Today we salute President Whitmore, a man who has collectively made us all feel more patriotic probably than any other president in history, and that includes Martin Sheen, but maybe not Harrison Ford.
One thing that’s worth noting about Independence Day is that when it opened back in 1996, it was the sixth highest grossing movie of all time. behind only The Lion King, Star Wars, Forrest Gump, Jurassic Park and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. It won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (against Twister and the actually pretty revolutionary Dragonheart), and helped make Will Smith into a breakout box office star. No wonder Sony was quick to hire director Roland Emmerich for their big budget Godzilla in the hopes of similar results.
Independence Day is a summer blockbuster classic, a movie that works perfectly for the Fourth of July due to how it functions as the cinematic equivalent of fireworks. As with fireworks, the audience has to wait a while for them to happen (it’s roughly 40 minutes into the movie when the explosions actually start), but the build-up to them is exceptionally well-done, gradually building up tension as it counts down to the film’s promise of delivering its awe-inspiring and terrifying spectacle.
Also, I love how this toy commercial tries to make the movie look like Aliens….
Have a happy Fourth of July, everyone!
