On July 2nd a giant alien spaceship parks itself on the far side of the moon. On Earth SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute in New Mexico, receives a signal from space. The scientists at SETI determine that the signal is coming from the Moon. The alien signal disrupts communication with Earth satellites. The president of the United States, Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) is notified. From the mother ship dozens of smaller saucer shaped ships are deployed strategically around the world. All armed forces personnel who are currently on leave are called back to their various posts. Among them is Captain Steve Hiller (Will Smith). Hiller is a U.S. Marine fighter pilot and a member of the Black Knights fighter squadron stationed at Marine Corp. Air Station El Toro.
David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) is a brilliant graduate from MIT that currently works as a satellite engineer and technical expert for a local cable company. David determines that the aliens are using our own satellites and that the signal being transmitted from the mother ship to the smaller ships is in actuality a countdown. David tries to contact his ex-wife, Connie (Margaret Colin), who works for the president of the United States, to tell her about the countdown but she hangs up on him. David has his father, Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch) drive him down to Washington so he can warn them about the attack. When the countdown ends, the attack begins.
On July 3rd the U.S., as well as other countries around the world, launch a retaliating attack against the aliens, with no success. Hundreds of tiny fighter ships spread out from the mother ship and the saucer ships to attack Air Force planes. The U.S. forces are decimated. Captain Hiller manages to destroy one of the tiny fighter ships and knocks out the pilot. Hiller hitches a ride from a caravan of RVs and heads for a base hidden in the Mojave Desert, known as Area 51, bringing his captured alien.
At the hidden base, President Whitmore finds out that in the 50’s an alien fighter ship crashed in the desert containing three aliens. Using existing information, and David’s expertise, word via Morse code is sent out to all remaining strongholds throughout the globe. An attack plan is formulated. David and Hiller are pivotal in making the plan work, but it’s a long shot.
“Independence Day” was released in 1996 and was directed by Roland Emmerich. It is an American science fiction film.
There are some powerful images here, especially when the saucer ships appear overhead and when the laser beams cause explosions. All the cool bells and whistles and some rousing patriotic music make the film a lot of fun to watch. There is a lot of action and a lot of destruction.
SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. It is a non-profit scientific program whose aim is to determine, using various techniques, whether or not life exists outside of Earth. It primarily uses radio and visible light to detect electromagnetic signals that may be coming from other planets, which could indicate intelligent life.
Area 51 is a real Air Force Base located at Groom Lake in the Nevada desert. The top secret base is supposedly used as a testing range for experimental weapon systems and aircraft. The site was established in 1955 but the government didn’t officially acknowledge its presence until 2013.