# Why does everyone (critics especially) seem to hate "Independence Day" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697 "2009-07-21T01:03:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/81 "2009-07-21T23:03:17Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > I think the critics (I’m not one of them) are people who insist on scientific integrity to the minutia and scripts with zero trite lines. Good luck finding a movie like that that’s entertaining. I don’t see anyone insisting on “scientific integrity to the minutia.” Anyone who’s had to struggle getting their computer to talk to their printer, even when both pieces of hardware come from the same manufacturer, is going to raise an eyebrow at Jeff Goldblum just up and plugging into an alien mothership using his PowerBook. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/82 "2009-07-22T04:37:42Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > Add me to the chorus of those who understand the complaints, but liked it anyway. The scene with the space fighter chasing Will Smith’s F-16 through the canyon is one of the best action sequences I’ve seen. > > Besides, I think the whole complaint about connecting a laptop to an alien mothership to be overstated. Remember, Jeff Goldblum is _smarter_ than you, so of course he could figure out how to do that. Besides, for dramatic purposes I’m sure they intentionally chose not to bore us with the technicalities of getting that done - for example, I’m sure they didn’t plug in to the alien network with a regular Ethernet cable; they certainly would have needed to buy an adapter. > D F/A-18 Sorry, I can’t help myself. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/83 "2009-07-22T05:49:51Z")
Yeah, it’s dumber than a box of rocks, but fun as hell. When it came out it got such bad reviews that it never even crossed my mind to go see it. A couple years later I was sitting at my computer and had a tiny TV with a 5" screen on the desk next to me for monitoring purposes, and it came on cable. I wasn’t interested, but I left it on. I was soon fairly sucked in to the story, and ended up having a blast watching it. On a 5" screen. I kicked myself for missing it on the big screen just because of the reviewers. If it played in theaters again for the 15th or 20th anniversary, I’d go see it. Then again, maybe if I’d seen it at the time of release, the hype and such would have affected my opinion to the negative too. My experience with ID4 is one of the reasons why I like seeing blockbusters on the big screen. I might regret seeing it, but I might regret not seeing it up close and large too. Reminds me I have to go see Transformers 2 before it leaves the theaters. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/84 "2009-07-22T08:40:49Z")
A lot of people seem to find the idea of defeating the aliens with a computer virus to be silly. I loved it though, it’s very watchable if you don’t get picky about such things, and there’s lots of ass kicking and blowing up of major landmarks and inspiring speeches. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/85 "2009-07-22T11:48:38Z")
It also suffered from the “who is that actor” problem. When you spend your time wondering where you’ve seen that guy before - breaks the illusion. You can jump quickly into Will Smith or Jeff Goldblum’s character…but since nearly every minor character was “I know that guy!” I spent way too much time trying to figure out where I knew Brent Spiner from. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/86 "2009-07-22T13:00:30Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > A lot of people seem to find the idea of defeating the aliens with a computer virus to be silly. I loved it though, it’s very watchable if you don’t get picky about such things, and there’s lots of ass kicking and blowing up of major landmarks and inspiring speeches. What irritated me the most was when the alien spaceships appeared above all sorts of major landmarks around the world - except Africa, there it appears above Mt Kilimanjaro, because we all know there’s nothing in Africa except some mountains and a handful of semi-naked tribesmen who appear shaking their spears when the spaceships are destroyed. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/87 "2009-07-22T13:03:14Z")
nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/88 "2009-07-22T13:41:02Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I don’t see anyone insisting on “scientific integrity to the minutia.” Anyone who’s had to struggle getting their computer to talk to their printer, even when both pieces of hardware come from the same manufacturer, is going to raise an eyebrow at Jeff Goldblum just up and plugging into an alien mothership using his PowerBook. Dude, it’s a Mac. It just works. Or so I’m told. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/89 "2009-07-22T17:56:12Z")
