Independence Day (1996)
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A desperate alliance of survivors must unite to stop a massive extraterrestrial invasion of Earth.
The story
On July 2, 1996, an extraterrestrial mothership enters Earth's orbit and deploys flying saucers over major cities worldwide. As the world faces a coordinated attack, disparate groups of people—including a Marine pilot, a retired pilot, and a team of scientists—must navigate the chaos. They eventually converge in the Nevada desert following the destruction of major cities. Amidst the devastation, they work to uncover the invaders' plans and prepare a desperate counterattack to defend humanity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On July 2, 1996, an alien mothership deploys saucers over major cities, incinerating them and killing millions. Marine Captain Steven Hiller and his girlfriend Jasmine Dubrow flee the destruction of Los Angeles, while scientist David Levinson and his father Julius alert the President to the alien threat. After a failed initial nuclear strike, the military and a group of survivors, including the eccentric Russell Casse, gather at Area 51. There, they learn the aliens intend to harvest Earth's resources. On July 4, David and Steven lead a mission to infiltrate the mothership using a virus to drop its shields, while a coalition of pilots, including Russell, launches a coordinated aerial assault. After Russell sacrifices himself to destroy a saucer and the virus successfully disables the mothership's defenses, Steven and David launch a nuclear missile that destroys the alien fleet. The film ends with the survivors reunited and humanity celebrating their victory.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 145
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Roland Emmerich
- Writers
- Dean Devlin · writer; Roland Emmerich · writer
- Cast and characters
- Will Smith · Captain Steven Hiller; Bill Pullman · President Thomas J. Whitmore; Jeff Goldblum · David Levinson; Mary McDonnell · First Lady Marilyn Whitmore; Judd Hirsch · Julius Levinson; Margaret Colin · Constance Spano; Randy Quaid · Russell Casse; Robert Loggia · General William Grey
- Genres
- science fiction; action
- Themes
- unity; survival; patriotism
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- alien invasion; disaster; military; conspiracy
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was considered a significant turning point in the history of the Hollywood blockbuster, noted for its high production value and successful marketing.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.2 · scale: 10 · review count: 154; Metacritic · score: 59 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · win; Academy Award · Best Sound · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled 'ID4' during production.; The production used over 3,000 special effects shots.; The film's success led to a trend of using Super Bowl air time for blockbuster marketing.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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