This is an older science fiction alien invasion story, but in my opinion it is one of the best alien invasion movies I have ever seen. There are a lot of very sad moments, and great depictions of heroism in this movie. The way it shows humanity pulling together in the face of the threat is how I hope it would happen if something like this were to become reality. I really like that the aliens in this movie are here for resources and we just happen to be in the way. They are basically acting like colonial Europeans. This motivation is much more understandable than the motivation in some of the alien invasion movies I have seen.
What I didn't like about this movie was the depiction of computer technology, programming, and the reliance of the aliens on our own communication satellites for a synchronization signal. To me this is a flaw in the plot that almost breaks suspension of disbelief. First off nobody who has shields is going to use our satellites to bounce an important signal. They will drop off their own and have secure communications. This doesn't mean we can't intercept it and do some hacking, but using our own hardware makes it too easy. Second what kind of rinky dink invasion force lets a scout ship that's been MIA for 50 years with life signs aboard dock without communicating to the people inside? I mean that's some impressive hacking, programming, and translation that had to go into that. The time frame there is just implausible. In this movie the aliens are woefully stupid when it comes to information security. I suppose that this is plausible if their culture never came up with hackers. If this is the case then many of the issues with the plot disappear. These elements aside the movie was really good and they had to fit all the action in a movie somehow.
The plot of this movie is really simple. The aliens attack and destroy most of our major cities and military bases. We then regroup and counterattack using a trojan horse to disable their main advantages which lets us win. It has been done lots of times mostly badly. Independence day does it right however. It uses the human angle and follows small groups of survivors and combatants to give a good feel of what is going on, and the human cost of what has happened. The ending Trojan horse comes in the form of an alien scout ship that crashed in Roswell New Mexico, and a talented computer geek who learns how to break into their systems and shut down their shields. Once that is down our weapons are plenty destructive and the tables turn.
This movie will appeal to most Science Fiction fans, and some Action Adventure fans. It may not be the best movie to watch with small children because of the destruction of cities, and one creepy alien scene, but families with older children should enjoy the show.
This movie can be found at www.amazon.com on disk or as a stream for rental or purchase.
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