One criticism I remember reading about the movie had to do with the big ships. Someone wrote that with a ship 15 miles in diameter, anything it hovers over would have been flattened by the atmospheric pressure. Is that true? The ships were moving pretty slowly, why wouldn’t any air beneath it simply whooshed off to the side? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/90 "2009-07-22T18:49:47Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > One criticism I remember reading about the movie had to do with the big ships. Someone wrote that with a ship 15 miles in diameter, anything it hovers over would have been flattened by the atmospheric pressure. Is that true? The ships were moving pretty slowly, why wouldn’t any air beneath it simply whooshed off to the side? If I remember correctly, the criticism is that regardless of what method the ship is using to keep itself hovering (rocket motors, giant fans, etc.), it still must generate downward force beneath it equal to it’s own weight in order to remain at a stable altitude. Therefore, anything directly beneath the ship would be affected by it hovering overhead essentially the same way it would by having the ship resting directly on top of it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/91 "2009-07-22T18:53:22Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > If I remember correctly, the criticism is that regardless of what method the ship is using to keep itself hovering (rocket motors, giant fans, etc.), it still must generate downward force beneath it equal to it’s own weight in order to remain at a stable altitude. Therefore, anything directly beneath the ship would be affected by it hovering overhead essentially the same way it would by having the ship resting directly on top of it. Not if the ships were HANGING from the feet of the INVISIBLE GIANT ELEPHANTS that surround the earth, smarty-pants. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/92 "2009-07-22T19:10:14Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Not if the ships were HANGING from the feet of the INVISIBLE GIANT ELEPHANTS that surround the earth, smarty-pants. :smack: Well, in my defense, I was an English major. I can’t be expected to understand advanced physics. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/93 "2009-07-22T20:14:54Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > If I remember correctly, the criticism is that regardless of what method the ship is using to keep itself hovering (rocket motors, giant fans, etc.), it still must generate downward force beneath it equal to it’s own weight in order to remain at a stable altitude. Therefore, anything directly beneath the ship would be affected by it hovering overhead essentially the same way it would by having the ship resting directly on top of it. Eh, that can be easily waved away by positing some sort of anti-gravity device. The criticism I recall was someone pointing out that the mothership is described as being a quarter the size of our moon. A ship that big, that close to the Earth, wouldn’t have to dick around with energy beams. It’s gravity alone would tear us apart. And that’s to say nothing of the effects of an artificial satellite that size blowing up anywhere near the planet would have on us. It’d be the [Ewok Holocaust](http://www.theforce.net/swtc/holocaust.html) all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/94 "2009-07-22T22:27:49Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > And that’s to say nothing of the effects of an artificial satellite that size blowing up anywhere near the planet would have on us. It’d be the [Ewok Holocaust](http://www.theforce.net/swtc/holocaust.html) all over again. Not to mention the minor problem of if you blow up something a few miles across that’s directly over what you want to protect… ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/95 "2009-07-22T22:33:12Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Only Margaret Colin’s great legs make it watchable. Stellar Legs. Absolutely watchable. Stellar Legs, band name? ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sealemon2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/96 "2009-07-22T22:34:44Z")
It’s simple. When you watch ID4, you have to turn your brain off. The movie is lots of fun, with plentyo f one liners, and cool special effects. And big explosions. just don’t think about the plot holes, or the really bad science, and you’re fine. I liked the movie. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/97 "2009-07-22T23:08:09Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Is \*Independence Day \*the one where the POTUS himself gets into a fighter plane to go help beat the aliens? He does and in possibly the most minor nitpick about ID4 is that they call his fighter “Eagle One” instead of “Airforce One”. Also his First Lady was played by Mary McDonnell (the future Laura Roslin). ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/98 "2009-07-23T03:07:48Z")
> [@sassyfras](#): > > That big shoot 'em up movie from 1996, seems to have been viciously panned by critics, and viewed as an example of commercial success without taste. > > I liked the movie myself. > > Why the hate? Was it really bad? Two words: Randy Quaid ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/99 "2009-07-23T05:37:31Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > Two words: Randy Quaid That’s my DAD! ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697/100 "2009-07-23T05:39:13Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > Despite critics the movie was made for $75Million, with another $20M for ads, and grossed over $817M worldwide and another $177M in rentals. And those are the only numbers that count to the studios. The movie obviously has a lot of appeal to a wide audience. I think the critics (I’m not one of them) are people who insist on scientific integrity to the minutia and scripts with zero trite lines. Good luck finding a movie like that that’s entertaining. _Primer_? Oh, you mean entertaining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-critics-especially-seem-to-hate-independence-day/503697.md?page=6)