How 'Independence Day' Nearly Ruined Its Ending
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2022
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Film Brain looks back at the classic 1996 blockbuster, through the lens of the film's infamous alternate ending, that saw Randy Quaid's Russell save the day in a rather unbelievable - and movie-breaking way - and how the film is actually better constructed than it is sometimes given credit for.
#independenceday #independencedayfilm #id4 #rolandemmerich #randyquaid #alternateending #deletedscenes #videoessay #essay #billpullman #willsmith #deandevlin #jeffgoldblum - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
This is a fantastic essay. I hope you will do more of these in the future 😁👍
This is 1 of the few times where I'm glad that the original ending was deleted/changed given how ridiculous this version would have made the movie at this point, as well as ruined 1 of its main character's development from throughout the movie.
The alien was played by a Chris Rock.
Dude was drunk off his ass talking about being kidnapped by Aliens though who the heck in their right minds would let him fly an F/A 18 Hornet? He still blows up the ship.
@@Fenris30 Well, A) given that the existence of Aliens was now a given in this universe, a guy talking about being abducted by aliens doesn't sound so ridiculous anymore.
And B) they needed any pilot they could get. Even incompetent and drunk ones.
I'd love to see more videos like this. This is a great break down of why the scene didn't work with the film as it was and how the reshot ending did. Good stuff.
This was a very entertaining and enlightening essay, Film Brain. I'd quite enjoy hearing more videos like this.
This was a very good video, I enjoyed it a lot!
A classic example of a movie ending being changed for the opposite reason - being too bleak - is the alternate ending of "Clerks" where Dante gets shot. Kevin Smith rightly said that if he had kept that original ending, his filmmaking career would have probably ended right there. Was just reminded of it since the trailer for "Clerks 3" just dropped, which is all sorts of meta, and they reference that ending.
The biplane ending also creates a plothole of how exactly did Quaid know to strap a single missile to his plane, take off and fly towards the center of the ship kamikaze style. Attacking the primary weapon only became the plan in the closing moments of the battle. The final version works better on every level.
Thank you for this. There were parts of Independence Day I found annoyingly moralizing while I was watching it in the theatre. Randy's character needing to find some respect and redemption by killing himself was one of them. Hearing your explanation, as well as the original cut of the film, has vindicated this aspect of the film to me.
Speaking of "if only" when it comes to late changes, it's funny you bring up the computer virus scene since there WAS a scene originally (not sure if it was filmed or just in the script) where that's explained. There's a line when they first get to Area 51 that they've been researching the alien technology and reverse engineering it to create the electronic revolution. So all not only were all the satellites reverse-engineered alien tech (which is why they were able to hijack them at the start of the film)...but so were all modern computers. So the Macbook that Jeff Goldblum uses to write the virus is using reverse-engineered alien hardware and software. Still a bit of a stretch, but at least it explains it.
Whether that cut was a good or a bad thing...well, it certainly handwaves the virus in if not a realistic at least a satisfactory way...but is it really needed? It doesn't add anything to the film in terms of story, theme, tone, or anyone's character arc. It just addresses a minor logical problem that isn't even really a problem, it's a one of those things you don't notice when you're watching the film but later on when you think about it, you go "Hey...wait a minute..."
My friends and I used to joke about the Aliens being destroyed by a bug filled Windows 95, so this explanation works. And the Reverse-Engineer stuff is a thing in the sequel where Earth has advanced technology wise much quicker after the invasion in 96. That said ID4 is goofy enough for the glitch to be there and provide a snigger for the audience.
I never understood why this was problem, David already explained that the Aliens were hacking our Satellites he just piggybacked onto that hack to get into their systems.
If they went with the trope of "Yeah, after the Roswell incident, technology really advanced, innit?" then it would have been fine. Not a perfect fix, but at least doesn't' come out of nowhere. Even a few lines of dialogue would have been enough.
I keep on seeing people watching a Director's Cut that shows David and Okun discussing the code. Maybe it's in that?
Hi Matthew, this was great to listen to. As others have said, if you wanted to create some more videos similar to this, they would be very welcome.
I love Independence Day, cheese and all. This was also a fun segment, and I hope Matthew makes more of those, they are very interesting.
Definitely agree that a bad ending can ruin an otherwise good movie.
Ironically, I have an uncle who hates the movie solely because he cannot believe that Russell, a biplane pilot, could fly a jet. Proof that you can't please everyone.
