INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)

This classic film predicts a day, July 2nd to be exact, when all international communication systems are bogged down by a strange (extraterrestrial) interference. The military soon learns that several large-scale objects are on a crash-course collision with Earth; further investigation reveals they are not the meteors scientists expected them to be.  When attempts to communicate with this "extraterrestrial" life form fail, the White House calls in David Levinson, an ex-scientist turned cable-technician, to investigate.  But on July 3rd, nearly the entirety of New York, Washington, and Los Angeles are destroyed by close hovering alien space craft.   Remaining survivors set out to Area 51, a place rumored to host alien spacecraft of their own.  Using a surviving space craft model from a former "Earth contact," Levinson sets to work devising a plan to fight back against the aliens alleged threats of human genocide, employing the help of military pilots and wise-cracking sidekick Capt. Steven Hiller along the way to mankind's fight for their independence.

The cast includes: Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid, Mary McDonnell, Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, and Judd Hirsch.

Director Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day" is a big, sprawling, FX laden, yet surprisingly character friendly Sci-Fi crowd pleaser. (MORE)

Promotional Lines: "Don't make plans for August."
"EARTH Take a good look. It could be your last."
"We've always believed we weren't alone. On July 4th, we'll wish we were."