Independence Day: 5 Star Collection
20th Century Fox / 1996 / 153 Mins / Rated PG-13

MOVIE
So here it is, one of the most universally bagged movies of all time but on the other side of the coin one of the most requested DVD's ever.

Released in 1996 Independence Day crushed all other movies in the summer of 96' and brought new meaning to the term media blitz with trailers, TV spots, teasers and television specials for up to a year before the movies release.

This DVD release of ID4 includes both the standard theatrical cut and the longer special edition cut released a few years later.

On July 2, A huge mother ship arrives floating over the moon in one of the best openings of a movie in years. It detaches into 30 smaller 15 mile wide ships that take residence over the 30 largest cities around the world. At first we think they are friendly but one man knows differently.

On July 3, The aliens turn nasty and destroy all the major cites of the world in a fireworks display unseen on film before.

In July 4, It's time for us humans to make a comeback and get those damn aliens off our planet.

Independence Day is a thrilling picture to enjoy from start to finish. I don't care what people say about how the plot sucks or this is crap, WHO CARES! It's a popcorn movie, It was made for everyone in a theater to enjoy and not for people to nitpick about every little thing in it. Sit back and enjoy for gods sake!

VIDEO
The transfer on this 5 star edition of ID4 is nothing short of superfluous. 

The THX certified transfer is super sharp at all times and the color detail is perfectly rendered, Shadow detail is top notch also. 

There were no MPEG artifacts present and film artifacts were few and far between.

Independence Day is framed at 2:35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.

This is an RSDL disc. The layer change occurs at the 68:00 minute mark and is only slightly noticeable.
AUDIO

Time to thump hard. ID4 contains a sensational reference quality sound track that is only beaten by Saving Private Ryan.

ID4's 5.1 channel mix is a masterful mix full of wonderful effects and is a lesson in sound design. The surrounds are beautifully used and integrated well into the sound design. The .1 channel is used non stop and underscores this presentation well.

On the whole this soundtrack is of reference quality and is a non stop assault on your senses.

ID4 is a great show off piece for your friends. 
EXTRAS
Sensational extras adorn this lovely 2 disc set.

Disc One

Extras Include:

Special edition featuring 9 minutes additional footage and the original theatrical cut of the movie.

Audio Commentary: Special Effects Supervisors. This track is done by Volker Engel & Doug Smith. It is a very technical commentary and enjoyable to listen to as they give quite a lot of info regarding the effects don in the movie.

Audio Commentary: Director & Producer. Featuring Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. Sadly the same cannot be said for this track, it is boring, they make too many jokes and it is uninformative.

Disc Two

The second disc of this set features most of the extras. The menus are based around Area 51 and each section has different features.

Documentary: Creating Reality. 4:3 format, Dolby Digital 2.0. This is a 30 minute feature about the special effects creation with interviews and footage.

Documentary: The ID4 Invasion. 4:3 format, Dolby Digital 2.0. This is a promotional feature that ran on TV as the release was pending. It runs for 22 minutes and is quite a laugh to watch.

Documentary: HBO First Look: Making Of ID4. 4:3 format, Dolby Digital 2.0. This is a really cheesy 30 minute documentary hosted by Jeff Goldblum but still does have quite a bit of info on the creation of the movies effects.

Original Biplane Ending Sequence: Framed at 2:35:1 with commentary by Dean Devlin. This ending shows the originally intended ending with Randy Quaid flying his biplane against the alien attacker.

Apple Computer TV Spot: This is the cross promotional TV spot for Macintosh laptops.

ID4 Online Trailer: A short trailer for the new ID4 Internet game which includes one month free access.

Theatrical Trailer: Framed at 2:35:1 with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. This is a great trailer that is technically lacking as the soundtrack is only in mono! Why no 5.1 on this or the teaser trailers?

Teaser Trailers: Same again, 3 trailers in varying aspect ratios between 1:85:1 and 2:35:1 with a Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track.

15 Second TV Spot: Dolby Digital 2.0 sound framed at 4:3 ratio.

30 Second TV Spots: Ditto for these TV spots as well.

Storyboards: Standard storyboards done for the production of the movie.

Artwork: Original artwork paintings featuring sketches of the aliens, ships and other designs.

Production Photographs: Quite high quality photos taken during filming.

Subtitles Include:
Closed Captioned, Spanish

FINAL THOUGHTS
A sensational DVD and a great demo disc for you home theater. Get one today.
16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS:

PLOT:
OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT
Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player: Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers: Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 17 Jul 2000 19:54:45 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 1
No of Discs: 2
MPAA Rating PG-13
Running Time: 153 Mins
Case Type: Dual Alpha Pak
Release Date: 27/6/2000
Catalog Number: 2000045
List Price: Personal Import
Distributor: Fox
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: NTSC
Disc Type: Picture Disc
Disc Format: SS-RSDL
Chapters:

 Theatrical (54)
Special Edition (57)
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: DVCC
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround
2.0 Surround
DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages: English
Subtitles: Yes
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: Yes (2)
Theatrical Trailer: Yes
Teaser Trailer(s): Yes
TV Spots(s): Yes
Dolby Trailer: None
Documentary: Yes
Cast & Crew Bios: Yes
Deleted Scenes: Yes
Music Videos: None
DVD Rom Content: Yes
Collectable Booklet: Yes
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: Yes
Production Notes: Yes
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