Independence Day Review

Independence Day

Release Date: 29th August 1996 – Australia

Production Companies

Centropolis Entertainment

20th Century Fox Film Corporation

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 145 minutes

                 154 minutes

                 (extended)

Budget: $75,000,000

Box Office Gross: $817,400,891 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Humanity becomes threatened when alien spaceships arrive on Earth, launching a massive attack on multiple large cities. Only a group of human survivors can unite and make one last attempt to save the human race from extinction.

Cast

Will Smith – Capt. Steven Hiller

Bill Pullman – President Thomas J. Whitmore

Jeff Goldblum – David Levinson

Mary McDonnell – Marilyn Whitmore

Judd Hirsch – Julius Levinson

Robert Loggia – General William Grey

Randy Quaid – Russell Casse

Margaret Colin – Constance Spano

James Rebhorn – Albert Nimzicki

Harvey Fierstein – Marty Gilbert

Adam Baldwin – Major Mitchell

Brent Spiner – Dr. Brackish Okun

James Duval – Miguel Casse

Vivica A. Fox – Jasmine Dubrow

Lisa Jakub – Alicia Casse

Ross Bagley – Dylan Dubrow

Mae Whitman – Patricia Whitmore

Bill Smitrovich – Captain Watson

Kiersten Warren – Tiffany

Harry Connick, Jr. – Capt.

Jimmy Wilder

Giuseppe Andrews – Troy Casse

John Storey – Dr. Isaacs

Frank Novak – Teddy

Devon Gummersall – Phillip

Leland Orser – Techy/Med Asst #1

Mirron E. Willis – Aide

Ross Lacy – Aide

David Pressman – Whitmore's Aide

Vivian Palerno – Techy/Med Asst

Raphael Sbarge – Commander/Tech

Bobby Hosea – Commanding Officer

Dan Lauris – Commanding Officer

Steve Giannelli – Radar Tech

Eric Paskel – Radar Tech

Carlos Lacamara – Radar Operator

John Bennett Perry – Secret Serviceman

Troy Willis – Secret Serviceman

Tim Kelleher – Technician

Wayne Wilderson – Area 51 Technician

Jay Acocone – Area 51 Guard

James Wong – SETI Tech One

Thom Barry – SETI Tech Two

Jana Marie Hupp – SETI Tech Three

Matt Pashkow – Second Officer

Robert Pine – Chief of Staff

Marisa Johnston – Co-Worker #2

Michael Winther – Co-Worker #3

Dexter Warren – Co-Worker #4

Paul LeClair – Co-Worker #5

Michael Vacca – Lt. Peterson

David Channell – Secret Service Agent

John Capodice – Mario

Greg Collins – Military Aide

Derek Webster – Sky Crane Pilot

Mark Fite – Pilot

Eric Neal Newman – Pilot

Levani – Russian Pilot

Kristor Konrad – Russian Pilot

Kevin Sifuentes – Tank Commander

Elston Ridgle – Soldier

Randy Oglesby – Mechanic

Jack Moore – Mechanic

Barry Del Sherman – Street Preacher

Lyman Ward – Secret Service Guy

Anthony Crivello – Lincoln

Richard Speight Jr. – Ed

Barbara Beck – Monica Soloway

Joe Fowler – Reporter

Andrew Warne – Reporter

Sharon Tay – Reporter

Peter J. Lucas – Russian Reporter

Yelena Danova – Russian Newscaster

Johnny Kim – Korean Newscaster

VJ Roberts – Newscaster

Gary W. Cruz – Video Newscaster

Ron Pitts – Video Newscaster

Wendy L. Walsh – Video Newscaster

Christine Devine – Video Newscaster

Mark Thompson – Video Newscaster

Ernie Anastos – Rex Black/NY Newscaster

Kevin Cooney – Atlantic Air CINC

Rance Howard – Chaplain

Nelson Mashita – Japanese Tech

Jeff Phillips – B-2 Pilot

Sayed Badreya – Arab Pilot

Adam Tomei – Sailor

John Bradley – Lucas

Kimberly Beck – Housewife

Thomas F. Duffy – Lieutenant

Andrew Keegan – Older Boy

Jon Shear – Thomson

Jim Piddock – Reginald

Frederic W. Barnes – Himself

Eleanor Clift – Herself

Jerry Dunphy – Himself

Jack Germond – Himself

Morton Kondracke – Himself

John McLaughlin – Himself

Barry Nolan – Himself

George Putnam – Himself

Eric Michael Zee – Northridge Field Reporter

Pat Skipper – Redneck

Carlos Lara – Farmer Kid

Mike Monteleone – Butler

Lee Strauss – Elvis Fanatic

Lisa Star – Woman on Roof

Malcolm Danare – Intellectual on Roof

Arthur Brooks – Trucker on Roof

Michael Moertl – Thief

James J. Joyce – Master CPO

Joyce Cohen – Kim Peters (Reporter)