Some people are baffled by silly things and, let’s be honest here, Independence Day is a silly, stupid and ridiculous movie.
Was it ever established whether Russell flew planes prior to becoming a cropduster pilot? Maybe he's a former airline pilot or even a former Navy veteran who flew jets in the past, but his abduction PTSD plus alcoholism meant nobody would let him fly anything more than a biplane which he personally owned?
He previously served in Vietnam, so he had military flight experience.
Chris Pine could do it in that wonderful documentary about life in 1984.
I'm really loving these essay-style videos generally, but this might be one of your best. Keep at it. I look forward to more in the future.
This is a magnificent video and I would absolutely love more! Hell, I'd love for it to be twice as long!
And I can definitely see the biplane ending working in my head, but realize it would DEFINITELY be absurd on the screen. It would come off like Trelayne from Star Trek in one of the videogames where he flies a biplane against The Enterprise, but that was INTENDED to be absurd and surreal.
Awesome video, I never knew about this alternate ending. The biplane definitely seems like it should work on paper but it's cool to see an idea reworked in a better way, seeing as we usually hear about alternate endings that were 'better' but scrapped in favor of one that's more 'marketable'.
Fantastic and really fascinating video I hope these kinds of videos keep coming because as a film history buff and fascinated by behind the scene changes I never knew about this. I loved this and can't wait for new really interesting stuff that comes from this. Great job Matt!
I remember seeing the biplane ending on the Independence Day DVD bonus material about 15 years ago and even then I though that it was pretty stupid and you did a really good job with the video and I hope that you can make some more videos about alternative scenes endings for famous movies
The 2017 Paul Feig film 'A Simple Favour' is an entertaining dark comedy/mystery which dropped it's original ending. Said ending was a 5 minute dance number ending in a marriage proposal...like from a wacky rom com and nothing like the rest of the movie, so was thankfully cut [presumably very last minute as it's replaced with onscreen text about 'what happened next' to the characters].
Good stuff here. If this were modern day Emmerich, he would have gone full on with this ending today because he's long since stopped caring for even the smallest sense of believability if it means he'll get plenty of those low expectations and audience forgiveness dollars. It's quite sad when you think about it.
Very interesting video! Hope you do more like this in the future. I think one of Roland Emerich's problems in trying to recapture the magic of ID is trying to do it by remaking the same movie over and over again with pretty much the same characters.
I love these different kinds of videos you're doing Matthew. Always liked your stuff, but intriguing to see you tackle different things. All the best.
This was the ending that played in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. The biplane, saying goodbye to his kids over the radio, being rejected for fighting. This all appeared in the version I saw during opening week. I though it ridiculous because the biplane should’ve stalled when it went straight up.
Really enjoyed this. You're so knowledgeable about film and production that I'd love more essays in this vein.
I'll defend the computer virus plot point. The idea is they had a captured fighter that activated when the larger ships arrived right? Well that means they would have had time to analyze the OS and write code for it, so it isn't THAT far fetched that they could create a virus that would disable its systems. It isn't quite like that Invader Zim episode where Dib is all "I hope the Irkens just happen to use the same operating system as me...yes!" It's more like they set up a "virtual PC" of the alien's system in a computer that we would be able to use.
Independence Days is a silly, fun, enjoyable summer movie.
“Welcome to Earth.”
- Will Smith, after punching an Alien
@@chasehedges6775
“Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”
- Will Smith, after slapping Chris Rock.
Played by Chris Rock.
Great look at what works and what doesn't and why! Filmmakers sometimes learn the wrong lesson from success.
I’m glad your analysis is way better than the Nostalgia Critic’s review of Independence Day. Don’t get me wrong, I do agree with some of his complaints, but his analysis is just nitpicks rather than actual criticism.
Happy Independence Day!
Really enjoyed this, especially the analysis of the characters and tone. I'd love to see more of these.
I love Independence day even though I know I shouldn't. I remember it being very tense and frightening at the start, watching it as a child. You are right- it is darker than it is remembered.
I appreciate your breakdown of the way the characters stories work together. It's something that has been treated as less and less important in similar big disaster movies. I can't think of an "Independence Day" of the last ten years, really. Most stuff just doesn't make that kind of impact.
In the 1950s, in B movie territory - or in an affectionate modern parody - they might have got away with an ending as corny as that. It was, however, retained in the novelization.
