Best Holiday Movies of All Time: 4th of July - Independence Day (1996)

 Written By: Danny Albers 

It doesn’t quite feel like the 4th of July without a blockbuster action film of the summer. In 1996, Independence Day, one of the biggest blockbuster summer hits of all time starring a young Will Smith and featuring Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, and Vivica A. Fox hit theaters and took the country by storm. This film turned Will Smith into a mega-star. He’d already had a successful rap career, and was wildly successful in television with Fresh Prince of Bel Air. His first two movies stepping away from TV and music were Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and Bad Boys (1996). But neither of those movies were close to the fame that Indepence Day received. Independence Day was the highest grossing film of 1996. It’s noted as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, with some of the best alien special effects we’d seen at the time. This movie was mind blowing from 90’s standards, with the image of a massive mothership hovering about the White House. 

The storyline was pretty simple. Earth was under attack from a race of aliens who exterminate worlds. The aliens showed up on July 1st, while America was taking the weekend off to observe the holiday. When they first appear, there is hope that these aliens aren’t hostile. That there is a chance that a peaceful agreement can be made. Bill Pullman plays the president of the United States who spearheads this conflict with the aliens. Will Smith, an Air Force pilot on leave, sees the ship and returns to base asking to fight. Nothing the humans do work. From nukes to well organized attacks, everything is thwarted by E.T. Will Smith draws the first blood against the attackers, echoing the famous line “Welcome to Earth.” He brings the alien to area 51, where the US government has been secretly rebuilding one of these alien spaceships since Rockwell. Jeff Goldbloom plays a radio engineer. He’s the one who discovered the arrival of the aliens by studying radio waves. He’s being looked at as an intelligence consultant against the aliens. Eventually, he finds out that because the aliens communicate telepathically, they could be weakened by ultrasonic sound. The plan is for them to drive the rebuilt alien ship with a nuclear warhead attached to it, and dock inside the headquarters out in space. From there, they’re to shoot the warhead, and only will have 20 seconds to escape. Blowing up the main mothership will weaken the defenses of all the ships on earth and make them vulnerable. The mission is successful. As one of the larger carrier ships is prepared to fire a deadly blow, a for Air Force pilot who was abducted flies his plane into the blast, exploding the entire carrier ship. With both the mothership down, and the carrier ship stationed over America destroyed, the US begins to tell other countries how to destroy these ships and these aliens. Before this final fight, we get one of the more iconic movie scenes of all time. The president addresses this alien warfare to the remaining troops, and he echoes an inspiring message that wills his troops to victory. 

“Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in this history of mankind. Mankind -- that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution -- but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!" Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”

Not everyone will share the same nostalgia that I feel whenever I watch anything from the 90s with Will Smith in it. But even if you don’t have any nostalgia for the decade, this movie holds up as one of the more epic sci-fi action films even today. It’s far better than the remake that was made in 2016. The special effects were really well done for 1996. The acting was a little cheesy, but so is every summer blockbuster action movie. Jeff Goldblum in the 90’s was on one of those runs that an actor gets on where 3 movies make him never have to work again. Being part of Independence Day and the Jurassic Park films during the 90’s, he became a household name. This movie also lifted Will Smith into another level of celebrity. I know I mentioned that earlier, but after Independence Day, it felt like Will Smith was involved in a major project every 4-6 months. I also felt like the 90s were stacked with supporting actors that specialized in playing iconic small parts in movies. Margaret Colin who played Constance in this movie, and Bill Pullman who played the president were incredible in their roles. The aerial battles between human Air Forces and space ships were awesome. A lot of the movie is shot in the air, so if the effects were terrible, this movie would not have been as successful and likely would have flopped. The believability and the design of the Aliens is important. If the Alien looks menacing and terrifying, you have Alien or Signs, if not, critics will crucify the movie. Director Roland Emmerich might be one of the most underrated directors of all time. The nostalgia I get watching Independence Day is shared amongst the other disaster films across his filmography. Moonfall, Godzilla (1998), The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, are just some of the classic disaster films that he’s gifted movie fans. Independence Day is one of the pop culture moments from the 90s that will live on forever. So on the 4th of July, when celebrating America’s Independence, turn on this classic, and celebrate the holiday properly.