By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
When you think about it, the holidays are somewhat paradoxical: They’re all about getting together with family, but far too many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners start with good wine and end with the most unpleasant arguments this side of the planet. Reddit. If this sounds anything like your own holiday experience, then you probably miss the time when your family could function with each other like normal human beings. For those who want to reunite the family again, here’s some good news: you can stream Independence Daythe film that brought the whole country together, on Hulu today.
Independence Day is full of grandeur
If you’ve never watched Independence Day (on Hulu, in theaters, or anywhere in between), know that it’s based on a wonderfully simple premise. When aliens invade the planet and start killing humans en masse, the fate of the entire world rests on the shoulders of an advanced airplane pilot and an eccentric computer scientist. However, their success or failure will ultimately depend on the contribution of everyone, from the inspiring US president to the alcoholic Vietnam veteran.
A compelling reason to check out this creature feature is that the out-of-this-world cast includes Will Smith as the cocky pilot and Jeff Goldblum as a top-notch IT technician. Bill Pullman plays the president facing the greatest crisis in world history, and his wife is played by Battlestar Galactic Queen Mary McDonnell. Other memorable actors from this film include Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spinerand Randy Quaid (in what is almost certainly the best film of his career).
Look Independence Day on Hulu is a great way to revisit the iconic speech that Pullman’s character gives to bring the world together against a common threat. In real life, the whole world most certainly came together to turn this Hollywood blockbuster into a galactic success. Against a budget of just $75 million, the film grossed a staggering $817.4 million, profits that ultimately prompted 20th Century Fox to release a sequel that is (we’re sad to say) inferior in all respects.
Gather the public
Independence Day brought the world together before Hulu was even a blink of an eye in a streaming the eye of the ruler, and he also achieved something almost impossible: bringing together the public and the critics. On Rotten TomatoesThe film has a critical score of 68 percent, with critics generally noting that the film makes up for its meager characterization with all the thrills and spectacle we expect from a big summer blockbuster. When it comes to audiences, this film’s Popcornmeter is 75%, showing that casual moviegoers were generally even more excited about this film than their critical counterparts.
All these years later, it’s clear that it was more than hype that helped make this film such a success. Will Smith’s charisma helps him steal every scene, and his manic energy fits so perfectly with Jeff Goldblum’s nerdy knight in armor. Besides, Bill Pullman is the perfect cinematic president, and after combining a rousing speech with death-defying heroics, you’ll probably wish our own politicians were even half as inspiring and awesome.
In many ways, Pullman’s character underscores the heart of the film… when you revisit Independence Day on Hulu, you may be surprised to discover that this film is much more than the sum of its explosive action set pieces. Everyone remembers the iconic spectacle of aliens blowing up the White House, and because of that, it’s hard to remember that this movie is less about tearing things apart than putting them together. As we descend into the chaos of a country divided by everything from politics to social media, this film’s vision of international unity is a fantasy we can certainly get behind.
Will you find Independence Day as inspiring as I am when you stream it on Hulu, or is this a movie you’d like to “welcome to Earth” by throwing it to the ground? You won’t know until you check it out for yourself. Then you can help us try to answer a burning question: How on earth did aliens develop interstellar travel before inventing malware-blocking software?
Flow Independence Day on Hulu.
