THE REWATCHABLES · July 5, 2021
A 1996 sci-fi / action directed by Roland Emmerich, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The first major spectacle set pieces, especially the White House vaporization, are treated as unforgettable and culturally formative.
About 8 minThey enjoy the growing Goldblum/Smith partnership and the signal explanation scene.
About 32 minThe countdown and realization that time is running out is described as a classic disaster-movie beat.
About 32 minSmith’s dogfight, eject sequence, and alien punch are singled out as the film’s coolest stretch.
About 32 minThe underground secret-base reveal is enjoyed as a satisfying genre scene.
About 32 minThe scene of opening the alien head and confronting a hidden second alien is treated as a memorable reveal.
About 32 minThe Independence Day speech is treated as one of the movie’s signature scenes and a major emotional peak.
About 32 minThe comeback landing and greeting scene is praised as a satisfying victory-beat payoff.
About 32 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsThe speech is the best rewatchable scene because it is iconic and uplifting.
Shea SerranoWill Smith’s desert sequence is the best because it is the most fun to isolate and rewatch.
Chris RyanLeans toward the speech as the strongest scene, while acknowledging the Smith sequence.
Bill SimmonsPrefers Pullman, Kevin Kline, and Michael Douglas among movie presidents, with a fourth slot open.
Chris RyanAdds TV figures like Jeb Bartlett and David Palmer if TV is allowed.
Shea SerranoPrefers presidents who can fight, naming Harrison Ford, Jamie Foxx, and Morgan Freeman.
Bill SimmonsQuestions whether Whitmore was good, given delayed evacuations and the nuclear decision.
Chris RyanSuggests the implication is that if the alien attack fails, it may not matter.
Shea SerranoDoes not directly defend Whitmore but enjoys the heroic arc and speech.
Bill SimmonsNo; the sequel should have waited for Smith and is a mess without him.
Chris RyanAgrees the film does not work as a sequel without Smith.
Shea SerranoAlso rejects the sequel as unnecessary and inferior.
Argues the film helped define the modern summer blockbuster by mixing spectacle with human stories.
About 8 minAgrees the film’s sense of humor and huge stakes helped shape later franchise movies.
About 8 minSays he would have wanted a second Will Smith added to the movie.
About 8 minDescribes Smith as a superstar with a huge but efficient performance that transforms the movie.
Opening minutesSays Smith remains one of his favorite movie stars and an automatic draw.
Opening minutesTreats Pullman as a near-ideal movie president who starts unsure and becomes iconic.
About 16 minSays the scale of destruction was unprecedented and shocking at the time.
About 8 minArgues the effects age well because they still feel tactile and rooted in the 1990s.
About 16 minCalls the alien-dragging sequence the movie’s most fun standalone clip.
About 32 minCalls the speech one of the movie’s great rewatchable moments and a source of real motivation.
About 32 minSays seeing iconic buildings destroyed as a teenager was an unforgettable theater experience.
About 32 minSays Pullman is good at small looks and quiet comic beats, which explains his durability.
About 24 minThe film is framed as a turning point that helped define the modern summer tentpole and influenced later superhero movies.
About 8 minThe episode treats this as a key step in Smith becoming a singular movie star, with a rare blend of charisma and action hero credibility.
Opening minutesThey repeatedly discuss Bill Pullman as an idealized movie president, including his speech and physical courage.
About 16 minThe movie’s practical effects and 1990s CGI are praised for feeling more tangible than modern digital effects.
About 16 minThe hosts connect the film to 1990s alien fascination and today’s more public UFO discussions.
About 16 minThe film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
About 32 minThe movie made about $817 million worldwide on a $75 million budget.
About 32 minA planned Steven Spielberg ride connection never happened.
About 8 min · medium confidenceThe production used more than 3,000 visual-effects shots.
About 56 minA 10-by-5-foot White House model was built and destroyed for effects work.
About 56 minThe ending speech line 'today we celebrate our Independence Day' was added late to preserve the title.
About 32 minMost of the Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch dialogue was improvised.
About 56 minThe film used about 70 mock news broadcasts.
About 56 minThe movie’s VHS release sold 22 million copies and became the best-selling live-action video at the time.
About 56 minRobert Loggia once thought the movie was a spoof after being told to watch Airplane instead of Airport.
About 56 minUsed as the start of Will Smith’s movie-star run.
Opening minutesCited as part of Smith’s superstar streak after Independence Day.
Opening minutesMentioned as another part of Smith’s four-film star run.
Opening minutesUsed to argue that Independence Day helped establish the tone and scale of later franchise cinema.
About 8 minReferenced as part of the 1996 blockbuster wave.
About 8 minUsed as another example of the 1996 blockbuster year.
About 8 minCompared as a precursor and a benchmark for blockbuster spectacle.
About 8 minCited as a disaster-film cousin and point of comparison.
About 8 minUsed as the other major asteroid-disaster comparison.
About 8 minMentioned as an Emmerich follow-up and as a movie that felt indebted to Independence Day.
About 16 minReferenced as part of the 1990s alien/UFO resurgence.
About 16 minBrought up in the Robert Loggia anecdote as a mistaken reference for Airport.
About 56 minThe intended film reference in the Robert Loggia anecdote.
About 56 minReferenced in relation to aviation, landing scenes, and movie-flight coolness.
About 32 minMentioned as another Emmerich disaster spectacle.
About 48 minShea repeatedly jokes that the movie needs a second Will Smith added to the cast.
About 8 minThe hosts repeatedly praise the classic setup of a cranky official demanding urgent explanations.
About 40 minThey keep revisiting their preferred fictional presidents and whether TV presidents count.
About 16 minThe Smith desert sequence is treated as a standalone YouTube-worthy bit they can quote and replay.
About 32 minThey joke that we can film everything except a clear alien encounter.
About 16 min“Welcome to Earth.”About 32 min
“This is a bizarrely influential movie.”About 8 min
“Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”About 32 min
“No, no, no, no oops, no oops.”About 32 min
“What the hell is that smell?”About 32 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Independence Day, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe Rewatchables
Shea SerranoThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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