20 years later, Independence Day is still spectacular.

Independence Day (1996)

Cast: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia

Director: Roland Emmerich

Genre: Disaster, science fiction

Release Date: July 2nd, 1996

Are we alone in the universe? It’s a question that we have asked over the years. What would happen if we looked up into the sky one day and saw giant alien spacecrafts hovering over major cities? Would they send us their peace, or destroy us all? I would love for aliens to visit our planet, but as long as it doesn’t turn out like Independence Day.

Director Roland Emmerich is known for big budget disaster flicks, such as Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, where cities are pulverized in a gruesome famous. We see death, destruction, and devastation that these characters can’t avoid and are forced to deal with. It’s emotional, heartbreaking, and what makes Independence Day a truly remarkable film.

Independence Day released in theaters in 1996. Originally scheduled to hit the big screen on July 3rd, FOX launched the film on July 2nd because of the amount of hype surrounding it, which is also the day the film’s story began. Sadly, I was not old enough to experience it until it I bought the DVD version. But when I finally got to see what all the buzz was about, I understood why and was instantly blown away.

Aliens have been one of sci-fi’s notorious backbones. From Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to Star Wars, and to Alien, it is now Independence Day’s turn. So what does Independence Day bring to the table that is different from other alien movies? One thing that caught my eyes was the groundbreaking visual effects. Seeing New York City, Washington DC and Los Angeles get completely obliterated was an absolute masterpiece that you can’t recreate. The likes of which we have never seen before in a Hollywood blockbuster at the time.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to what the characters are going to be dealing with. A shadow casts over the moon and we see the camera pan up to reveal the size of this massive spacecraft. Measuring at 550 KM in diameter, the craft breaks off into cities size ships calculating at about 15 miles wide which are sent to major cities around the world. The result causes chaos, fear,  and ultimately, carnage.

You instantly feel for our characters Steven Hiller (Will Smith), and David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), as you know they are going to be the underdog in this scenario. The spacecrafts have impenetrable defenses that resist against fighter jets, missiles, and nuclear weapons. Our technology will never match with what the aliens have.

What really makes Independence Day different on a complete broad spectrum was its design. It is refreshing to see the amount of practical effects used. Nowadays, Hollywood relies way too much on CGI, and green screen effects. The aliens had an impressive slimy and gooey feel, the ships had an eerie look, and the lasers felt like something right out of Star Wars.

And we can’t forget the most memorable part of the movie. The speech. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Where President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) gives the adrenaline pumping, emotional, and downright badass speech by any president in history. In my opinion, this is something that no other movie has been able to achieve. A speech in which you just want to jump out of your seat and be proud of fighting for what you believe in. “We’re going to live on, we’re going to survive. TODAY, WE CELEBRATE OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY!”

What sets Independence Day apart from other sci-fi and alien films is it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is very satisfying. It makes you laugh, provides a good story, and plenty of Will Smith knee slappers you’ll be repeating for years. The end result is uplifting, inspiring, and a classic 4th of July feature for all.

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The secrets of Area 51 are pretty lame

Area 51 (2015 film)

Cast: Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg, Ben Rovner, Jelena Nik

Director: Oren Peli

Genre: Found footage, science fiction, horror

Release Date: May 15th, 2015

When someone says the words ‘Area 51’, you only think of one thing; aliens. That Area 51 is the home to extraterrestrial life and the US Government is housing an alien spacecraft. Well, you'll get all of that in this film but will end up being extremely annoyed with the result.

Area 51 has been in development hell since 2009. The film had gone through many reshoots during its production for unknown reasons. It was finally released slated for release in May of 2015. After hearing that Oren Peli was directing and writing this film, I had high hopes. I enjoyed Paranormal Activity as it was one of the better horror of the recent decade.

Reid(Reid Warner), the ring leader of the UFO obsessed group, convinces his best friends Darren(Darrin Bragg), and Ben(Ben Rovner), to join him on the journey to the notorious base. They meet up with Jelena(Jelena Nik), whose father just happened to work at Area 51 but was killed because he asked ‘too many questions’. The group has been planning this adventure for 3 months. In order to ensure they will get into the base, they along a ton of high tech gear, such as thermal suits and a signal jammer. Along with the gear, each of them take high levels of ammonia pills to ensure they won’t be detection while sneaking into the base.

Sadly, more than half of the movie is directed to the preparation of getting into Area 51. The group only spends about the last 25-30 minutes in the base itself. It doesn't help that the film is only 90 minutes long, so none of the scares happen until later on.

I understand that this is a found footage film but the camera work was very disturbing. You could never tell what is going on when the movie finally gets us inside Area 51. Every time something creepy happens, the camera immediately shakes, so you never get a clear image of what the hell is going on.

With horror films, we usually get to see the villain or the one terrorizing the group. Well, Area 51 doesn’t do any of that. All we get is little glimpses of shadows running by the camera, and that's it, which is very frustrating. Being a movie set in Area 51, we want to be able to see whatever is chasing the group. Just a little 3-4 second scene would be perfect for this film.

Once you finish the movie, you'll be like, ‘that’s it? that’s the ending?’. The ending makes you feel like you just wasted 90 minutes of your life. Nothing special, nothing interesting, it just ends with no closure whatsoever.

Area 51 doesn't bring anything new or improved to the table. It’s just another horror film that didn't work. The movie wasn't scary enough and never had any suspenseful moments until about an hour in. I was never on the edge of my seat to see what happens next as I could simply guess what was going to happen next. Yes it does leave an open mind about what could possibly be inside Area 51, but if you are looking to be disappointed, watch this film.

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