a great movie for teens, but is too mature for kids. there is violence throughout, and some scary images of aliens. a women and man are in bed wit meager clothing, implying they had slept together. a man gets drunk and acts irrationaly. however, this movie is excellent for those who won't be scared from the excessive violence.
Independence Day
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Non-stop campy fun. For teens and up.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13–15
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Independence Day was written by Ken Feil
Parents need to know that this popular film might attract kids due to the promise of excessive destruction effects and Will Smith's universal appeal. The film's CGI images of global devastation could prove too graphic for kids and some teens. One scary scene involves a vicious alien attempting to murder the President. The movie's outmoded depictions of traditional gender roles might also provide negative instruction for impressionable teens. Some jokes may also be considered homophobic.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about stereotypes associated with action-disaster movies as well as how race, class, and gender is represented in the film.
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More on Independence Day
What’s the Story?
INDEPENDENCE DAY follows the plotline of several previous Hollywood sci-fi disaster movies. The story features a wide variety of social types reacting to the arrival of aliens and the aliens' eventual attack on the planet Earth, which include: The President (Bill Pullman) and Press Secretary (Margaret Colin) in D.C.; the First Lady (Mary McDonnell) on a publicity junket; a marine pilot (Will Smith) and his stripper girlfriend (Vivica A. Fox) in Los Angeles; a cable technician (Jeff Goldblum), his father (Judd Hirsch) and boss (Harvey Fierstein) in New York City; and an alcoholic crop duster (Randy Quaid) and his family in rural CA. After the initial spectacular deluge, in which the alien attackers lay waste to LA and NYC, a majority of this diverse crew collaborates to survive and eventually vanquish the invaders.
Is It Any Good?
Independence Day harkens back to the classic alien invasion movies of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the disaster movies of the 1970s. These sources provide campy material for the film to quote from as well as slick clean-up and advanced special effects technology. References to The War of the Worlds (1953), The Day the Earth Stood Still, and imagery from Earthquake and The Towering Inferno provide chuckles to knowing audiences. Overblown performances by Smith, Brent Spiner (as an addled scientist from Area 54), Hirsch, and Fierstein will no doubt tease a few guffaws as well.
This is the film that sky-rocketed Smith to blockbuster action hero status. It's clever, intensely thrilling, and if you can recognize the stock stereotypes and movie plots, very funny.
Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox, Director: Roland Emmerich
Run time: 153 minutes
Theatrical release: 07/02/1996, DVD release: 05/11/2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi destruction and violence
Run time: 153 minutes
Theatrical release: 07/02/1996, DVD release: 05/11/2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi destruction and violence
Our Members Say
See all 20 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
great for teens, ok for tweens
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
great for teens, ok for tweens
a great movie for teens, but is too mature for kids. there is violence throughout, and some scary images of aliens. a women and man are in bed wit meager clothing, implying they had slept together. a man gets drunk and acts irrationaly. however, this movie is excellent for those who won't be scared from the excessive violence.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My highlights are:
Independance Day
A fabulous movie for the whole family. Has some intense action and peril, but nothing too bad. All in all, a grand alien flick.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I think it is too much violent for my kids.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I think it is too much violent for my kids.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it- My concerns are:
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
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I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
14+
This is a great movie, but it contains some really shocking violence, and also some s**ual content. 14+.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
this is for all sci fi lovers over 12
For all sci fi fans, this is for you!! i absoluteley love this film, even though there are some scary scenes and anyone under 12 shouldnt watch it
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
perfect for preteens, teens, and adults
this is one of my favorite movies and me and my 10 year old brother watch it and we both love it the main character is a hard working man and there is some violence but i think it is a great movie!
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
perfect for tweens.
I loved this movie, it's one of the best UFO movies I've seen, and i recommend it to ages 11+. I think a lot of people thought that it was too violent, but there really wasn't much gore. Yes, I agree that there was a lot of explosions, and people were killed, but that was one of the things that made the movie so good. The aliens may frighten young ones, but for the most part they weren't too freaky looking. the mostly looked really fake, like they were plastic or some thing. the also was a lot of language, but the "f-word" wasn't used, it was mostly just s**t, b**ch, and hell.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
Fun, But NOT for Kids...
INDEPENDENCE DAY is corny, unrealistic, and completely far-fetched. It's also fun and exciting, but not for kids. The film is very violent, and there are some disturbing sequences where whole cities are wiped out (one particular scene, where everyone fleeing a city is consumed by a fiery explosion is too intense for kids). In addition, ships are exploded, aliens and people are zapped with lasers and missles, and there's one frightening scene where a scary alien kills everyone in a lab, then takes possession of one man and makes him speak the alien's thoughts. Sex is iffy too, with some subtle innuendos, a man obsessed with sexual abuse by aliens, and a brief shot of a stripper theater (no nudity, but extremely scanty clothes). A boy tries to get his girlfriend to have sex with him by saying "this might be our last night on Earth. You don't want to die a virgin, do you?" Her brother snatches her away before anything happens. Language is some "a*s"s, several "SOB"s and "s**t"s, and numerous "d**n"s and "h*ll"s.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Global Swarming gives new meaning to July 4th
It took many heroes to save the world in this movie, and some of them were unlikely heroes that ranged from the President of the United States to a delusional alcoholic crop duster living in a trailer with his kids in New Mexico. There were several relationship sub-plots and twists in the movie including the father who thought his son was a cable TV repairman when he was really an MIT graduate working as a satellite technician for the cable company. The aliens (both living and preserved) did not look cheesy. The simulated disaster footage lacked realism by today's standards but still got its point across. This was a story on a global scale - an extrememly ambitious undertaking - but I think they pulled it off!
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Kablooie!
This movie is lots of fun except for the scene with the strip club that's dumb.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
war of the worlds is better
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
A Must See!!!
This is one of the funnest movie that I have ever seen! Nonestop action and fun is th way this movie rolls!
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Awesome, Action-Packed Movie
**I am 13, not 12, whatever my screen name says** I absolutely loved the movie. The visual effects were purely amazing, and an alien film that wasn't corny or so predictable is always good. Will Smith had a great preformance (as usual). It has good lessons about all people uniting against a common enemy, such as Isreal and Palestine, and eventual success against incredible odds. There is quite a bit of profanity and a lot of alcohol, but the violence is mostley explosions and missiles, and no blood (except blue alien blood during a surgery).
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
July 2nd 1996 .... Not A Good Day!!!!!
Set In 1996 July 2nd, Normal Citizens Face Their Worst Fears... Alien Invasion!!!! When 15 Mile Wide Spaceships Come To Attack All Over The World, The President Of America Takes Action!!!! This Fantastic Box Office Action Packed Smash Stars Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum & Bill Pullman. A Must See If You've Seen: The Day After Tommorow, Godzilla And Eight Legged Freaks.
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| 50% | of parents say it's too violent |
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