the U.S.-led worldwide aerial counterattack force, so he flew his unarmed biplane with a missile attached to it, knowing he was going to kill himself in the process of taking out one of the alien space destroyers. The scene was dropped and later revised: in the new version of this scene, Casse joins the U.S.-led worldwide aerial counterattack force and flies an F/A-18 jet fighter plane instead of his biplane, and later makes the decision to destroy the alien space destroyer on a suicide run after his firing mechanism jams. According to the director's commentary, the original scene “lost some of the realism of the film” and the revised sequence “gave the character a choice to sacrifice himself or not.” This scene is available as an extra on the Special Edition DVD, and featured in the junior novelization of the film.[citation needed]
The studio did not want the film to use the title Independence Day, but Bill Pullman ad-libbed the final line in his speech to include the title.[citation needed]
When David Levinson opens his laptop computer, it greets him with the message "Good morning, Dave", and an image of the visual receptor plate of the semi-sentientHAL 9000 computer as it appeared in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
When Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith escape the mothership, Goldblum uses the line "Must go faster," which he also voiced in Jurassic Park when his character was in the back of a truck fleeing a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The recon vehicle used to observe the Houston nuclear strike is a real-world vehicle, the M93A1 NBCRS, nicknamed the Fox. This vehicle is purposely designed to survive and protect its crew in nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare zones and was a logical choice for the recon mission, being well-protected from EMP (electromagnetic pulse) effects.
The U.S. Military was willing to help out with the film; however, they wanted Area 51 out of the script.[citation needed] It is also rumored that the script was under review by the US Government when looking for things to censor due to "national security."[citation needed]
The twin fighter jets parked outside the Russian outpost during the Morse Code sequence are Mig-31 Foxhounds.
After the aliens destroy New York, the Twin Towers are the only skyscrapers standing, albeit one tower has its top portion in flames.
Errors in continuity
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An object with one-fourth the mass of the Moon, parked in geostationary orbit, would create tidal forces 25 times greater than the moon, causing earthquakes, flooding of coastal areas, and volcanic eruptions.[3]
Most nuclear weapons do not have a blast radius large enough to destroy even one of the alien destroyers, let alone a ship 1/4 the size of the moon. (Presumably, however, the initiation of a nuclear explosion inside the alien ship would have consumed alien power generators inside the ship and thus caused a chain reaction similar to the destruction of the city-destroyer ships when their primary weapon was damaged.)
When the destroyer arrives over Washington, D.C, the shadow it creates is going northwards, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building. In the next shot, the White House is shown with the shadow going over it from the lawn, even though the lawn is west of the Washington Monument, and the destroyer's shadow had passed the White House already. The shadow should have gone from the East Wing of the White House to the West Wing.
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, is shown with the shadow of the destroyer covering it from the bottom of the pedestal going upwards, yet the Lincoln Memorial is facing the National Mall, opposite the destroyers direction, which is going towards the Capital Building.
The Empire State Building was moved to the center of Fifth Avenue. The producers of the film have stated that this was done on purpose to provide the audience a better view of the building's explosion.
The destroyer over Washington is shown descending very low over the White House. The Capitol Building, which is taller than the White House, should have had the top part of its rotunda destroyed. In a later shot of the destruction, the destroyer is shown at a higher level and the rotunda is intact until it is shattered by the extreme heat of the explosions. Similarly, the Washington Monument, which is much taller than the white house or the capitol, should have been partially destroyed by the incoming alien craft. However, when Levinson and his father are entering Washington, it can be seen fully intact in the background.
When the ship floats over New York, it goes over the Empire State building, and the needle of the building is within yards from the ship. At that time, the World Trade Center was, in reality, much higher up,(about 350 feet including the antennae on top of Tower 1) yet somehow the taller buildings are not damaged from colliding with the ship.
The explosion wave in Washington, DC, was seen chasing Air Force One. The runways at Andrews Air Force Base, where Air Force One is parked in Washington, all run north-to-south. The fireball caused by the explosion originating from the White House would not have directly chased the plane, and likely would have enveloped it, since the plane would not be moving away from it as fast as it would have been if the runways were oriented northwest-to-southeast.
Captain Hiller deploys a parachute to block the alien’s view of the canyon wall, but the F/A-18 has no such parachute.
At one point, Hiller says the launch control for a small nuclear missile is "Just like the AMRAAM control panel on the Stealth." No stealth aircraft operating at the time of "Independence Day" was armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, discounting the prototype for the F-22A, the YF-22. The F-22A Raptor was the first stealthy aircraft to carry AIM-120, and was not fielded until 2005. Neither the YF-22 nor the F-22A appears in "ID4." It is possible Hiller was referring to the F-117A, which can carry AMRAAMs.
