First off...I was never a big fan of ID4. I understand WHY it became a big hit, and it was definitely the kind of movie designed to be seen in a theater with a big audience (meaning it's completely wrong for 2025), but it's never been a personal favorite of mine. This weekend we sat down with Theo to watch it and...I actually think it's worse than I remember it being.
Now, the thing that gets me about Roland Emmerich's subsequent GODZILLA misfire is that everyone complained that movie was too silly, the tone was too light, the characters were too cartoonish, and there was too much comedy.
I guess I have to ask...did any of them see ID4 before? Or had people already forgotten by 1998 that ID4 wasn't all that to start with?
Because literally EVERY criticism you could level at GODZILLA you can see in ID4 as well: too broadly played in terms of tone, too cartoonish in terms of performances, and a sense of danger that is...well, for an end of the world/alien invasion film, almost completely lacking. Even Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS, for all its faults, had a chilling tone and a few set-pieces that enabled you to suspend disbelief. None of that is on-hand here.
Every performance, as well, is auto-pilot: Will Smith looks like he's in between music videos and is there just for the money. His scenes with Harry Connick Jr. seem like a talk show they're holding in the middle of a disaster movie -- there's no sense of urgency between them whatsoever, not even as they take off to shoot down the giant UFO over southern California! Jeff Goldblum does JURASSIC PARK, but not as well. Bill Pullman seems like he's half-asleep. And then you have the supporting turns -- talk about comedy, Judd Hirsch lays on the Jewish father stereotype so heavy it hurts. And Randy Quaid...who's idea was it to cast Cousin Eddie?
It all plays out against a delicious alien invasion premise, but there is no urgency or suspense or sense of disbelief ever produced in this movie. I mean, when Harvey Fierstein is lit up (there's another non-hysterical comedy turn), are you supposed to feel bad -- or just laugh? I think it's the latter, which is the whole problem this movie has.
David Arnold's score did nothing for me either -- it's busy and loud, but it's not very effective. His "upbeat rousing theme" for the Quaid character is almost cringe-worthy when it first appears. But given that the movie is just pedestrian, Arnold's music can't do anything more than basically comment on the superficial, one-dimensional element of it all.
The FX are also weak. They were less than ILM quality in 1996, and now they're dated to the point where an Xbox 360 game from a half-decade later is, today, more impressive.
I hate to just dump all over this movie but it's surprising how frivolous and empty it is...in fact...I'll even admit it...I'd much rather watch Emmerich's GODZILLA again! Having also revisited that not too long ago, at least that movie's creature FX are still solid and the film moves with a faster pace than this. The last half-hour of it is more fun than anything here too.
ID4 has dated poorly but it was never that great in the first place -- an empty calorie blockbuster from a decade that ran out of calories.
