INDEPENDENCE DAY
A film review by Vince Deehan
Copyright 1996 Vince Deehan
Directed by Roland Emmerich Written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich Cast: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid and Robert Loggia.
I had been meaning to see INDEPENDENCE DAY for the past few weeks and so it was with some degree of excitement that I went along to probably the biggest screen in London's West End to see it last week. I thought it would be great to see it on such a large screen. Unfortunately, the seat I had was so near the front that I may well have been sitting at my local small screen cinema. Oh well, I guess I should have got a seat a bit farther back !
In ID4 (as I will refer to the film from now on) the story is simple : aliens try to destroy planet Earth and the US leads the fight to save the world. That's about it really. I could go through the various characters and explain their part in the plot but this seems superfluous. This is after all, a special effects movie not a character driven movie. I have no problem with this set up. Although I do prefer films with solidly played and written characters, most of us need to lighten up from time to time and watch a big, loud action movie.
The problem with ID4 was that I expected to be on the edge of my seat throughout the whole movie. I thought it would be a rollercoaster ride of a film with lots of tension and excitement. It wasn't. To be brutally honest, in the final half hour I was fighting a constant battle to stay awake. It was a *real* struggle for me to keep my eyes open, so strong was my urge to just doze off. The fact that I lost my concentration during the final reel, which should really have been the most exciting part of the film, says a lot to me about the effectiveness of this film.
The main problem with ID4 and the main cause of my sleepiness is the simple fact that I couldn't get over the constant realisation that much of what I was seeing on the screen is all computer generated, state-of-the-art high tech graphics, and therefore it requires that the viewer must suspend common sense and be excited and in awe of the images on the screen. I'm sorry but I couldn't really feel any sense of danger when Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum are shown flying towards the enormous mothership, when you know that the mothership is just something that has been created on a computer (or whatever) and was superimposed after they had filmed their scene.
I don't wish to imply that all special effects leave me cold, because this isn't true. I am saying however that the much hyped effects in ID4 did leave me cold and therefore made the film an interminable bore.
The one scene I enjoyed was the alien autopsy scene. I don't mind admitting that I literally jumped out of my seat with fright, when they started to cut into the alien. Boy, was I embarrassed ! A classic horror film moment that really got me !
The acting in the film was generally adequate, nothing special. The actors let the special effects take centre stage, which from my point of view was a mistake. This was hardly the fault of the actors since they had to make do with shallow characters and uninspiring dialogue. Bill Pullman, who is one of my favourite actors, played a President who was said (at the start of the film) to be weak and he did what he could within the confines of the script. The script called for a bland President and this is what Pullman provided. Such a waste of his talents. Will Smith gave a workmanlike performance and showed not a glimmer of his genuine acting ability which was shown in his excellent performance in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION (anyone who hasn't seen this film should check it out). The sooner Will Smith gets another proper serious acting role, the better. Judd Hirsch was the best thing in the movie. His funny and touching performance as Jeff Goldblum's father was very entertaining. The other really good performance was from Brent Spiner who was a joy as the mad Scientist looking after the Roswell UFO. His very appearance was funny, and he had great presence in the few scenes he appeared in. I am barely familiar with his work in STAR TREK:TNG, but I was very impressed with his entertaining performance in ID4.
Although I didn't enjoy ID4 I can appreciate the amount of work that went into it and I know that many people will enjoy it.
Review written on Sunday 22 September 1996 by Vince Deehan e-mail : vince@deehan.demon.co.uk
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