Independence Day: Difference between revisions

* [[Aliens Are Bastards]]: Nothing remotely sympathetic about 'em.

* [[Always Chaotic Evil]]: The aliens.

* [[America Saves the Day]]: And ''how.'' The entire plan to save the world was conceived by the American characters at Area 51, then broadcast via Morse code to the rest of the world. It's a [[Justified Trope]], though, considering Area 51 is portrayed in the film as harboring a recovered scout craft used by the very alien race invading -- implying that the U.S. has had decades to study them for forty years prior. Without that ace up its sleeve, the United States was as helpless as everyone else.<br />The producers of a British radio [[Spin-Off]] were even given strict instructions ''not to portray the British as in any way contributing to America's victory'', likely as a pre-emptive move due to fears that perceived British distaste for the US military and distaste for this trope in general would lead the producers to attempt to downplay the US role in the victory strategy. Amusingly, the British radio version hangs a lampshade on this by having one of the characters remark, "What do you want to bet the Americans take all the credit for this?"<br />The movie itself features a British commander making a similar [[Take That]]: "It's about bloody time!" His tone of voice has all the [[Subtext]] of "Those bloody Yanks are [[Late to the Party]] ''again!''" Most [[Snark Bait|snarkers]] [[Alternative Character Interpretation|instead interpret]] the line as playing the trope straight, though.

* [[Anal Probing]]: Russell attests to having been abducted by aliens. Those who don't believe him crack jokes and ask if he was ever sexually abused on the flying saucer, suggesting this trope.

* [[Black Dude Dies First]]: The first guy to be killed is still a black guy, albeit an unnamed one.

* [[Bond One-Liner]]: [[Will Smith]] does this over and over in this movie, to good effect.

* [[But I Read a Book About It]]: Capt. Hiller basically says he can fly the ship because he's seen it fly.

* [[The Captain]]: [[Will Smith|Steven Hiller]]

* [[Captured Super Entity]]: At one point, Hiller captures an alien that crashed along with him and drags it to Area 51. The alien's telepathy and bio-mechanical suit make it a formidable force when it's found to still be alive.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]

** The reaction to the guards in Area 51 when Hiller shows the alien.

'''Hiller:''' Maybe I should just leave ''this'' with you? }}

** Julius has this reaction to finding out that David once punched the President.

'''David:''' He wasn't the President ''then''. }}

* [[Disappeared Dad]]: The father of Jasmine's son has been out of the picture for some time.

** Not quite as severe as normal uses of this trope, but it was made quite clear that Jeff Goldblum's character was not too happy about the circumstances of what happened, eventually causing him to lash out, even litter the whole place quite violently before his dad inadvertently gives him an idea on how to defeat the aliens.

** The President has one, lamenting of all the death and destruction caused by his indecision to prepare if the aliens indeed turned out to be hostile.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Godspeed, {{spoiler|Mr. Casse.}}

* [[Historical In-Joke]]: There totally was an alien vessel at Area 51 -- and it was piloted by the aliens invading now.

** [[Darker and Edgier]] in the novelization: this is only briefly mentioned in the movie, but not only is Houston still completely intact at the time of the attack, ''it hasn't been fully evacuated yet.''

* [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]]: Secretary of Defense Albert Nimziki. Before he became the Secretary of Defense job he was the CIA Director. They had evidence of a hostile alien race, they KNEW what they were capable of, and yet they DIDN'T. TELL. THE GOVERNMENT. This results in the initial counterattack against the aliens being utterly annihilated due to the shields and the US losing hundreds of pilots that could have been more useful if they actually had a way to beat them. The guy eventually tries to talk Whitmore out of attacking the aliens before the end battle, claiming it would be a mistake. Whitmore replies:

* [[Oh Crap]]

** It's hard to read expressions on an alien face but it's easy to imagine that's what it was thinking when it found itself staring at a countdown on a nuclear missile that just ticked to zero...

* [[Ominous Floating Spaceship]]: You'd better believe it.

