Independence Day — What Makes It So Great

Most disaster movies are comprised of boring characters, uninteresting antagonists, and a ton of so-what deus-ex-machina action scenes. Independence Day manages to avoid these pitfalls and succeed where most movies fall short, making it a memorable and exciting film 20 years after its release. On the eve of the release of its sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, I examine a few techniques that the screenplay for ID4 executes well.