Lately I’ve been revisiting films that have made an impact on me at some time or another in my life. The reason why I like watching things that I’ve already seen before is that it is similar to a good album. A good musical album usually has nuances that may not be necessarily appreciated to the full extent during the initial listen. Likewise, some excellent films have this density as well. And let it be known that I thoroughly enjoy old films and television shows and also new films in pop culture. But one thing that I’ve noticed, is that Science Fiction and Fantasy films can sometimes have deep layers of symbolism that may not make total sense in a contemporary/realistic setting.
So I am going to rewatch the film, Independence Day, which stars Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. I have a good feeling that I am going to love it, just as I did the first 4 times I watched it…but maybe I’ll gain some deeper insights and share them with everyone…see you in a couple hours!
OK. It is four hours or so later. I had to take the dog and get a sandwich and everything, so that’s why it took so long. But the movie was excellent. Actually, when I bought this movie from Target for $3.99 +tax I didn’t know that the film was going to come with the “Special Edition” that included 9 additional minutes of scenes.
The additional scenes were overall quite good, there was one where we see the interior of the alien fighter plane for the first time and the lead scientist admits how little he actually knows. Also there are several shorter scenes that add some tertiary character development. But when taking the entire film into account, it is such a long movie the 9 additional minutes don’t even seem like a big deal. Everyone walks into Independence Day (ID4) knowing well that they aren’t going to see the light of day anytime soon. So this movie is a theatrical commitment.
After revisting the film again I realized that Independence Day has a very sincere and complete message. Not only is the threat extremely dangerous, but despite all odds, humanity has the slight chance to prevail. But what I like most about the movie is that, it is human bravery, ingenuity, innovation, perseverance, teamwork and humility combined that allows for the victory to be achieved. If one single link in that chain was missing, the line would have been to short for them to reach their goals.
When I watched the film before, I seemed to get caught up in the two main characters portrayed by Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. But seeing it again, it is much more clear that the entire process was a huge combined effort. And even though Goldblum was lynch-pin instrumental in defeating the enemy, if it were not for the Area 51 installation and the work that the men did to keep it secret for so long, they would have been quickly dispatched by the first wave of attacks by the aliens.
Another thing that comes to mind is that I never noticed that it was the President’s decision to stay in the White House, that allowed Goldblum’s character to inform him that the code in the satellites was a countdown. If it wasn’t for the President’s bravery and captain of the ship mentality, he was have been whisked away to some super secure and inaccessible location. I took away from this that no matter how high in rank someone may rise, our connections with other people is what makes us the strongest. And by allowing communication, there is a greater chance for survival. Albeit the message we may need may come to us from the least likely of sources.
Without a doubt, the extended version made it more clear that the scientists greatly underestimated the unconscious alien that was retrieved by Will Smith’s character. The scientists literally sliced open the exosxeletal armor of the alien with scalpels and they knew it was not dead. Yet in spite of this, they had no military guards in the operating room. There weren’t even any armed soldiers outside the room. They had to open the double doors to get in. This was shocking to me, because it seemed that Brent Spiner’s character already knew that the aliens used the armor to make themselves stronger. So that forced me to take away the idea that the farther we delve into the unknown, the deeper and more sincere are the dangers. And we need to understand that despite how intriguing or interesting something may be, curiosity alone cannot save anyone from the black eyes that look beyond the void.
-Tyler