Will Smith opens the hatch of the alien spacecraft and coldcocks the pilot, saying "Welcome to Earth." That's the good part. Despite the special effects, the rest is dead dead dead.

Despite of total stupidity of this film as scenario, characters, etc, i actually... Don't regret time i had sacrifaced to watch it. Just an avarge, dull, quite epic and almost s-f movie.

Without a doubt one of my favorite popcorn movies of all time. The ensemble cast just feeds off one another with some of the best lines ever heard in a movie. Destined to become a science fiction classic.

This is filmmaking by numbers, but it's done with a big budget, big effects and big dreams...which translates to big fun! In the vein of Terminator 2 and Men In Black, this is a film made to entertain and delight and impress with it's skill (not to mention rake in the bucks) and it certainly does all this. The plot is as straightforward as they come, the characters are all the usual suspects, and the ending could have been predicted by a five-year-old. But you knew all this, right?......you also know it's a downright blast, a ride with all the spills and chills and ups and downs, and an absolute feast of visual thrills. That's why they make 'em and that's why we go see 'em.… Expand

Wow! I just finished watching this movie for the first time and was just blown away. It was so good I don't know how I missed it when it first came out. Rates right up there with the science fiction movies of all time. Even better than my personal all time favorite War Of The Worlds starring Gene Barry. Simply fantastic. Wonder if they will ever make a sequel?

Cool, i liked this film. U can see jets and alien ship plied the skies like Star Wars. I'm tellin u, it was great movie.

The special effects aren't bad, character use magnificent, story pretty superb, acting okay, but it is absolutely cheesy every second. There is one really funny part and thats it, there are several smiles and giggles of entertainment, the action totally passes, the plot has so much and flies. But the lamest part of it all is that the German Shepherd survives a jump into a truck with fire flaming 1 centimetere away from him. And the president's wife goes in a Helicopter and the Helicopter blows up in an instant noticable explosion, and the girl lives lying on the ground with just a bleed and dust particles on her face. when she should have a dissinagrated head and organs melted. That was the main road of the story which is lame, and it really drags on near the end. I just found it boring and unsuccesful, overall not worth it.… Expand

Independence Day is already classic. It has become a family tradition that on July 3rd we all gather around the DVD and enjoy it again. There are so many great ensemble actors in the film that it is hard to single out just one performance. Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum just feed off of one another. The scene is which Will asks Jeff if he really believes the BS he just spouted and Jeff, without missing a beat, retorts do you really think you can fly the alien spacecraft lying around for fifty years is simply pure gold. As for the scientist he is played by Brent Spiner of Star Trek fame (Data) not Howie Mandel. Regardless, this is one of the best fun movies of all time. Don't miss it.… Expand

I'm so sorry Jeff and Will. Two actor's, and one horrible script.

very predictable and obviously written. Most people say its very good, when seriously it is ridiculous, I hated it, definite crap.

Not quite enough action, but still really cool.

This an awsome movie, and the FX are great for a movie made in '96. the story is.... amusing to say the most. but great action, great acting( most of the time), and cool aliens make for a great movie.

Although this movie is a colossally dumb epic that happily traffics in third-hand imagery and ideas while feeding its audience maintenance level doses of humor, adrenaline and spectacle, Will Smith turns in one of the great performances of our time as a disillusioned pilot. Also, Howie Mandel (of Bobby's World fame) as the scientist is consistently one of the smartest characters in sci fi history. A must for fans of movies like Casablanca or Catch That Kid. … Expand

This movie has a permanent spot in my top-five movies list. Five-star special effects, great acting, good plot, and everyone gets a few great lines. The President's speech just before the final battle is unforgettable. Easily earns a place in any sci fi or action movie lover's library. Highly recommended.

i remember seeing this when i was 18 at the theater and i loved it but it hasnt held up maybe because i got older and the cheesiness about it that was entertaining then has gottin smelly and moldy. it really is a movie about explosions and yes thoose explosions and special effects are great but the over all plot , charicters and diolouge are pretty lame . its basically a cheesy remake of the original war of the worlds .its not a classic like say Army of darkness that is very cheesy but holds up so well. Independence Day does not stand the test of time and should be left in the 90s and forgottin.… Expand

Although this movie had its good scenes, it was surprisingly boring, i have seen far better disaster sequences. It was, for the most part, a major bore. I can understand that some people deem this as a classic and i fully understand it, but i was bored. Sorry Emmerich.

