Worldwide panic sets in when enormous alien spaceships suddenly appear in the sky above 30 major cities around the globe. What do these aliens want? Do they come in peace, or do they have more malicious motives? This question is quickly answered when an initial attempt to make contact with the visitors is met with hostility.

In the U.S., alien ships are hovering over Los Angeles, New York and Washington. In D.C., President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), whose approval ratings are at an all time low, tries to figure out how to address the nation. Meanwhile in New York City, cable TV technician David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) believes he may have discovered a hidden signal being broadcast from the alien ships that may spell doom for the Earth. And in California, Marine pilot Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) finds his holiday leave cut short as he must prepare to take flight for the impending attack. Can the world band together to find a way to stop this thread before the aliens destroy their planet?!

Independence Day combines the fun and excitement of an alien invasion movie with the grand storytelling of a classic Irwin Allen-style disaster film. Independence Day, with its excellent blend of drama, humor and amazing special effects, remains just as entertaining today as it was when I first saw it 20 years ago in the theater. The film comes from the same team that created Stargate—director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin—both of whom went on to do even more amazing work following this film. These filmmakers have done an excellent job of telling this large scale alien invasion story through smaller, seemingly-disparate character dramas that ultimately intersect in some really interesting ways. The writing is really dramatic at times—the President’s rallying speech is still one of my all-time favorite movie moments—but also quite funny as well. This movie could have been really campy, but it retains a level of realism and integrity that makes it so engaging to watch.

The cast of this film is superb. In addition to those already mentioned, the ensemble also includes Judd Hirsch, Robert Loggia, Randy Quaid, Vivica A. Fox, James Rebhorn, Harvey Fierstein, Adam Baldwin, Brent Spiner, Mary McDonnell and many more.

This 4K Ultra HD release of Independence Day release includes both the original theatrical cut of the film as well as the extended special edition, which incorporates 9 minutes of extended/additional scenes into the film. This extra footage is seamlessly integrated, and the only way I could tell what was added was to look at the scene selection menu, which clearly marks any extended or new scenes.

The 4K presentation looks phenomenal—the film has never looked better! Across the board things just look a lot sharper and more detailed, especially in the darker scenes like night skies and the black alien ships. The special effects and explosions look even richer with more color and better blending into the backgrounds. The destructive beams of light the emanate from the alien ships also look more way defined than the blueish white blurs of original Blu-ray release. Even the alien autopsy scene manages to look even grosser. This release also includes a new DTS:X soundtrack. Unfortunately my receiver is still awaiting a firmware upgrade to decode this format, but 7.1 channel DTS-MA playback I received still sounded excellent, so I can only imagine what the full-blown soundtrack would be like! It is a very aggressive mix that really utilizes the bass and surround channels to make the actions and explosions come to life in your living room, while still providing clear dialogue.

This release ports over almost all of the bonus features that have been included on the previous home video incarnations of this title including 2 audio commentaries, a trivia track, the original ending of the film, a gag reel, 80 minutes of behind-the-scenes features, photo galleries, trailers and more. New to this release are a 30-minute retrospective with the cast/creators of the film and a trailer for the upcoming sequel. Also included is a Digital HD copy of the film.

What’s Included:
Film: (2:24:48 Theatrical Version, 2:33:33 Special Edition Version)

4K Ultra HD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English DTS:X, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French (Quebec) Dolby Digital 1.0, French DTS 5.1, Spanish (Castilian) DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Spanish (Castilian), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish

Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 5/3/2019):

• Digital HD Copy redeemable via iTunes, Flixster (UltraViolet), Google Play or Vudu (UltraViolet)

Extras:
All extras can be found on the two Blu-ray discs included in this Combo Pack. The commentaries and Datastream Trivia Track can also be found on the Ultra HD disc. The majority of the bonus features have been ported over from the previous home video releases (a couple of which used to be hidden Easter eggs). The only items that are new to this release are the Independence Day: A Legacy Surging Forward and the Independence Day: Resurgence Theatrical Trailer.