Julie Moran – Entertainment Tonight Reporter

Robin Groth – Flagstaff News Anchor

Richard Pachorek – LAPD Helicopter Pilot

Dakota – Boomer

Gary A. Hecker – Alien Vocal Effects

Frank Welker – Special Vocal Effects

Erick Avari – SETI Chief (Uncredited)

Dean Devlin – Eagle 2 Pilot (Voice)

(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Volker Engel – Man in Office (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Vincent Schiavelli – Dr. Hartmund Engel

(Uncredited)

Crew

Writer/Executive Producer/Director –

Roland Emmerich

Writer/Producer/Second Unit Director – Dean Devlin

Associate Producer – Peter Winther
Executive Producer – Ute Emmerich
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager:

New York – William Fay

Production Designer – Oliver Scholl

Production Designer/Alien Creature Effects
Designer & Supervisor – Patrick Tatopoulos
Art Director – William James Teegarden

Assistant Art Director/Set Designer –

Lauren E. Polizzi

Set Decorator – Joe Erickson

Property Master – Doug Harlocker
Costume Designer – Joseph A. Porro

Assistant Costume Designer – Sanja Milkovic Hays

Director of Photography – Karl Walter Lindenlaub

Additional Photographer – Ueli Steiger

Director of Photography: Second Unit –

Jonathan Taylor

Unit Production Manager – Kelly Van Horn

First Assistant Director – Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Second Assistant Director – Kim H. Winther

Stunt Coordinator – Dan Bradley

Aerial Second Unit Director/Coordinator –

Kevin LaRosa

Mechanical Effects Supervisor – Clay Pinney

Miniature Pyrotechnics/Mechanical Effects

Supervisor – Joe Viskocil

First Unit Supervisor: Mechanical Effects –

Hans Metz

Second Unit Supervisor: Mechanical Effects –

Mike Edmonson

Visual Effects Supervisors – Volker Engel
and Douglas Smith

Digital Effects Supervisor/Producer –

Tricia Henry Ashford

Digital Visual Effects Supervisor: OCS –

Ray McIntyre Jr.

Digital Effects Producer: POP – Andrea D'Amico

Digital Producer: VisionArt – Joshua D. Rose

Visual Effects Project Managers –

Nikolaus Kraemer and Marc Weigert

VFX Production Supervisor: Visual Effects

Camera Unit – Bob Hurrie

VFX Directors of Photography: Visual Effects

Camera Unit – Anna Foerster and Phillipp Timme

Technical Supervisor: VisionArt – Rob Bredow

Model Shop Supervisor – Michael Joyce

Model Unit Art Director: Model Department –

Steven Legler

Motion Control Camera Operators: Visual Effects

Motion Control Unit – Harry J. Alpert

and James Balsam

Digital Effects Production Administrator:

Digital Visual Effects – Craig A. Mumma

Digital Imaging Supervisor: Digiscope – Dion Hatch

Digital Compositing Supervisor: POP – Pablo Helman

CG Supervisors: Digital Visual Effects –

Tara Hardy Turner and Joseph Francis

CG Unit Digital Animation Supervisor –

Hartmut Engel

CG Previsualization Compositing – Marc Kolbe

and Fred Fouquet

Film Editor – David Brenner

Additional Assistant Editors – Donald Likovich

and Michael McCusker

Sound Designer – John P. Fasal

Supervising Sound Editors – Sandy Gendler

and Val Kuklowsky

Sound Design/Editorial - Jonathan Miller

and Jon Johnson

Sound Mixer – Jeff Wexler

Sound Effects Recordists – Ken J. Johnson

and Eric Potter

Re-Recording Mixers – Bob Beemer,

Bill W. Benton and Chris Carpenter

Additional Sound Re-Recording Mixers –

James Bolt, Michael C. Casper,

Patrick Cyccone Jr., Daniel J. Leahy,

Christian P. Minkler, Sergio Reyes and

B. Tennyson Sebastian II

Foley Artists – Hilda Hodges and John Roesch

Music – David Arnold

Awards

1997 Academy Awards

Best Visual Effects – Volker Engel, Douglas Smith,

Joe Viskocil and Clay Pinney (Won)

---------------------

Best Sound – Chris Carpenter, Bill W. Benton,

Bob Beemer and Jeff Wexler (Nominated)

Review

INDEPENDENCE DAY is an excellent sci-fi disaster film dealing with a terrifying alien invasion of Earth that plays out like a cheesy old 1950s B-movie. The aspects of this film were the cheap laughs, stunning visual effects, terrific explosions, impressive dogfights and the acting of Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman. Opposed to the other alien antagonists who may have a single target, the ones portrayed in this film targeted several monuments, destroying them with their mothership. While aliens in movies and television can range from friendly to evil, the intriguing part of this feature is explaining why the aliens chose to attack Earth (but I won't give spoilers).

This magnificent blockbuster hit is a one-of-a-kind blast. I like to thank Roland Emmerich for making INDEPENDENCE DAY an exceptional flick. I highly recommend this alien invasion movie to anyone who wants to see it, whether it's your home or anywhere.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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