Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Emmerich and the film's producer Dean Devlin, and starring an ensemble cast that consists of Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, Adam Baldwin, Vivica A. Fox, James Rebhorn, and Harvey Fierstein. The film focuses on disparate groups of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by a powerful extraterrestrial race. With the other people of the world, they launch a counterattack on July 4—Independence Day in the United States.
While promoting Stargate in Europe, Emmerich conceived the film while answering a question about his belief in the existence of alien life. Devlin and Emmerich decided to incorporate a large-scale attack having noticed that aliens in most invasion films travel long distances in outer space only to remain hidden when reaching Earth. Shooting began on July 28, 1995, in New York City, and the film was completed on October 8, 1995.
Considered a significant turning point in the history of the Hollywood blockbuster, Independence Day was at the forefront of the large-scale disaster film and sci-fi resurgence of the mid-late 1990s. It was released worldwide on July 3, 1996, by 20th Century Fox, but began showing on July 2 (the same day the film's story begins) in original release as a result of a high level of anticipation among moviegoers. The film received positive reviews. It grossed over $817.4 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1996 and the second-highest-grossing film ever at the time, behind Jurassic Park (1993). The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound.
The sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, was released 20 years later on June 24, 2016, as part of a planned series of films.
Plot
On July 2, 1996, an extraterrestrial mothership, entering Earth's orbit outside the Moon, deploys its flying saucers, each in diameter, which hover over major cities worldwide. U.S. Marine Captain Steven Hiller and his unit, the Black Knights fighter squadron stationed out of MCAS El Toro, are called back from Independence Day leave; his girlfriend, Jasmine Dubrow, decides to flee Los Angeles with her son, Dylan. Retired combat pilot Russell Casse, now an alcoholic single father and crop duster, sees this as vindication of the alien abduction he has been claiming for 10 years.
In New York City, technician David Levinson decodes a signal embedded within global satellite transmissions, realizing it is the aliens' countdown for a coordinated attack. Aided by his ex-wife, White House Communications Director Constance Spano, David and his father Julius reach the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. and alert President Thomas Whitmore.
Whitmore orders evacuations of Los Angeles, New York City, and the District of Columbia, but it is too late. Each saucer fires a beam, incinerating every targeted city, killing millions. Whitmore, Spano, the Levinsons, and a few others barely escape aboard Air Force One while Jasmine and Dylan take shelter in a tunnel's inspection alcove and survive the destruction of Los Angeles.
On July 3, Earth's military retaliations against the invaders are thwarted by the alien warships' force fields. Each saucer launches shielded fighters, devastating the human fighter squadrons and military bases, including Steven's. Steven lures one fighter into the Grand Canyon before ejecting from his plane, blinding the fighter using his parachute and causing it to crash in the Mojave Desert. He subdues the downed alien and flags down the convoy of refugees Russell joined with, transporting the alien to Area 51, where Whitmore's plane has landed.
U.S. Defense Secretary Albert Nimziki reveals that a government faction has been involved in a UFO conspiracy since 1947, when one of the invaders' fighters crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. Area 51 houses the refurbished ship and three alien corpses from the crash. Chief scientist Dr. Brackish Okun examines the alien captured by Steven, which awakens, telepathically invades Okun's mind, and psychically attacks Whitmore before the alien is killed by Secret Service agents and military personnel. Whitmore learns the invaders' plan from the psychic attack; they intend to annihilate Earth's inhabitants while harvesting its natural resources, as they have done to other planetary civilizations.
Whitmore reluctantly authorizes a trial nuclear attack against a saucer above a mostly evacuated Houston, but while Houston is destroyed, the saucer's force field protects it from the blast. All subsequent nuclear attacks are aborted. Jasmine and Dylan, having commandeered a highway maintenance truck and rescued several survivors, including the badly injured First Lady, Marilyn Whitmore, reunite with Steven, who takes them to Area 51, where Marilyn succumbs to her injuries after reuniting with her own family.
On July 4, inspired by Julius, David plans to infiltrate the enemy using the refurbished fighter and a computer virus he developed with Area 51 researchers. Once docked with the mothership, it will upload the virus into its operating system to disable the shields before a tactical nuclear missile destroys the enemy vessel. Steven volunteers as the mission's pilot, and the U.S. military contacts other nations using Morse code to organize a united aerial counterattack. Lacking pilots, Whitmore and General William Grey enlist volunteers with flight experience, including Russell, to fly the remaining jets. Steven marries Jasmine, with David and Constance present, during which the divorced pair reconciles before Steven and David leave on the mission.