A very fun film in its own right. Unlike future Emmerich films, this one never takes itself to seriously and is subtly aware of its plot holes, scientific inaccuracy and bad acting so it just makes it look like it's a film made for fun. Special effects are great (and truthfully and utterly non-CGI) and of course WILL SMITH, the king of cool, is in it. That should be the very delicious icing on a particularly mediocre tasting cake.… Expand

Roland Emmerich is a very good director in my opinion and I think his films are pretty good (except Godzilla which was very mediocre IMHO). The Day After Tomorrow was decent, and 2012 wasn't the best, but at least it got me entertained with its science like Godzilla. However, one of his best works yet is a sci-fi action flick known as Independence Day. It revolves around an alien invasion on earth as a group of humans set out in convoys towards Area 51, a strange government testing ground where it is rumored the military has a captured alien spacecraft of their own. The survivors devise a plan to fight back against the enslaving aliens, and July 4th becomes the day humanity will fight for its freedom. We already know what it was about because we have seven days until Independence Day as a great holiday. Now I'm going to make my opinion. The only problem that I had with this movie was the special effects. They were kind of cheesy as if they came from the 1970s. As for the rest of the movie, everything turned out great. The acting was terrific, the sci-fi action was pretty damn cool, the storyline was well-paced, the stunts were very cool, and the music score from David Arnold was amazing. Three days ago, there has been great news that Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have planned to make not only Independence Day 2, but Independence Day 3 as well and Will Smith will return for those sequels. I bid these guys good luck as Independence Day is not only one the best action movies of all time, but one of the best ones yet. Thumbs up from me. P.S. It's great that I have a different opinion over Roger Ebert and The Nostalgia Critic himself. 8/10… Expand

This movie, I definitely don't understand why people hate this movie. Not one bit! Even when Nostalgia Critic reviewed this, I still didn't understand why he hates it. Most of the time it's either jokes, jokes, and...well, jokes. The jet fight and the attack of the White House was awesome, Will Smith was pretty cool, Jeff Goldblum was pretty funny as always since Jurassic Park, and I thought the part when the president goes in the fighter jet to fight the aliens very cool. People say it was stupid, well FTW! This was a very awesome movie, and should be taking more credit than how people treat it.… Expand

One of those "so bad its good" films, this 1996 alien bonanza has breathtaking alien effects, decent acting and some great one liners. Will Smith delivers his usual cool and **** performance, while Jeff Goldblum is great as a nerdy computer scientist who is the first to decipher the alien countdown to the attack. Bill Pullman has a small role as the US President, not too much to say other than good job. A lot of people have hated this movie over the years, calling it effects over plot, but what did they expect from the director of the other sci-fi epic Stargate. I like the movie as far as the effects.… Expand

Just because a movie is trying to be a 'popcorn flick' and not trying to be intelligent does NOT make it a good one. Will Smith crack pot lines throughout this movie are annoying, America is the best country in the world theme is freaken retarded, the characters are shallow and uninteresting, the story is pretty lame, and there are far too many illogical plot developments for this movie to be good. Asides from a few minutes of special effects which are pretty memorable, Indepence Day is a weak movie with weak characters and a predictable story.… Expand

It was really good movie. Cool special effects and good cast. I love those alien invasion movies, they're interesting and cool and Will Smith just made it 20 times better. "Welcome to Earth."

A great sci-fi classic is Independence Day, an alien invasion film which works on many levels. It's humorous in places, and has good, dramatic acting all tied together with good effects and a tense score.

The sheer amount of cliche that pours itself into Independence Day truly fits the phrase 'so bad, it's good.' Still, it's Will Smith and the rest of its excellent cast that rescue this movie from the action-film mediocrity junk heap and propel it to at least some form of memorability.

I suppose if you can tolerate the annoying characters and swiss cheese sized plot holes, there is a sense of wonder in its own cheesy, B-movie right. It could be considered a guilty pleasure if nothing else, but no one could honestly call it good.

I don't understand, why don't people completely adore this movie? I did...almost. The characters were great, some you love, some you hate, the thing is they make the characters so easy to hate or love, and that and they don't have a lot of background, don't get me wrong they have great personalities, but they're kinda basic. It's a bit light on story, I don't wanna spoil, and it does have a purpose for the aliens, but I think the purpose could've been better. These flaws behind, it's a really good time, especially if you have others with you. It's action packed with explosions, great sense of humor, some touching moments, it's great.… Expand

Independence Day is an excellent sci-fiction movie. The movie truly blows you away. The visuals are spectacler. The aliens are very interesting and the more important thing, so are the charcters. A truly classic sci-fiction film.