In the Iraqi desert scene, we see an F-16 with Royal Air Force markings and an F/A-18 with Israeli Air Force markings. Neither type of plane is in service with those air forces.
A B-2 bomber is shown deploying a nuclear missile from close range against the destroyer over Houston. In reality the B-2 would have launched the cruise missile from beyond the horizon, as it is not fast or maneuverable enough to escape the blast from any closer. It is shown banking right after firing its missile, yet on the tactical map at Area 51, it is shown banking right.
During the second air combat with the aliens, the President's fighter fires five missiles, more than the four it is shown several times having. The President fires one missile at the destroyer to test its shields, another to confirm the shields are down and another at the destroyer. He then fires one missile at an alien fighter and one at the destroyers beam weapon.
AMRAAM missiles cannot jam; the rocket motor on the missile is far too strong for the missile to stay on its launch rail. However, an AMRAAM may abort due to an internally-detected malfunction during the prelaunch sequence prior to rocket motor ignition and remain on the rail. (Because Casse was an amateur pilot pressed into service, he could have misspoke when he said it 'jammed.')
Hiller and Levinson have only 30 seconds to escape the mothership before it explodes, however, their escape lasts roughly 90 Seconds. However, it is possible that some of the footage of their escape- such as their conversations inside the alien ship- took place at the same time in 'real life', thus making the time scale less inaccurate.
During the climax of the first fighter jet/alien fighter ship battle, Hiller travels from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon and eventually to the vicinity of Area 51 in a matter of minutes.
Throughout the air combat scenes, the loadouts on all the aircraft are inconsistent, sometimes showing more missiles than indicated by dialog or graphics, changing numbers and position between scenes or showing missiles in different locations between closeups, MFD graphics and wide shots.
Prior to the final battle sequence, all of the pilots are seen putting on their face masks, which would only be necessary for high altitude flight(above about 14,000), yet prior to this they are flying level and immediately after they perform a break turn and descend.
When Mitchell is briefing the makeshift pilots before the climactic battle, he is standing in front of a jet that says US Air Force on the side. Although the angle is too narrow to see much of the aircraft, one can see that it is an F/A-18 Hornet, as evident by the characteristic "Cobra hood" winglets next to the cockpit. The USAF, however, does not fly Hornets.
When this movie came out, El Toro was no longer used by the Marine Corps as a base. The closest active Marine bases to Los Angeles would either be Camp Pendleton or Twenty-Nine Palms. Also, the movie depicts El Toro as being in the middle of the Mojave Desert when it reality, it is located in heavily populated Orange County.
When Jasmine brings survivors from Los Angeles to the remains of El Toro, one of the survivors mentions that this was the first time he used the subway. At the time, the Red Line only went to MacArthur Park. The sign on a fence on El Toro also said "Restricted Area", but it was on the wrong side. It was on the inside of the base, when it should have been on the outside.
During the final battle with the destroyer, an Area 51 controller says all missiles were fired, however later, several jets can clearly be seen with missiles on their racks flying away from the destroyer.
When the B-2 attacks the destroyer over Houston, Texas, even though the city was presumably destroyed, lights can seen shining in the streets.
References in culture
In the Stargate SG-1 television episode Politics, Daniel Jackson responds to an unrealistic statement by Senator Kinsey by sarcastically saying We'll just upload a virus into their mothership. This is a reference to the film Independence Day, which was written and directed by the same duo that wrote/directed the Stargate film.
In the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, when Dr. Evil is threatening the U.S. with his "LASER" and the president doesn't believe him, Dr. Evil says, "Fire the LASER!" and he shows them a clip of a laser destroying the White House. The President screams and cowers in fear, believing it was real and yells out, "Damage Report, Damage Report!!!" only to realize he's still alive, when Dr. Evil says, "Actually, that was just a clip from the movie Independence Day....But real life would be a lot like that. Yea, scary!"
Infamous female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, made references to Independence Day with her last words before she was executed by lethal injection. Her final words were:
I'd just like to say I'm sailing with the Rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mothership and all. I'll be back.
It is still not understood what Wuornos meant by this.
The Katina level of the Nintendo 64 videogame Star Fox 64 is a homage to the climactic battle scene of the movie, featuring squadrons of friendly aircraft dogfighting swarms of alien ships beneath a saucer-shaped mothership.
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