Independence Day Special Edition (PG-13) Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch |SwapaDVD.com

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Content Advisory: Questionable for Children, Profanity, Sci-Fi Violence
Movie Release: 1996
DVD Release: 06/27/2000
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English, French
Subtitles: English, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 2
Number of Discs: 2
Run Time: 2 hrs 33 mins
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Members Wishing: 2
Genres: Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action, Alien Film, Ensemble Film
See Also: Independence Day [Widescreen], Independence Day [Fullscreen], Independence Day [Limited Edition], Independence Day [UMD for PSP], Independence Day [Lenticular Cover], Independence Day [Blu-ray], Independence Day [Circuit City Exclusive], Independence Day [Widescreen], Independence Day

A group of intrepid humans attempts to save the Earth from vicious extraterrestrials in this extremely popular science-fiction adventure. Borrowing liberally from War of the Worlds, Aliens, and every sci-fi invasion film inbetween, director Roland Emmerich and producer and co-writer Dean Devlin present a visually slick, fast-paced adventure filled with expensive special effects and large-scale action sequences. The story begins with the approach of a series of massive spaceships, which many on Earth greet with open arms, looking forward to the first contact with alien life. Unfortunately, these extraterrestrials have not come in peace, and they unleash powerful weapons that destroy most of the world's major cities. Thrown into chaos, the survivors struggle to band together and put up a last-ditch resistance in order to save the human race. As this is a Hollywood film, this effort is led by a group of scrappy Americans, including a computer genius who had foreseen the alien's evil intent (Jeff Goldblum), a hot-shot jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). While some critics objected to the film's lack of originality and lapses in logic, the combination of grand visual spectacle and crowd-pleasing storytelling proved irresistible to audiences, resulting in an international smash hit. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Will Smith - Capt. Steven Hiller
Bill Pullman - President Thomas J. Whitmore
Jeff Goldblum - David Levinson
Mary McDonnell - Marilyn Whitmore
Judd Hirsch - Julius Levinson

Roland Emmerich's explosive alien-invasion flick receives a stellar DVD treatment courtesy of 20th Century Fox. The two-disc set, part of their Five Star Collection, offers an incredible transfer, phenomenal sound, and more extras than one can get through in an afternoon. For starters, the film itself looks great. It's presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen anamorphic format that is simply stunning. As a bonus, there are two versions of the film -- the theatrical cut and a "special edition" with nine extra minutes of footage. The theatrical cut offers a commentary from Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin, while the special edition offers the same commentary as well as one from visual effects supervisors Volker Engel and Doug Smith. As for sound, those who saw Independence Day know what an earth-shaking soundtrack it had. The DVD has brought that roaring to life with Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound. Certain sequences are so well-defined sound-wise, that viewers may feel their good china starting to shake. Disc two offers extras galore. There are a ton of trailers and television spots, two "making of" featurettes, a deleted alternate version of the film's ending (with a commentary from Devlin), and a gallery of stills. Additionally, both discs feature excellent animated menus that inventively incorporate scenes from the films. This disc is great for entertainment purposes, and an excellent "showcase" disc to demonstrate the amazing capabilities of DVD. ~ Jeremy Brown, All Movie Guide

Rob M. from STATEN ISLAND, NY wrote on 9/23/2009...

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

As usual with any film by Roland Emmerich, it's big, loud and dumb. His Godzilla was a travesty of Kaiju and The Day After Tomorrow one of the stupidest films ever put to celluloid. This film rips off the opening image of Childhood's End by A.C. Clarke (V is guilty of this as well) and then becomes a bit more of a rip off of the War of the Worlds. But it does have one thing going for it: It's a fun movie. Yes, it's enjoyable to sit through (even though, being a New Yorker, I'd like to see some other cities get destroyed. Chicago hasn't been hit since The Beginning of the End when the giant grasshoppers came to get it). The cast is good, with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum a fun and unlikely pair. Of Emmerich's films, this and Stargate are my favorites. Even though both are lapsing in logic, they are fun and fast moving, heads and tails above such summer fodder as GI Joe and the recent Transformers film. So is this worth seeing/getting? Yes. It's a movie meant to be watched with a big bowl of Popcorn and an icy cold coke. It's meant to be fun and it is - even with all the devestation. Look for Brent Spiner from Star Trek: The Next Generation in a small role.