Independence Day: No Family Edition

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Independence Day: No Family Edition
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1996
Original Running Time:
145 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
100 minutes
Time Cut:
45 minutes
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
Will Smith has no wife and son. The president has no wife. Some silly moments with Goldblum and his ex are cut. Randy Quaid has no family. The movie has no Randy Quaid.
Intention:
I love the late 90s cheese and action in Independence Day but the movie should definitely not be two and a half hours. A lot of scenes with Vivica Fox and the First Lady drag in the middle of good action set pieces. The movie grinds to a halt every time Randy Quaid says a "joke." I wanted to focus on the characters core to the story and remove the bloat.
Other Sources:
Independence Day OST
Special Thanks:
fanedit.org community
Release Information:
  • Blu-Ray
  • Digital
Editing Details:
My approach was to completely remove the family subplots that slowed down the story in my opinion. All Vivica Fox and her son, the First Lady, Randy Quaid's alcoholism and abduction story (all of Randy Quaid, actually), Randy Quaid's family and some of the stuff with Goldblum and his ex (the night they get drunk, mostly).
Cuts and Additions:
Cut president talking to wife on phone
Cut president and advisor talking about campaign before SOD calls
Cut David’s (Jeff Goldblum) line about Styrofoam cups
Cut Imperial Valley scene with Russell (Randy Quaid) and his kids
Cut White House Communications Director talking before going in and seeing the president
Cut “there’s no shame in hiding” and “I’ve got to call my mother”
Cut Russell diner scene
Cut Russell’s family out of the sequence where the disc ships move into place
Cut Steven (Will Smith)/Vivica Fox talking about the aliens
Cut Steven/Vivica Fox goodbye scene
Cut scene of president talking to wife on the phone
Cut 1st scene of David and his dad in the car
Cut scene of Russell’s kids watching him on tv
Cut Russell Case scene
Cut Steven talking about his girlfriend to fellow soldier
Cut Vivica Fox strip club scene
Cut “yeah…all cable men can, pops” since I cut the scene where he gives him crap for being a cable repair man
Cut dialogue about David punching president last time he saw him – not that relevant, safe to assume president is standoffish because he’s in a crisis and that’s the ex-husband of his trusted advisor
Cut president’s wife getting evacuated
Cut Vivica Fox scene in her car
Cut David’s boss trying to call his therapist in the Hamptons
Trimmed some of Vivica Fox’s stripper friend on the roof so she’s not a focus
Cut Steven’s wife, dog and son running from the fire
Cut scene with Russell and his family in the camper driving
Cut scene with President in the plane
Cut Vivica Fox and son in the aftermath
Cut Vivica Fox finding a car
Cut David’s dad talking to his ex-wife on plane
Trimmed scientist dialogue about not getting out much
Cut scientist “freakshow” line and trimmed his “humor” a bit
Cut White House staff squabbling over Area 51 existence
Cut Steven asking about El Toro
Cut Vivica and co by the fire
Cut “let’s nuke the bastards” line – stronger if president just says “nuke ‘em” and the scene ends
Cut scene of David and ex drinking on plane
Cut Steven stealing chopper and reuniting with wife
Cut president talking to his dying wife in hospital
Cut David drunk and his dad talking to him about faith
Cut Steven’s family out of Area 51
Cut “I gave it a cold” line since I cut David drunkenly figuring out the virus plan from his dad talking about a cold
Cut SOD referencing President’s dead wife
Cut Russell at Area 51 talking about his desire for revenge
Cut David’s ex not wanting him to go up
Cut Steven’s wedding
Cut Russell’s family during the president’s speech (left Randy in the first shot of group and shot at end because there are a bunch of random pilots)
Cut Russell saying goodbye to family
Cut Steven saying goodbye to family
Cut most of David and his dad saying goodbye
Left some shots of Russell piloting, since they focused on the president and another random pilot, too. I cut his over the top line about revenge, though. It doesn’t feel like “who the hell is that guy” just that they’re following the president and a couple of pilots they showed during his speech
Cut David’s dad leading prayer with disgraced ex-SOD
Cut all shots of Vivica Fox after ship is blown up
Cut celebration so that movie ends with David and Steven walking up and being picked up (no family celebrations)
Cover art by The Cuddly Ninja (DOWNLOAD HERE) image

