8 Reasons Independence Day Is The 90s' Star Wars

One of my favourite things about Star Wars, and what secures the original as the best of the lot, is its cinematography. The legacy of the prequels means that many dismiss George Lucas' directing style as incredibly static, with lots of walking and plentiful shot-reverse-shot, which isn't true at all (even in the maligned Episodes I-III, in fact).

As I wrote about before The Force Awakens hit, the cinematography in Star Wars is perfect, a restrained classical style that enables simple, striking visual storytelling. From the first shot, succinctly telling you everything you need to know about the Galactic Civil War, it's full of unforgettable images that instantaneously feel iconic.

This is the best thing about Independence Day too; the opening thirty minutes is full of meticulously blocked and stunningly realised shots that immediately stick in your mind - the moon opening, the saucers detaching, the shadow falling over LA, the ship emerging from a fire cloud over New York. This all means that even before the movie's over you feel like you've witnessed something more, a true event.

These previous five points are all stylistic similarities, but they're essential elements that explain why Independence Day has managed to endure and are how it managed to have a comparable impact to Star Wars...