There are 20 seconds within the 1996 blockbuster movie Independence Day that get me each time. And it’s not some massive reveal. It’s not some humorous joke or vastly emotional beat. It’s only a temporary, 20-second blip the place the movie achieves a stage of perfection that, I really feel, it by no means reaches once more, and that is coming from a large fan of the movie.
The second comes about an hour into the proceedings. America has determined to combat again on the aliens who’ve simply destroyed a number of main cities, killing hundreds of thousands. Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) is likely one of the pilots within the air and he simply misplaced his greatest good friend to what are clearly superior plane. Unhappy however decided, the loss of life has given Hiller added ardour. Clearly, he can’t beat everybody, but when he can simply defeat one in all these planes, that might be sufficient. And it’s at this second that director Roland Emmerich makes use of a chunk of music from David Arnold’s rating that we don’t hear on this manner at every other level within the film. It’s a riff on the primary theme, however by some means in a extra propulsive, rousing manner, and it performs over tight, thrilling modifying and compositions of Hiller straining to maneuver his airplane in methods he’s by no means used it earlier than. Right here’s the second.
That second proper there’s my favourite in all of Independence Day. An attractive mix of sound, appearing, modifying, and cinematography. However principally, it’s the music. These 20 seconds are the one time in your entire film when Arnold makes use of that individual beat. These first few notes, first shifting up the dimensions, then down the dimensions, then going right into a model of the theme simply so completely conveys Hiller’s guttural have to win this battle not only for himself or for his good friend, however for planet Earth. Positive, the movie has good music all through, however each time I hear this piece I ponder “Why isn’t there extra of the rating on this manner all all through the film?” It might have made a fantastic film even higher.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents. No greater level to it. I simply wished to, on this explicit July 4, give my favourite second in Independence Day its due.
Learn our full look again on the movie for its twenty fifth anniversary in 2021 proper right here.
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