• Audio Commentaries
  The two audio commentaries provided here are the same ones that have appeared on previous release formats of this film (the commentary make references to the DVD and even the laserdisc!). However, both of these tracks still provide entertaining and informative looks into the story and special effects, and the participants give lots of interesting behind-the-scenes information about the production. The nice thing about this release is that both commentaries are available on either cut of the film whereas previously one was limited to the theatrical cut and the other to the special edition cut.
  • Commentary with Director Roland Emmerich and Producer Dean Devlin
  • Commentary with VFX Supervisors Volker Engel and Doug Smith
• Datastream Trivia Track (2:24:48)
  When this is enabled during playback of the theatrical cut of the film, there will be facts, trivia and other information displayed in a box in the bottom right corner of the screen. While this can be interesting, I found the writing to be a bit too small, the black text over a green background a little tough to read, and the speed at which it skips to the next item to be a little too fast.
• Independence Day: Resurgence Theatrical Trailer* (2:07)
• Independence Day: A Legacy Surging Forward* (30:40)
  In this brand new retrospective behind-the-scenes special the cast and filmmakers discuss how the film came about, the audience reactions, writing the president’s rally speech, the use of improvisation, how many of the special effects (including the the White House explosion) were done, and give lots of other interesting production stories. There is also a glimpse into the sequel at the end. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, clips and interviews with director/writer/executive producer Roland Emmerich, producer/writer Dean Devlin, visual effects supervisor Volker Engel, co-production designer/creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos, visual effects supervisor Douglas Smith, co-production designer Oliver Scholl, stars Jeff Goldblum (“David Levinson”), Brent Spiner (“Dr. Brakish Okun”), Bill Pullman (“President Thomas J. Whitmore”), Judd Hirsch (“Julius Levinson”) and Vivica A. Fox (“Jasmine Dubrow”), and sequel stars Jessie Usher (“Dylan Hiller”), Liam Hemsworth (“Jake Morrison”), Joey King (“Sam”) and Maika Monroe (“Patricia Whitmore”).
• Original Theatrical Ending (4:16)
  A look at the original biplane ending of the film. Presented in non-anamorphic letterbox format with commentary by producer Dean Devlin.
• Gag Reel (2:05)
  Presented in full frame format
• Creating Reality (29:19)
  A detailed, behind-the-scenes look at all of the work that went into creating the visual effects for the film, broken down into six segments—”Creating an Alien World”, “Miniature Reality”, “The White House”, “Motion Control”, “Creating a Real Alien”, and “Digital Reality”. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, production designs/photos and interviews with director Roland Emmerich, producer Dean Devlin, production designer Patrick Tatopoulos, model shop supervisor Michael Joyce, visual effects production supervisor Bob Hurrie, motion control camera operator James Balsam, miniature pyrotechnics and mechanical effects supervisor Joseph Viskocil, visual effects supervisor Volker Engel, digital effects supervisor/producer Tricia Ashford, computer graphic supervisor Tara Handy Turner, unit digital animation supervisor Hartmut Engel, technical supervisor Rob Bredow, digital producer Joshua D. Rose, digital visual effects supervisor Andrea D’Amico, digital compositor Lawrence Littleton and digital compositing supervisor Pablo Helman. Presented in full frame format.
• ID4 Invasion (21:57)
  The first 9 minutes of this 1996 promotional feature is a fake news broadcast with interviews with the film’s characters and “citizens” about the events taking place in the film. Afterwards, it turns into a look at the film with the cast and filmmakers—producer/writer Dean Devlin, director/writer/executive producer Roland Emmerich, Bill Pullman (“President Whitmore”), Will Smith (“Captain Steven Hiller”), Margaret Colin (“Constance Spano”), Mary McDonnell (“Marilyn Whitmore”), Harry Connick Jr. (“Captain Jimmy Wilder”), Vivica A. Fox (“Jasmine”) and Jeff Goldblum (“David Levinson”). The feature closes out with a look at how realistic an alien invasion might be, with interviews with retired Navy Captain Robert D. McKenzie, “Communion” author Whitley Strieber, Michael Lindemann of the Institute for the Study of Contact with Non-Human Intelligence, aerospace engineer John F. Schuessler, Don Berliner of the Fund for UFO Research, writer/retired military intelligence James W. Canan, UFO Magazine director of research Don. F. Ecker, “UFONAUTS” author Professor Hans Holzer, physicist for the Strategic Defense Initiative Dr. Bruce Maccabee, former KGB general director Oleg Kalugin, Dr. Robert M. Wood of the Mutual UFO Network. Presented in full frame format.
• The Making of ID4 (28:29)
  This 1996 mockumentary special hosted by Jeff Goldblum finds the actor breaking into “Area ID4” to expose the truth about the film to the viewers. Segments include interviews with the cast and filmmakers as well as behind-the-scenes looks at various elements of the filmmaking process. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, clips and interviews with director/writer/executive producer Roland Emmerich, producer/writer Dean Devlin, model shop supervisor Michael Joyce, visual effects supervisor Volker Engel, associate producer Peter Winther, miniature pyrotechnics and mechanical effects supervisor Joseph Viskocil, digital effects supervisor/producer Tricia Ashford, digital visual effects supervisor Andrea D’Amico, digital compositor Lawrence Littleton, computer graphics supervisor Joseph Francis, computer graphic supervisor Tara Handy Turner, technical supervisor Rob Bredow, unit digital animation supervisor Hartmut Engel, and stars Will Smith (“Captain Steven Hiller”), Bill Pullman (“President Whitmore”), Jeff Goldblum (“David Levinson”), Mary McDonnell (“Marilyn Whitmore”), Vivica Fox (“Jasmine Dubrow”), Harry Connick Jr. (“Captain Jimmy Wilder”), Harvey Fierstein (“Marty Gilbert”), Robert Loggia (“General Grey”) and Margaret Colin (“Constance Spano”). Some of the material is repeated from previous features. Presented in full frame format.
• Combat Review (Random Destruction Clips) (9:04)
  Watch the film’s most destructive moments. Play All, view a Random Destruction, or select from “AWACS Plane” (0:14), “Welcome Wagon” (0:12), “Los Angeles” (0:36), “New York” (0:24), “Washington, D.C.” (1:12), “Los Angeles Tunnel” (1:19), “Dogfight 1” (1:27), “El Toro” (0:17), “Canyon” (0:56), “Dogfight 2” (0:42), “Russell the Kamikaze” (1:21) and “Mothership” (0:18).
• Monitor Earth Broadcasts (Video Playback Newscasts) (51:08)
  A sampling of the various world-wide news clips created specifically for the film. Play All or select from “Static Report” (1:35), “Blue Acolytes” (0:44), “Sky News Russian” (3:05), “Team 1 Russian” (3:46), “VOX News Germany” (0:47), “Katja Scholl, Berlin” (2:45), “Farsi Report” (2:52), “Fields/Dunphy” (2:54), “Press Conference 1” (2:05), “Press Conference 2” (1:38), “Chinese Broadcast” (1:40), “Post-Conference” (1:00), “Engel on FOX” (2:44), “Hal Live: Modelmaker” (2:48), “Traffic Report” (1:30), “Russell Casse Arrest” (1:58), “U.N. Report” (2:30), “Alien Lovers” (1:07), “Rooftop Parties” (0:35), “Fields/Engel Debate” (3:40), “Welcome Wagon Report 1” (4:35) and “Welcome Wagon Report 2” (4:40). Presented in full frame format.
• Gallery
  A collection of photo/promotional galleries. Step through each gallery manually using the remote, or allow the slideshow to auto-advance through the photos every 5 seconds. Select from:
  • Welcome Wagon Storyboard Sequences – 16 photos (1:23)
  • Destruction Storyboard Sequences – 59 photos (4:58)
  • Biplane Ending Storyboard Sequences – 17 photos (1:28)
  • Alien Beings Conceptual Artwork – 11 photos (:58)
  • Alien Ships Conceptual Artwork – 18 photos (1:33)
  • Sets and Props Conceptual Artwork – 18 photos (1:33)
  • Production Photographs – 47 photos (3:58)
• Teaser Trailers (5:09)
  Play All or select from “Teaser Trailer 1” (1:09), “Teaser Trailer 2” (1:33) and “Teaser Trailer 3” (2:26).
• Theatrical Trailer (2:30)
• TV Spots (3:57)
  Play All or select from “Super Bowl TV Spot” (0:32), “Apple Computer TV Spot” (0:32), “15-Second TV Spot” (0:17), “30-Second TV Spot 1” (0:31), “30-Second TV Spot 2” (0:30), “30-Second TV Spot 3” (0:31), “30-Second TV Spot 4” (0:31) and “30-Second TV Spot 5” (0:31).

Final Thoughts:

Independence Day remains one of my all time favorite films, and the movie looks and sounds better than ever on this 4K Ultra HD release! The story and special effects still hold up really well today. The release contains both cuts of the film along with nearly all of the bonus features from the previous home video release along with a brand new retrospective special and a Digital HD copy of the film. If you have never seen Independence Day before, this is a must watch! If you already own a previous version of this title, I think this 4K Ultra HD release is definitely worth the upgrade as the film looks and sounds phenomenal! For those who don’t currently have 4K UHD playback capabilities, this release also includes the film and all of the bonus material on 2 Blu-ray discs, which allows you to check out the newly-remastered Blu-ray version while also preparing your Blu-ray collection for the future.