It makes a major difference to Russell's characterization, since the biplane version of him is going in to die right from the start and you can argue whether his motivation is a true heroic sacrifice, a superficially noble cop-out from his responsibilities as a father, or the perceived only way out of the psychological trauma the aliens inflicted on him.
The situation he's placed in in the fighter version makes it explicit - his intention is to fire the missile and go home a vindicated hero with all the shame of his failure of a life washed away and being able to hold his head up in front of his kids; but the unexpected malfunction leaves him with no choice but to make the sacrificial play and he accepts it and faces it with courage and composure.
This was a really great bite-sized video essay. This wasn't a topic I had heard about before and I definitely agree that had they kept the other ending it would have been to the film's detriment. I definitely hope you do more stuff in this vein, I think your style really lends itself well to it!
This was a great video Matthew! I'd love to see more like this in the future!
That was a highly insightful essay. I do hope you make more.
This was a superb video!! Loved it! Keep it up with these videos
Independence Day I love for being so clever in reinventing cliche ideas. Shields are a science fiction trope…but in real life that would be a terrifying advantage! The connection between alien invaders and Area 51 was also clever.
I'm not a big movie fan, but this was really interesting. Awesome stuff!
Wow after watching this video I love Independence Day even more. Very well done Mathew
Remember seeing the original ending on my Limited Edition DVD of ID4 (released in 2004) and laughed my ass off.
Completely understandable why they didn't use it.
I may have grown out of it, but goddamn is it hard to hate Independence Day. It did right by kid-me. Kid-me really wanted to see it, and kid-me loved it. Fed my imagination something fierce and for that, it'll always be alright by me
Maybe its the gravitas of the situation and the smaller character moments that really help Disaster Movies. So sad that whe haven't really seen any good ones lately.
This is a great video, full of insightful analysis :)
1:08 so much so that it even showed up in gaming!
With the edf series in particular having multiple gian saucers with doomsday lasers at the bottom that have to be targetted when they open up to fire.
My favorite example being from edf 2/global defense force on the ps2
Where the ship is so big it basically replaces the skybox, and you gotta fight it off... as a lone footsoldier!
That game series is about as close as you can get to (good) independance day games.
So thats where the book ending comes from. Cause the book has him the old plane flying
This was a great video. I'd be on board for more like it.
They actually kept this scene in the novelization.
This was a great interesting video! Would like to see more!
Thanks for this, it's so interesting how one scene really can make or break a film!
yknow...I can get why they thought it was a good idea on paper, but it does boggle the mind that it ever made it to a near-final cut of the film because how could they not see how goofy it looked long before test audiences laughed?
Another classic example of an alternative ending thankfully prevented was The Hills Have Eyes. That ending is laughable how out of place it is. The ending is bleak how normal people are broken in survival.
To be fair, whilst it definitely does work better from a filmic perspective, I don't know how easily a pilot can just get inside a plane and pick up how to fly when their experience was in flying a completely different type of plane. I mean I guess they were in a desperate situation and just needed anyone who could fly any planes at all, but even so I imagine flying an F/A 18 when you're used to flying bi-planes and whatever Randy Quaid was flying in his service years isn't something you can pick up easily.
But in all fairness I've never flown a plane so what do I know?
That ending would have been absolute 90s cheese. Glad it wasn't included, but also glad it wasn't lost to time.
really cool essay on a part i never knew about this film
Ok, the biplane with a modern missile is stupid.
But in WW2, there was a biplane called the Lysander (or Tin Lizzie) that carried a torpedo - this plane was used to fight U boats and not aliens.
Excellent video!
I also liked the Will Smith character too. We didn't really see many positive portrayals of black men (me saying this as a person of color) back in the 90's who were both fighter pilots and astronauts.
Yeah, I think that part is very overlooked, especially in how it made Smith a huge star almost overnight. Apparently Emmerich fought for him, and he was totally right. Smith is a huge reason why the film works.
My main question would be... how'd he steal the missile? You don't pick those up and just heft it on over to a plane. They're kinda heavy.
I love this movie. Campy. Funny. Smith and goldblum were in their prime.
