Not even a decade away, Independence Day already feels aged. A summer blockbuster of days gone by, the film’s destiny is bound to be subject matter for some VH1 Remember the 90’s type program that relives nostalgia.

I remember when it came out. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to see a movie after the trailers. We weren’t disappointed. The excitement lived up to the hype. Years later, it’s not spoken of. It’s in the sale bin at Wal-Mart. And yet, its forgotten state is with good cause. Worthy of the hype, but not really worth remembering, such is the strange case of Independence Day.

You have to admit, the very idea is as fun as can be. We love alien invasions, we love apocalyptic stories of mass destruction, and we love the rally cry to war in defense of all that is good. Independence Day has it all.

This is quintessential Americana. After a worldwide alien invasion, it’s David (Jeff Goldblum), who, by the way, establishes his American identity as the nonchalant yet actively thoughtful scientist in Jurassic Park, and who now reprises the same role as the computer scientist who figures out how to break through the aliens’ defenses. It’s Catain Steve Hiller (Will Smith), playing the all-American hero with an inner city attitude, a role he later reprises in Men in Black, who outmaneuvers the aliens and pilots their own ship to their destruction. President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman), seemingly straight out of Spaceballs, is anything but regal as a hard working, down-to-earth American President who leads the army into battle with clichéd rhetoric and then his own example in combat. And then, as if we weren’t American enough, it’s Russell Casse (Randy Quaid), the white-trash crop-duster from deep America who saves the day in a noble way.

There’s more. The women, though not central figures, are just as strong. The wives of the first three (Margaret Colin, Vivica A. Fox, and Mary McDonnell) are resilient and brave in the face of grave danger. Though America is facing its darkest days, it’s presenting its proudest moment. Yes, we’re better than them, whoever they are. There’s certainly no coincidence in its title, this is the Modern American Revolution, proving its mettle by facing the most formidable foe possible; played out in the lives of the common American through actors on the screen. The film opened with R.E.M., all we needed was a closing from John Mellencamp.

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