The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1996 features the top-grossing film both worldwide and in North America, Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day. Directed by Emmerich from a script he co-wrote with Dean Devlin and starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin and Vivica A. Fox, Independence Day grossed more than $800 million worldwide and won an Oscar for its visual effects.

The contemporary reviews quoted in this episode come from Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/independence-day-1996), Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly (https://ew.com/article/1996/07/12/independence-day-5/), and Duane Byrge in TheHollywood Reporter (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/independence-day-1996-movie-original-905775).

Please like, share, rate and comment on the show and this episode, and tune in for the next 1996 installment featuring our pick for a notable filmmaking debut, Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket.