Yes, Jaws is a better film. It set off the Summer Blockbuster tradition, has an iconic score, a legendary-yet-not-very-visible anthropomorphic villain, and some lovable characters, and is, of course, set during the Fourth of July weekend.
But let me make an argument for Independence Day, matching Jaws nearly tit-for-tat. The blockbuster tradition has certainly been in flux for many summers. In the early 80's, after Star Wars, and yes, Jaws, companies shoved money at auteurs practically begging for the next big hit. Most films like Francis Ford Coppola's One From the Heart, flopped epically (sometimes bankrupting the production company). Big hits like Back to the Future seemed few and far between. After the studios tried for another big hit after Spielberg's Jurassic Park (it's like he's a good filmmaker...), they shoved some money at this, and bing-bang-boom biggest box office hit of 1996 (Along with some Oscars for Visual Effects). Just like Jurassic Park set off a new wave of dinosaur movies, this set off a new wave of alien/alien invader movies.
So why was it the biggest film of 1996? Just because it made money and had great effects does not make a good film (Cough Cough Transformers). Why does it work? It takes the summer blockbuster template and works it to perfection. The stock characters that rise just above the level of stereotypes are played by magnetic actors like Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman (President Whitmore, the President we need) who breathe life into the roles effortlessly. Even the Jewish caricature played by Judd Hirsch and the gruff general played by Robert Loggia seem eminently watchable though they shouldn't be. The soundtrack is certainly underappreciated. When the alien ships enter the atmosphere it adds to the palpable sense of dread and when the humans win at the end it is genuinely thrilling and uplifting. I would put the end score on par with the Throne Room scene at the end of the original Star Wars. And of course the only thing we see are the 1950's style saucers, but when the aliens show up to say "No peace...die." it's legitimately scary.
Small gripes include a 15 minute sequence when Goldblum's character begs the President not to use nuclear weapons against the aliens. Why not?! What good are they for if not to use them now. But it is genuinely heartbreaking they don't work in the end after all the buildup. Jeff Goldblum using his Apple '95 to hack the "far more advanced" aliens computer is a problem too, but the quick editing makes you forget about it quickly enough. But I did have one major gripe, and it is not a gripe about the actual film, it is about the trailer. It gave away everything! The first 1/3 of the film is the buildup about the aliens arriving, what will happen? But even the teaser trailer gives away that the aliens blow up the White House (pictured below). The theatrical trailer gives away that not only do the aliens blow everything up, not only do they show our counter offensive that fails, they show the aliens being defeated on July 4th! Suspense has been blown unfortunately.
Overall, a well made template film that's still fun to watch 24 years later every fourth of July.
Rating ***1/2 stars out of 4
(If only)
Comments