Independence Day (1996)

Wasn't sure if I'd actually seen this one before, but it looks like I had. At least parts of it, though I didn't recall the ending at all. It's a typical ending though. No need for spoilers: it's the ending you'd expect to expect.

Special effects feel a bit outdated, but the props and sceneries are all high-class. It has that 'old' feeling about it too. That authenticity. That time in a time before everyone was constantly connected, and yet, they were constantly connecting, you know? Also that time when special effects were still untamed territory, and the set one big experimental mixture of green screen effects, miniatures and real. Good times those times before my time.

Of course, this tale also tells of one of those times when aliens came to our planet to take revenge, but Will Smith's there so it's alright.

Though it is a good movie, with a classy mixture of comedy, action, drama, and the occasional tragedy, there is a bit too much fanfare, and Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum don't go together at all. They're like polar opposites. One intense. One calm. And not in a way that their differences complement each other. It's more like each of them could've been a main character on their own, yet together neither coolness nor intensity feels as justified as it would've done were they solo. But still, it's not a bad movie! It's a patriotic blast of the past with aliens and independence, and of course a little romance and relational mending on the side. Looking forward to seeing how the remake turns out soon.

 rated 3/5: not bad