1996
Directed by Roland Emmerich
When I googled this movie to get a picture for my post, I discovered there is a sequel coming out later this year. It seems like odd timing; I rarely hear people talk about this movie anymore. I did have to watch it in a film class once, although I am still not sure why.
A giant alien spaceship (described as one fourth the size of the moon) enters Earth's orbit and deploys 36 smaller spaceships that hover threateningly around the world's major cities. Now, I am no scientist, but you would think that would at least have some effect on the tides. I guess not. David Levinson, a guy that can perform typical Hollywood computer magic, intercepts a signal that he realizes is a countdown to the aliens' planned attack. Thankfully, the aliens countdown is in our hours and minutes, which was awfully considerate of them. Anyway, Levinson informs the President of his findings and the United States plan a counterattack. U S A!
I probably didn't cover the plot very well, but the film follows quite a lot of characters. I am not sure why the filmmakers chose to include so many people. It's also odd how alike all of these characters are. You would think such a large cast would enable the filmmakers to depict different personalities and reactions to an upcoming apocalypse. But nearly every character is heroic and charming.
I really didn't expect to rant about this movie as much as I am. I did have fun with it and it's hard not to smile at the cigar scene. Actually, it's hard not to smile at any scene with Will Smith. So damn likable.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
The cast and crew gave each other nicknames during filming. Will Smith's nickname was Mr. Charisma, while Jeff Goldblum's was Nice. I just think that is interesting because it really shows off the filmmaker's...um...creativity.
The role of the president was written for Spacey but an executive at Fox refused to cast him, as he believed Spacey wasn't a big enough star.
