Independence Day

THE FLICK: Just as “Jaws” ushered in the modern blockbuster, one could say “Independence Day” was the first post-modern blockbuster. Marketed as a movie event, the final product that audiences saw onscreen was almost beside the point. This was peer pressure filmmaking (“What else are you gonna do, read a book?”) and inspired the now commonplace box-office habit of recouping the bulk of the production costs on opening weekend. After that, it’s all gravy. So it’s surprising to revisit director Roland Emmerich’s alien invasion/disaster flick combo and find it’s not quite the empty headed money making machine everyone remembers it to be. In fact, unlike most of today’s event movies, “Independence Day” delivers on its promise to “wow” you with worldwide destruction on a vast scale plus some cleverly scripted twists that make the overloaded story hum with 8-year-old’s unbridled enthusiasm. Yes, I did say “clever” and “Independence Day” in the same sentence, but stick with me. The story (and much of the visual design) is stolen from the “V” miniseries, where ominous aliens ships, each as big as a city, strategically position themselves over the capitals of the world. But “V” didn’t have the money to blow up national landmarks like the White House with wood-splintering, earth-shaking authority. Roland Emmerich does. After the apocalypse, mankind (consisting of various mathematicians, politicians and trailer trash) hide out in Area 51 and plot a worldwide counter attack using a stolen spaceship and an Apple computer (well, maybe the “clever” comment doesn’t apply here). Plotted like a lumbering TV movie with sketchily defined characters converging for one massive “Star Wars” style dogfight between endless alien fighters and a lone squadron of F-15s, “Independence Day” will never make its case as a classic on par with “War of the Worlds” or “Close Encounters.” But the “gee whiz” inventiveness is infectious and Emmerich never allows the comic relief (mostly embodied in Randy Quaid’s drunken crop-duster character) to overwhelm the semi-serious tragedy on display. “ID4” at least has enough faith in itself to stick to the script, rather than pummel you with expensive (but ultimately empty) special effects. THE FEATURES: Let’s clear the air with this, the Limited Edition, produced to tie-in with Emmerich’s new feature, “The Day After Tomorrow.” There’s really no reason to pick this up if you own the previous Five-Star Collection. The extras are nothing new: both the special edition (9-minutes longer) and theatrical version are included along with commentaries from Emmerich/Dean Devlin and effects supervisors Engel/Smith. So what’s the good news? Well, if you don’t already own “ID4” and are looking forward to Emmerich’s new disaster flick, this could be your lucky day. Inside is a $6.50 coupon good at most theaters plus a brief teaser of all the beautiful destruction. FINAL SCORE: Don’t be embarrassed to admit you like “ID4.” There’s no shame in enjoying a movie that enjoys itself just as much. And the sweet little free ticket offer makes this a pretty affordable purchase.