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Independence Day

Independence Day

Action · Adventure · Science Fiction · 1996

Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.

Movie details

Independence Day

“The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe has been answered.”

1996 Action · Adventure · Science Fiction 2h 25m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.0 / 10

642.2K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

77 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

59 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Independence Day?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Man of Steel

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Action · 2013

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roland Emmerich

Written by

Roland Emmerich · Dean Devlin

Will Smith

Will Smith

Capt. Steven Hiller

Bill Pullman

Bill Pullman

President Thomas J. Whitmore

Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum

David Levinson

Mary McDonnell

Mary McDonnell

Marilyn Whitmore

Judd Hirsch

Judd Hirsch

Julius Levinson

Robert Loggia

Robert Loggia

General William Grey

Randy Quaid

Randy Quaid

Russell Casse

Court is in session

Put Independence Day on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.