1. The Number 44
20th Century FoxSteven Spielberg has his shooting stars, Tarantino has those weird close-ups of feet, and Roland Emmerich... well, he has the number 44. The reason he likes it so much? It's a homage to one of his own films, Moon 44, from 1990, which pretty much got him started in Hollywood. So scattered throughout Independence Day, there are arguably countless examples of this number popping up, in the same way that George Lucas likes to sprinkle "THX 1138" across his flicks. So in Independence Day, the number 44 can be seen on the headrest in Russell's F18 cockpit, whilst several TVs are also tuned to channel 44 throughout (you know, for that added Roland Emmerich feel). There's also another quick reference when the ship over Area 51 is destroyed. As it falls towards Earth, it's possible to see 44 in flames on the side. Goofy and pointless? Sure! Just like Emmerich's films, in fact. But my oh my, what a hell of a lot of fun, right?
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