Thanks to the speech delivered by Bill Pullman as fictional U.S. President Thomas J. Whitmore, the Fourth of July, at least among movie fans and sci-fi buffs, has a meaning beyond the obvious historical reference. As the United States of America celebrates its 250th birthday, the 1996 film celebrates its 30th anniversary. But what can be said about it that hasn’t already been said a million times? Who among us hasn’t recited some of President Whitmore’s speech just for the hell of it?
Because of the meme-worthiness of Independence Day (“Welcome to Earth!”), there is one aspect of the film that’s been forgotten. This was, in many ways, the 20th century’s last old-school blockbuster, a film that continued the traditions established by Star Wars in 1977. After ID4, massive blockbusters that united nearly every kind of viewer didn’t truly return until after the turn of the century. ID4 wasn’t ahead of its time; it was the last of its kind, and seeing it in the theater in 1996 was a massive, life-changing experience.