* [[One Bullet Left]]:

{{spoiler|'''Russell:''' Sorry I'm late, Mister President!}} }}

* [[One-Scene Wonder]]

* [[Planet Looters]]

* [[Plausible Deniability]]: Apparently, the Secretary of Defense who kept the President in the dark even went as far as to keep most of the cabinet in the dark about the existence of Area 51 as well, going by General Grey's reaction to learning this.

'''Julius:''' You don't actually think they'd spend $20,000 on a hammer, $30,000 on a toilet seat, do you? }}

* [[Plug N Play Technology]]: See above. How could we have known they would have a weakness to [[Shout-Out|a computer]] [[The War of the Worlds|virus]]?

* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]

** Russel Casse, {{spoiler|before he proceeds to shove his F/A-18 up the alien ship's ass and completely ''annihilate'' it in a glorious (and, for him, quite satisfying) [[Heroic Sacrifice]].}}

** The President moments prior: "All right, boys, let's give Mr. Casse some cover. '''''GENTLEMEN! [[Gatling Good|LET'S PLOW]] [[More Dakka|THE ROAD!]]'''''"

** Deep in the mothership and not expecting to get out, Hiller makes a V-sign to the alien in charge of the hangar, shouts "PEACE!" and fires the nuke. And just beforehand, David activates a special option in his virus causing {{spoiler|all the alien display screens to show an [[Hacked by a Pirate|animated laughing skull and crossbones]], complete with demonic-sounding digital laughter.}}

** After the captured alien launches a mental assault on Whitmore and shows him their plans, we get this:

'''[[Adam Baldwin|Mitchell]]:''' No, sir.<br />

''(all observing military personnel pull out handguns and open fire)'' }}

* [[Rule of Perception]]: Steven and later Jasmine walk out onto their front lawn with a view over Los Angeles and don't notice the alien ship hovering silently over the city until the camera shows it.

* [[Scenery Gorn]]: This film revels in the wholesale destruction of the populated centres of the world. (Emmerich returned to make similarly spectacular carnage in ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]'' and ''[[Film/Twenty Twelve|Twenty Twelve]]''.) Love of this trope must be the reason that a movie which features the destruction of the White House is shown on American television every year on the Fourth of July.

** Even the TV Show [[The West Wing]] points out that Presidential appointees serve at the pleasure of the President, meaning he can fire them any time he wants.

* [[Schizo-Tech]]: For the aliens. They have the space travel, laser beams, indestructible forcefields... but their computer security technology is so primitive a guy with a laptop can hack it; they didn't even ''[[Genre Blindness|think]]'' about the possibility of a security breach, even though they were [[Hoist by His Own Petard|interfacing]] with the Earth's satellite network. It wouldn't be the first time an alien race of invaders had some technological deficiency that lead to them being defeated (it goes all the way back to ''War of the Worlds'') but this one is particularly egregious.

** Hiller claims that he is one of the few fully aware of the alien fighter capabilities and that being a pilot he can figure out how it works. Parodied in that his first attempt in the cockpit ends with him going in reverse. Although admittedly the controls seem fairly intuitive, using dual joysticks. The movement directions being labled wrong by the scientists wasn't helpful.

** Lampshaded earlier, when David asks him quietly if he really believes he can fly it.

* [[We Come in Peace, Shoot to Kill]]: Completely averted. The aliens make no attempt to hide their intentions, likely because they see us as little more than pond scum.

* [[We Have Been Researching Phlebotinum for Years]]: When they visit [[Area 51]], it turns out [[The Government]] knew about the aliens all along.

* [[Wiper Start]]: A jet fighter version -- as [[Vietnam War]]-era pilot (gone to seed) Russell Casse tries to ready his F/A-18, he almost fires a missile.

** Becomes a bit of a [[Funny Aneurysm]] when you realize {{spoiler|that was probably the missile that failed to fire, meaning he had to die instead of just firing it and going home to his kids}}.