With a $71 million budget and mind-blowing special effects, INDEPENDENCE DAY is a grand, high-tech throwback to such films of the 1950s as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and WAR OF THE WORLDS. Here, aliens, in numerous gargantuan spaceships, arrive without warning and hover over the world's most important cities, creating global panic. The nasty visitors use death rays to blow New York, Washington D.C, and Los Angeles to smithereens. A handful of plucky Americans, including the Clinton-esque President (Bill Pullman), a gung-ho fighter pilot (Will Smith) and a computer geek named David (Jeff Goldblum), attempt to devise a strategy against the invaders.

On July 4th, their risky plan is put into effect, as dozens of fighter pilots (including the President) wage an assault on the spaceships. However, their success (and the fate of the world) depends on David, who is attempting to disarm the aliens's mothership.

INDEPENDENCE DAY is a pyrotechnic, futuristic, disaster, action mondo-adventure about aliens attacking Earth and humans giving them the big boot. When mountain-sized flying saucers open fire on the world's cities, a ragtag band of colorful characters sets out to bring the alien critters to their pseudopodic knees. Borrowing liberally from science fiction classics like WAR OF THE WORLDS and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and a host of disaster movies from TOWERING INFERNO to METEOR, ID4 maintains a mindless mission to entertain with dazzling special effects and unabashed feel-good charm. Academy Award Nominations: Best Sound, Best Visual Effects. Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects.

Released theatrically in the USA Tuesday July 2, 1996.

Color by DeLuxe; in Super 35 Panavision widescreen; digitally mastered in THX.

"Independence Day" earned $100 million at the box office in just seven days -- which is faster than any other film ever made.

Additional cast: Ross Bagley (Dylan).

Additional credits: Pamela Klamer and Julia Levine (set design); Terry Clotiaux (visual effects producer); Joseph Viskocil (miniature pyrotechnics/mechanical effects supervisor); Michael Joyce (model shop supervisor); Peter Winther (associate producer) and Jonathan Taylor (second unit camera).

Excerpt: "You know how I'm always trying to save the planet? Well, here's my chance." -- David Levinson (JEFF GOLDBLUM)

"What's the rush? You think we'll get to Washington, it won't be there?" -- Julius Levinson (JUDD HIRSCH), to his son, David Levinson (JEFF GOLDBLUM), while the two frantically drive to the capital city.

"Welcome to Earth." -- Capt. Steven Hiller (Will Smith), after punching the daylights out of an alien who has crash-landed in Arizona.

DVD Features:

Region 1
2-Disc Set - Checkpoint, Sensormatic
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Surround 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - English, French, Spanish
Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

DISC 1:
Additional Release Material:
Additional Footage - Multi-Story: Theatrical or Special Editions (Special Edition Version Has 9 Minutes of Restored Footage)
Audio Commentary - 1. Scene Specific Commentary by Producer Dean Devlin and Director Roland Emmerich
2. Academy Award special effects supervisors Volker Engle and Doug Smith

DISC 2: Digital Copy

Distributor Notes: One of the biggest box office hits of all time delivers the ultimate encounter when mysterious and powerful aliens launch an all-out invasion against the human race. The spectacle begins when massive spaceships appear in Earth's skies. But wonder turns to terror as the ships blast destructive beams of fire down on cities all over the planet. Now the world's only hope lies with a determinded band of survivors, uniting for one last strike against the invaders - before it's the end of all mankind.

Source: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Will Smith: American actor/rap performer/producer
Jeff Goldblum: American actor
Bill Pullman: American Actor
Margaret Colin: American TV/Film Actress
Judd Hirsch: American Actor, TAXI
Randy Quaid: American Actor, THE LAST DETAIL
Vivica A. Fox: American Actress
Mary McDonnell: American actor, DANCES WITH WOLVES/Battlestar Galactica
James Rebhorn: Supporting Actor
Harvey Fierstein: Playwright/Actor/Screenwriter
Robert Loggia: American Actor
Harry Connick: American Actor/Crooner
James Duval: Actor/"Totally F***Ed Up"

Roland Emmerich: Director

Dean Devlin: 
Roland Emmerich: Director
Ute Emmerich: Associate Producer
William Fay: 
Lincoln D. Hiatt: 
Peter Winther: 

Dean Devlin: 
Roland Emmerich: Director

David Arnold: Composer/"Stargate"

David Brenner: Oscar Winning Editor, began in late '80s, Oliver Stone films

"...For fun, fright and thrills, there's not a wilder joy ride around..."
"...INDEPENDENCE DAY fulfills the promise of the movies: to deliver the audience out of the everyday and into the sensational..."
"...A rousing state-of-the-art cartoon capped by an aerial-combat climax..."
"...Witty, of-the-moment fun." -- Rating: B+
"...A spectacularly scaled mix of '50s-style alien invader science fiction, '70s disaster epics and all-season gung-ho military actioners..."