DVD Review-Independence Day

By Mark Rabinowitz in DVD Reviews | Film on May 14, 2004 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yeah, I know what you're all saying. Yes, this film has been released on DVD a few times and yes, it's 8 years old. But it is indeed a new version (albeit without a whole lot of new stuff on it) and I figured, why not start off my DVD reviews with something I know pretty well? Anyway, read and I hope, enjoy. There are many more DVD and theatrical reviews, indie and studio, classics and new releases, to come! Coming up next week: "Speed Racer" limited collecter's edition vol. 2 and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly special edition collector's set, and in coming weeks, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" complete 6th season, The Great Escape special edition, "Dead Like Me" the complete first season, and Ralph Bakshi's Wizards, among others.

As of now I plan on running DVD reviews on Tuesday and Friday.

-M

Independence Day

Directed by Roland Emmerich

By now, most of you know the basic story of this movie. In addition to the fact that the film grossed over $300 million at the US box office alone, most of you have seen an alien invasion movie before, be that War of the Worlds, the TV mini-series "V" or Invasion of the Body Snatchers, so you know the deal. Aliens come, kill a lot of people then the remaining inhabitants of Earth band together and kill the aliens. Well, most of the time. While not the best movie in the world, Independence Day is a mostly rousing tale of humanity fighting off the threat of extinction. Yeah, I don't buy that, either. It's hokey as all hell and you have to be able to seriously suspend your disbelief in several spots. That said, it's not the worst way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Goldblum is perfectly cast as the eco-friendly MIT grad and cable TV satellite specialist who discovers the aliens true plans, Will Smith follows up his action debut in Bad Boys by cementing his cocky persona as the Marine Captain who brings down the first alien then helps to save the world and even Bill Pullman pulls off a little "down home hokum" as the president of the United States, although how he got elected in the first place is a mystery to me. Must have been some mental CGI. My only casting disappointment is that Harry Connick Jr. only made it an hour into the 2:30+ film.

The extras actually make this DVD worth owning. The commentaries from director Emmerich, producer Devlin and Oscar®-winning special effect supervisors Volker Engel and Doug Smith are pretty enlightening, but there's a fair amount of overlap, as Emmerich and Devlin discuss much of the special effect work on their track. The disc also includes the option to watch either the original theatrical version or a "Special Edition" with 9 added scenes. The transfer and THX-certified sound are, of course, exceptional.

Also included is a rather perfunctory look at the upcoming Eco-Epic, The Day After Tomorrow. Short clips of interviews with stars Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal are inter-cut with scenes from the film and "behind the scenes" footage. Unfortunately, this clip is only a little over 2-minutes long but it does make me axnious as all hell-freezes-over to see this pic! Also included is a coupon for "up to $6.50" off admission to The Day After Tomorrow. I got a buck. I feel like Charlie Brown in the Halloween special. "I got a rock."

Ratings:
Movie 3/5-Silly but fun.
Extras 2/5-Good Commentaries, but that's it, basically.
DVD quality 4/5

Here's a link to one of my affiliates, in case you would like to purchase your very own copy of ID4:

Independence Day