Liking the new style of video. :)
I remember the German dub of this Movie ruining the coolest line at the end. The final line ("I'm back") is delivered by Randy Quaid without wearing the breathing Mask, so it was not possible to translate it word for word ("Ich bin zurück" or "Ich bin wieder da") matching the mouth movement of the english speaking actor (something the german dubbing studios put a lot of effort into (or at least used to, back in the days)). So the line was turned into "Ich bin da" (i'm here / i'm present), which is more lip sync to the actors original line, but robs it of it's meaning as a call back to when the character has been abducted by the extraterrestials)
Independence Day is my favourite film of all time.
I still say the computer virus makes more sense than a lot of people give it credit for it because the movie says that most of our technology was reverse engineered from the crashed spacecraft
I love this analysis of Independence Day it is one of my favourite films because of the time it was released and what is says for it era, it is very much a Bill Clinton movie before 911 happened and that people felt good about America, (Air Force One is the same tone too). I find Independence Day Resurgence gets better with age already because all of Roland Emmerich movies are optimistic, (Including a reference to it in 2012 deleted ending it is what makes his movies go over the top for people optimistic to the point of stupidity) but Independence Day Resurgence he decided for once to be pessimistic reflecting the times we were in 2016, people don't believe anymore, making the war of 1996 their 911 making the characters cynical, the young characters don't believe in their president, the old characters believe in their ex-president and need to hear a speech to lift them up, it was also good at world building of what happened in the first film like the reverse engineering of the alien technology and how the film would have changed if it waited one year it would be Trump not Hillary Clinton (They took a gamble) as the president they don't believe in, so the film kills her off because it is not the 90s anymore the trust has gone they don't believe in their leaders.
Keep up the good work Matthew love your content.
Give us the Bi-Plane cut!
But of course a biplane cropduster pilot would know how to fly a Boeing F/A-18, much like how I know how to drive a Tesla after only driving Model T Fords.
i mean they did expect the audience to infer he got training along with a bunch of other pilots, and that we suspend our disbelief for that for the sake of a more cohesive tension rather than Bi-plane blows up Huge alien space ship
A bad ending just really hurts sny media. Movies of course, as proven by this video alone.
Videogames, we have many great examples too, few as prominent as Mass Effect.
TV-Shows we also can agree.. but I go further with Audioplays, Books and Theather.
A terrible ending spoils an otherwise enjoyable time, that is how our brain works.
And I am so glad they reshot the ending because Independence Day is unapologetically one of my favourite movies.
It has characters from so many slices of life, it mixes comedy and action and tragedy so well. (I laug and I cry everytime I see the movie. Russels sacrifice.. the death of the first Lady.. all so well handled.)
And the visuals were stunning and honestly have not aged badly at all.
I don’t like this movie but I wish I did. Feels like it resonates more and more after events like the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That might have been a big reason it was so successful at the time to be fair - just felt easy to relate to even for non-Americans.
Me, I just find the movie too cornball and overly reliant on spectacle. But I respect those who do like it.
I really liked this one.
Less Randy Quaid is usually a good call. But some exceptions prove the rule
Oh god I just watched "Moonfall", things REALLY haven't gotten any better sadly.
I just get the feeling that the shoehorned comedy is getting way too much and for that scope of destruction a "happy ending" just doesn't work. Not to mention the China and Elon Musk pandering is really blatant.
The first half of this movie is fantastic, but the second half gets way too Hollywood for its own good.
The sequel had too much cgi, not enough model work.
was Roland Emmerich actually was/is a conspiracy theorist? like did he actually believe all of the conspiracies he put in his movies?
I think he finds them fascinating, and maybe believes some of them (in particular, the Shakespeare theory presented in Anonymous).
08:28 “Randy Quaid is playing (a cuddly conspiracy theorist) in real life now…”
What do you mean? As far as I know Randy doesn’t believe in UFOs or Alien entanglements affecting world events. Has Matthew confused him with Dan Aykroyd?
He is a believer of rather more political conspiracy theories, alas.
@@FilmBrain Hello Matt. That swipe at Quaid aside, I enjoyed this vid. I guess the problem would be if his Political “Conspiracy theories” are far from the truth or filled with deliberate fabrication.
Aside from his views on last minute ballot dumps on November 4th 2020 @ 4 am across 4 swing states, do you have any other examples of Quaid’s views being beyond the pale? (I don’t really disagree with Quaid on that one, but that’s probably not be a subject appropriate for a video essay on Independence Day… 🙂)
I went to see this when it first came out . When the white house exploded , the whole audience CHEERED ! Anyone remember Bill & Hillary ?