Entering the mothership, they upload the virus. With the shields down, Whitmore's squadron engages a saucer targeting the Area 51 base. They exhaust their ammunition, and as the saucer readies to fire, Russell sacrifices himself by crashing into its primary weapon, destroying the saucer. Grey orders notifications to resistance groups worldwide about the saucers' critical weakness, leading to their destruction.
Steven and David launch the missile and narrowly escape the destruction of the mothership and all the aliens in it. As humanity celebrates its victory against the aliens, Steven and David are rescued after surviving the crash and are reunited with their families.
Cast
Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller, a Marine F/A-18 pilot squadron leader with the Black Knight squadron at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and aspiring astronaut. The role was originally offered to Ethan Hawke, but he turned it down, as he thought the script was terrible. Devlin and Emmerich had always envisioned an African-American for the role, and specifically wanted Smith after seeing his performance in Six Degrees of Separation.Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 36. Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore, a former fighter pilot and Gulf War veteran. To prepare for the role, Pullman read Bob Woodward's The Commanders and watched the documentary film The War Room.Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 32. Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson, an MIT-educated satellite engineer and technological expert. Mary McDonnell as First Lady Marilyn Whitmore, wife of Thomas Whitmore. Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson, David Levinson's father. The character was based on one of Dean Devlin's uncles.DVD commentary Robert Loggia as General William Grey, the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Loggia modeled the character after World War II generals, particularly George S. Patton.Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 42. Randy Quaid as Russell Casse, an eccentric, alcoholic former fighter pilot and Vietnam War veteran. He insists that he was abducted by the aliens while crop dusting ten years prior to the film's events, shortly after completing his military service. Margaret Colin as Constance Spano, Whitmore's White House Communications Director and David Levinson's ex-wife. Vivica A. Fox as Jasmine Dubrow, Steven Hiller's girlfriend and mother of Dylan Dubrow. Jada Pinkett Smith turned down the role in favor of The Nutty Professor. James Rebhorn as Albert Nimziki, the Secretary of Defense and, as former CIA Director, is a member of a governmental faction who are aware of the aliens' existence due to the ship recovered at Roswell. Not well-liked, lying, arrogant, selfish, crooked, and often at odds with idealists such as Whitmore and Grey, Nimziki embodies the stereotypical corrupt politician and his ambition is to be elected as president himself. Rebhorn described the character as being much like Oliver North.Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 44. The character's eventual firing lampoons Joe Nimziki, MGM's head of advertising, who made life unpleasant for Devlin and Emmerich when studio executives forced recuts of Stargate. Harvey Fierstein as Marty Gilbert, David Levinson's coworker at Compact Cable Television Company who is killed in the NYC attack. Adam Baldwin as Major Mitchell, USAF, Area 51's commanding officer and a member of a governmental faction who are aware of the aliens' existence. Brent Spiner as Dr. Brackish Okun, the unkempt and highly excitable scientist in charge of research at Area 51. The character's appearance and verbal style are based upon those of visual effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun, with whom Emmerich had worked on Stargate.Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 45. James Duval as Miguel Casse, the oldest son of Russell Casse. Bill Smitrovich as Lt. Colonel Watson, the commanding officer of the Black Knights. Kiersten Warren as Tiffany, friend and co-worker of Jasmine who is killed in the LA attack. Harry Connick Jr. as Marine Captain Jimmy Wilder, fellow fighter pilot and friend of Steven, killed in the Black Knight counterattack. Connick took over the role from Matthew Perry, who was originally cast in the role. Mae Whitman as Patricia Whitmore, the daughter of President Thomas J. Whitmore and First Lady Marilyn Whitmore.digitallyobsessed.com. Retrieved July 8, 2008. Ross Bagley as Dylan Dubrow, Jasmine Dubrow's son and Steven Hiller's stepson. Lisa Jakub as Alicia Casse, the daughter of Russell Casse. Giuseppe Andrews as Troy Casse, the son of Russell Casse. Special vocal effects by Frank Welker. Alien vocal effects by Gary A. Hecker.
Production Development
The idea for the film came when Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were in Europe promoting their film Stargate in 1994. A reporter asked Emmerich why he made a film with content like Stargate if he did not believe in aliens. Emmerich stated he was still fascinated by the idea of an alien arrival, and further explained his response by asking the reporter to imagine what it would be like to wake up one morning and to discover 15-mile-wide spaceships were hovering over the world's largest cities. Emmerich then turned to Devlin and said, "I think I have an idea for our next film."Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 8.The 1996 Summer Movie Preview: July Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 8, 2008.