|
"
Independence Day" Special Edition
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Science Fiction
|
| Video: |
2.35:1 Anamorphic
widescreen/anamorphic transfer |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 5.1 |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
153 minutes
|
| Rating |
PG-13 |
| Release Date |
5/11/04 |
| Studio |
20th Century
Fox Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
Scene specific
commentary by director Roland Emmerich and producer/writer Dean
Devlin/second audio commentary track by optical effects Academy
Award winners Doug Smith and Volker Engle |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
"Sneak Peak" on the making
of "The Day After Tomorrow" |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Includes
9 minutes of added footage for "Special Edition" and also the
original theatrical release version |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
Limited time
offer movie money coupon good for admission to "The Day After
Tomorrow" |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Bill Pullman,
Will Smith, Mary McDonnell, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Margaret
Colin, Vivica A. Fox, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, James Rebhorn,
Harvey Fierstein, Adam Baldwin, Brent Spiner |
| Written
By: |
Dean Devlin
and Roland Emmerich |
| Produced
By: |
Dean Devlin,
Roland Emmerich, Ute Emmerich |
| Directed
By: |
Roland Emmerich
|
| Music:
|
David Arnold
|
| The
Review: |
"ID4" heralds the return of the
unpretentious pure popcorn movie. Working with a plot completely
lifted from H. G. Wells "War of the Worlds" but incorporating
contemporary urban folk legend (alien abductions, the use
of nuclear devices), Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich
("Stargate", "Universal Soldier", "The Day After Tomorrow")
crafted the biggest, dumbest entertainment possible. If not
for the outstanding cast, Oscar winning optical effects and
language, "ID4" might have been a TV movie. The plot has as
many holes as a slice of swiss cheese. The characters are
paper thin. In many respects, Devlin and Emmerich elected
to go forward while stepping back into the past; "ID4" represents
what Hollywood thought science fiction films should be like
40 years ago. So, it's no surprise that "ID4" packed theaters
as it's the entertainment as comfort food. ***
That doesn't mean you won't enjoy
it. My only complaint with the film is how they virtually
lifted the entire plot from Wells (including the solution
that ultimately kills the aliens-in Wells' novel it was a
virus here it's a computer virus) and then claimed it as an
original work. If you're going to "borrow" at least have the
common courtesy to acknowledge your source. "ID4" continues
to have all muscle and no brain and sometimes that can be
a good thing if you're looking for fairly mindless entertainment.
What's amazing is how suspenseful Emmerich's direction can
be given that virtually nothing really happens until we're
nearly half way through the film. ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
This anamorphic
transfer (which translates as better image quality) bests the
original two-disc release from a couple of years ago. The crisp,
sharp images have never looked so good on DVD before. The sound
benefits from the 5.1 mix with the sound effects and dialogue
nicely spread around the room. |
| The
Extras: |
This is the
fourth re-release of this film on DVD. The first edition doesn't
look quite as sharp but comes packed with extras. Here, all
we get is the choice of the original theatrical version or the
extended version with 9 minutes of additional footage added
to the film. These 9 minutes help to flesh out the characters
a tiny bit but, on the whole, don't amount to much. I'm not
really clear who Fox designed this edition of the film for.
Since this is a single disc edition it lacks the extras that
attract most fans and science fiction buffs. Perhaps Fox hoped
that the anamorphic transfer would suffice to grab people's
attention. They were sadly mistaken. --- |
| Commentary:
|
Since the
commentary by Devlin and Emmerich is scene specific there's
lots of times when there's nothing to be heard from them. The
special effects commentary track by Smith and Engle likewise
has some gaps as well but since the bulk of the second half
of the film is driven by special effects, there's more activity
and more interesting technical discussions on their commentary
track. Again, there's no commentary track from any of the cast
members and the commentaries included are nothing new. --- |
| Final
Words: |
A muscle
bound brain dead entertainment, "ID4" is perfect for those hot,
humid days when you want to watch something, have a couple of
beers and not worry about the coherence or intelligence of the
plot. It's an example of a film that makes a lot of noise but
doesn't really have anything to say. This "special edition"
lacks anything beyond the higher quality transfer that distinguishes
it from the previous editions. I'm perplexed as to why this
even was released. |
