Welshrogue

Earth gets surrounded by flying saucers and they are not here as tourists.

A huge summer hit, ID4 put science fiction back in the spotlight in 1996 with this explosive, enjoyable movie. Directed by Roland Emmerich who along with Dean Devlin also wrote it, ID4 was made after his earlier science fiction hit, Stargate. Spectacular in the effects, ID4 is a wonderful action movie. There is so much computer and special effects that there seems to always be something going on throughout the movie which lasts over 2 1/2 hours.

For a movie this size, you need a large cast and ID4 has it, and not just no names either. Bill Pullman, Will Smith, and Jeff Goldblum star but are more than ably supported by the likes of Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quiad and even Harry Connick Jr.

The movie is pretty much the usual earth vs the flying saucers but made to look amazing. The beginning when the flying saucers first make their appearance is stunning, the cloud effects perhaps better than even Close Encounters. This is a pretty movie to watch.

There are moments that make the watcher cringe, the presidents speech is a little too cheesy, and even though the majority of computers on earth use Windows for their OS, apparently aliens use Apple. Maybe that explains those stupid commercials?

If you don’t think too hard and you want to watch an enjoyable, action pack movie with more action than plot, ID4 is for you.