Independence Day 1996 Ending Explained: A Heroic Battle for Humanity
Though it also addresses the fundamental core topic of the movie, the ending of 1996's Independence Day is just as over-the-top as the rest of the venerable 1996 sci-fi/action classic. Under direction Roland Emmerich and starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Margaret Colin, and Randy Quaid, Independence Day centers on an extraterrestrial armada arriving in Earth's orbit with scant notice. Humanity finds itself on the brink when any peaceful hopes are destroyed by a string of large-scale worldwide coordinated strikes.
First taken aback by the advanced alien technology on Independence Day, the survivors must figure out how to defeat the aliens and bring the fight to them. Though it had a mixed review when it came out, the movie became a huge commercial success and helped make Will Smith among the most outstanding actors in the world. While highlighting the main idea of resistance in the face of defeat and preparing the ground for an eventual sequel, the ending of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day veers into that somewhat ridiculous but sincere sense of action.
How Humanity Beats The Aliens in Independence Day Justified
The struggle between the humans and the aliens in Independence Day is first somewhat one-sided, until humanity develops a workaround for their powerful technology. The alien warships can readily reject practically everything the humans toss at them because of their sophisticated shield systems. Targeting military bases and big cities to eradicate any opposition, this lets them destroy the earth. But David Levinson's work results in a computer virus designed to compromise the shields on every spacecraft.
David can fly into the alien mothership and turn on the computer virus beside Steven Hiller. Before they flee, Hiller and Levinson destroy the ship with a well-placed nuclear bomb therefore providing humanity with a fighting chance. Over Area 51, President Thomas J. Whitmore leads the attack to destroy the vessel, therefore attaining an absolute human triumph. Following the triumph, word of it gets out over the globe and the other countries attack the aliens in their own territories. This helps humans to defend the earth and battle the alien warships.
Actually, what the aliens want for independence?
Some of the most simple villains in Sci-fi history are the Aliens in Independence Day, sometimes known as Harvesters; they are a terrible force devoid of any evident redeeming traits. Eventually the species is seen to be a nomadic one, roving the world gathering resources from other planets. They thus unleash such massive strikes on their targets in an attempt to rapidly eradicate the native species so they may begin their job emptying the worlds of their resources. Especially, the species seems to lack any particular ill-will to humanity when it strikes Earth. Rather, they just view mankind as a barrier to their objectives.
For them, it's more of an eradication than a confrontation. Whitmore finds as he momentarily connects telepathically to a captured alien that they have done to many other civilizations all throughout the universe. From an audience point of view, this makes their ultimate widescale defeat lot more acceptable since there are no moral grey zones regarding their combat. With the aliens from Independence Day, life or death becomes a question mark that fuels the central narrative conflict.
Every Major Death in Independence Day
Independence Day's war between humans and the aliens claims many lives, including several significant ones related to the plot. Many of the main heroes in the movie lose loved ones even if they mostly survive. Last survivor of his fighter unit, Steven Hiller saw the death of his friend Jimmy Wilder. The first attacks claim Tiffani and Marty, friends of Jasmine and David. First Lady Marilyn Whitmore is among the most sad deaths in the movie. Though Marilyn suffered fatal injuries in the attack on Los Angeles, Jasmine manages to bring her back to her family before she goes.
Russell Casse, a former Air Force pilot whose tales of alien abduction are verified by the reappearance of the aliens, represents the largest character death in Independence Year. Participating in the conflict over Area 51 Casse ends up committing himself to destroy the Warship as one of its main weapons is activating. Doctor Brackish Okun, the Area 51 scientist momentarily seized as a conduit by the aliens, is another key fatality hinted at in the movie. But the next sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence showed he survived the ordeal.
The Sequel's Set Up by the End of Independence Day Resurgence
Set twenty years following the events of the previous film, 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence drew on several aspects of the first movie to build a sequel. Humanity is able to reverse-engineer technology that distributes itself over the universe using the left-over tools from the vanquished aliens. Another result of mankind's shared triumph over the aliens at Independence Day's conclusion is a more united planet. This also let humanity have far more sophisticated technology in the sequel, therefore improving their combat chances against the aliens.
Whitmore, Okun, and the aliens in the first film have a telepathic link that enables them to link to the alien hivemind and uncover their plans when they return to harvest the molten core of the planet. < These threads serve as the key connective tissue between the original film and the sequel, setting up a massive new battle against the aliens' new attempt to target and harvest the Earth's resources. Although Independence Day: Resurgence set up a potential follow-up focused on targeting the alien directly, the lackluster critical and commercial reception to the film makes Independence Day 3 unlikely.
The actual meaning behind the ending of Independence Day
The ending of Independence Day is a surprisingly uplifting one, despite the widescale death and destruction that happened earlier in the film. Despite the massive losses that occur in the film and all the challenges that humanity is forced to endure in the battle against the aliens, the film ultimately argues that humanity is able to overcome them. This is seen most clearly in Whitmore's iconic speech to the pilots on Area 51, where he rallies the other survivors to resist any nihilistic sense of defeat and instead "not go quietly into the night."
That focus on human resistance plays into the personal arcs of the other characters in the film. Characters like Steven and David fight for their relationships and are rewarded with emotional reunions in the film's ending. Whitmore is initially shaken by the tragedies but is able to inspire himself and others to keep going. Even the trauma that's shattered Casse's life can be confronted and overcome, with Casse ultimately playing a crucial part in saving the day in the process. Independence Day is a goofy over-the-top Sci-fi Action film that underscores all the bombast with belief in human reliance.
Independence Day: A Look Back at the Film
Roland Emmerich's iconic 1996 sci-fi disaster movie Independence Day chronicles the attack of a hostile race of aliens against planet Earth. When extraterrestrial aircraft occupy Earth without warning, the forces of humanity quickly band together to stop them. At the behest of President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), US Marine pilot Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) and satellite engineer David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) organize humanity's last-ditch counterattack against the technologically-advanced alien mothership.
Independence Day is a classic sci-fi Action film that has captivated audiences for decades. The film's thrilling action sequences, its memorable characters, and its powerful message of hope and resilience have made it a beloved film for generations of viewers. The film's success is a testament to the power of imagination and the ability of filmmakers to create cinematic experiences that resonate with audiences on an emotional level. Independence Day, with its iconic story and its enduring popularity, remains a classic of the sci-fi genre.
