Independence Day Review by Beth Ann Griese

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Starring	Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
Director	Roland Emmerlich
Year	1996
What it's worth		Full price (See this movie at whatever cost!)

Being the perfect Hollywood movie has its ups and downs. On the bad side, it means that the plot is so simple a five-year-old can grasp it without effort. It means that the characters are stunningly simple and can be defined in two sentences. Let me give you the starring examples:

Bill Pullman plays our nation's president, a young idealist who is sinking in the polls but is a natural leader and fiercely determined to help his country. Oh, and don't forget, he's also a former fighter pilot; that becomes important later in the movie.

Jeff Goldblum is David, a communications genius who just happens to have an inside friend (ex-wife, actually), at the White House, so that when he's the first in the world to figure out the aliens' plot, he has a way to get right to the president with it. Oh, and don't forget, he's also still in love with his ex-wife; that becomes important later in the movie.

Will Smith is a crack fighter pilot, with lots of sass and brashness to pitch funny comments while he's scorching around the atmosphere after aliens. Oh, and don't forget, he always takes cigars on his missions to smoke when it's all over; that becomes important later in the movie.

Definitely no plot twists that will take anyone for a surprise. Even worse than the simplifying is the incredible leaps and bounds in logic that the film takes; you have to believe that people can make amazing leaps in logic and ability in the space of an hour or two. You have to forget a few basic scientific facts. The movie's plot, when examined closely, starts to look like cheesecloth with the number of thin spots and holes in it.

But then there are the good things about Hollywood pictures. This movie takes you where normal life will never go; into alien mother ships and streaking across the sky at mach two with bad guys behind you like a swarm of gnats. You get completely immersed in the tale; even the plot holes fade into the background as the jokes fly and the adventure stirs.

The charismatic actors go a long way towards making this film a success. I only named three of the top characters, but ID4 has a long list of impressive actors and actresses on its list of credits. And every one of them take their simplistic, one-dimensional characters and manage to make them appealing, interesting people to watch.

Another advantage to Hollywood fare is the amount of money and technology that goes into it. The six or so minutes that show the start of the aliens' attack, devoid of soundtrack music and starkly depicted, are breathtaking, and some classic footage that I'm sure we'll see again and again. Already, the preview shots of the White House and the Empire State Building being blown to bits have people talking. They won't stop talking about the incredible effects.

There's not much original to this movie's concept; it's large chunks of War of the Worlds, Star Wars, and even some of the producers' previous movie, Stargate. But like those other movies, it's great entertainment, with some very funny humor, poignant drama, and thrilling excitement - as long as you don't try to think too much.

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