THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996 TAG: 9607050307
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 83 lines
KICK THE TIRES and light the fires! It's time for the good ol' USA to pull out all the stops and, perhaps for the first time since World War II, pull together.
Just when you thought it was safe to look up, the movies are trotting out an enemy that proves, once and for all, that we are not alone in the universe. You won't be alone in the movie theaters either.
``Independence Day'' is everything a popcorn-time summer movie should be - and more. The special effects are awesome. Under the supervision of director Roland Emmerich, who with his partner Dean Devlin suddenly jumps to head of the pack in the action-flick genre, ``they,'' those nasty meanies from up yonder, blow up the White House. They vaporize the Empire State Building. They zap Los Angeles, even as some leftover flower children gather on rooftops to welcome them with peace chants. They're mean dudes. How refreshing that we don't, for once, have to be PC about them.
The audience cheers when the president says ``Nuke 'em.''
``Independence Day'' doesn't really give a hoot about whether we ``believe'' it or not. It's unashamedly old-time-movie-corny about it all. If you expect to be scared, you'll be disappointed. It isn't very scary; it's a thrill ride.
Delightfully, it shamelessly borrows from favorite movie cliches of the past.
The past-movie references are plentiful. The president, a former Persian Gulf jet pilot, borrows liberally from Henry V's troop-rousing speech, penned by Will Shakespeare. There are cheers when he proclaims that, even though most of our cities have been done-in by special effects, ``We will not go gently into that night.'' Will Smith as a jet pilot imitates Harrison Ford's cocky pilot from ``Star Wars'' as he executes a wonderful jet dive through the Grand Canyon. (It's the movie's single, best, moment).
But who would have thought the future of the world would have depended on the Fresh Prince from Bel Air? There is an alien autopsy that is an obvious steal from ``Alien.'' Randy Quaid, as a drunken pilot spurred to heroism, does an imitation of Slim Pickens, striding a nuclear bomb a la ``Dr. Strangelove'' (a movie from the era when we really DID worry about the bomb).
There's even an homage to ``2001: A Space Odyssey'' as someone says ``Good morning, Dave.'' Of course ``Independence Day'' is, overall, more a re-creation of the multicharacter disaster movies (``Earthquake,'' ``Towering Inferno,'' all the ``Airports'') than it is of the '50s ``Creature from Outer Space'' things. It also evokes the fervor and unashamed patriotism of 1940s war movies. (Director Emmerich told me that ``Bridge on the River Kwai'' is his favorite movie).
As for the actors, they're only human. Jeff Goldblum repeats his ``Jurassic Park'' routine as the scientist who explains the silly ruse to fight back. Mary McDonald, best remembered as the American Indian who sparked ``Dances With Wolves,'' has been promoted to first lady. Harvey Fierstein delivers his usual excess. Robert Loggia is the bewildered head of defense. Brent Spiner, with experience in TV's ``Star Trek'' spin-off, is a flighty scientist who has an old UFO hidden away as a secret weapon.
It is the comedy relief, though, that takes the acting honors. He's Judd Hirsch, as Goldblum's father. He may well join Shelley Winters (``Poseidon Adventure,'') and Helen Hayes (``Airport'') as actors who transcended the lightness of it all to get Oscar nominations from disaster movies. (Hayes even won).
There are even musical in-jokes, such as using R.E.M.'s ``It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).''
Most notably, this ultra-fun movie cost less to make than either ``The Rock'' or ``Mission: Impossible,'' both of which took themselves much too seriously.
It's nice to just relax and watch the world be destroyed - knowing that we're sure to get our comeback. How refreshing to have a movie that is not about war within the world, but war between worlds! ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Independence Day''
Cast: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonald, Judd
Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, James Rebhan,
Harvey Fierstein, Viveca Fox, Brent Spiner
Director: Roland Emmerich
Screenplay: Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin
MPAA rating: PG-13 (explosive but non-personal violence, some
language)
Mal's rating: Four stars by CNB