Trailer

User reviews

7 reviews
 
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1-3 stars
 
0%
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.4(7)
Audio Editing
 
9.4(7)
Visual Editing
 
9.3(7)
Narrative
 
9.4(7)
Enjoyment
 
9.3(7)
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Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
To be honest, the original film was not that enjoyable to me (just not my genre). So, I watched this edit in order to find if the changes would make it, at least, entertaining. And they did. It’s still a guilty pleasure, way-over-the top action film, but it’s now streamlined and focused and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

All the character removals actually fix a lot of annoyances and moments that didn’t age well. And good riddance Randy Quaid.
The edit does what the author intended and the film is better because of it.
Cheers

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Wow. This was unexpected. After reading what the goal was, I couldn't see how the film would work. ID4 has always been a guilty pleasure of mine

The Cuddlyninja took this film and shaped it into a very fun and amazingly workable shorter science fiction movie. It became a straightforward film with no silly nonsense. It just worked so well that this may become my preferred viewing version. Without spoilers it had one short shot where he needed the alien ship to hover above something, but you can see it was borrowed from another shot earlier in the film since the "ground scenery and area" doesn't match-- but who cares it still worked well
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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
"Ah-MUR-ih-ca! F*** yeah!" pretty much sums up the plot of this film, especially this version. If aliens come to take over the world, who you gonna call? 'Murica!

Now, this is called the "No Family" Edition, but really it's the "Crossfit Super Lean" Edition. Basically anything that does not service the plot: gone! Randy Quaid: gone! Character depth: gone! Strippers: gone! Women contributing to saving the Earth in any way: gone! Okay, honestly there wasn't much of that in the original film, so I'm sure the removal of nearly all females from this story is an unfortunate byproduct of the main function of the edit. Now, you might be saying "Hmmm...I dunno, I could do with some strippers in my dumb popcorn flick..." And to that I say, "touche' sir and/or madam!" I did really miss Vivica Fox, et al. That said, the original is honestly a pretty bloated film for a dumb popcorn flick, and so it kind of depends what experience you want.

I was worried that this edit would get rid of anything that gave the film actual fun or character, but not so! There are still plenty of quirky lines from the characters, and there is still some goofiness. But it's all toned down to sane proportions that better stand the test of time (holy crap, did I see this in theaters over 20 years ago!?) It moves along at a rip-roaring pace that exposes the film for what it is at its core: an update of the procedural disaster flick. But unlike an earthquake or burning skyscraper, the disaster here is global, and only the US military-industrial-complex can save us! Plus a dude with a Macbook!

Interesting results of this edit: not only is the US President an ultimate wish fulfillment character in that he's a young fighter pilot, but he's also a bachelor, a historical first. He actually plays co-star in this edit to Jeff Goldblum though, who now seems oddly cast as a relatively straightforward heroic heartthrob. Will Smith loses tons of screen time, ending up really as a distant third co-star, more fitting with his actual career at that point (as opposed to starring). Oh, and the President really saves the world in the relative absence of Quaid. 'Murica!

All edits are accomplished smoothly and expertly, btw, and everything is super professional except the kind of cheesy titles, tbh. And if you really wanted family, there actually IS some... Goldblum's dad and ex-wife still get a decent amount of screen time in conversation with him. In summary: this edit doesn't cut out all the cringe, because it's an Emmerich/Devlin film and there would be nothing left. But it's a ripping yarn that's kind of refreshing in it's lack of surprises or fancy twists (for the most part). Great watch for a July 4th beer 'n brats barbecue.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Ah, the cheesy, '90s time capsule that is Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. I know it's ludicrous, stupid and cliche but I still love this movie for it's upbeat/fun atmosphere that's celebrated throughout. That said, there are instances of pointless scenes and characters, as well as moments that just drag down the movie in 180 degree somber tone. For anyone who agrees with me on this, thecuddlyninja's edit deals with all of those problems, giving us the un interrupted theme park ride we all wanted. Overall, the source file works pretty well aside from occasional artifacting say in the background, though thankfully it never ruins the quality or detail. Visual editing is smooth and seamless as it should, as if it were always that way. Audio editing overall is good, albeit several small cases of abruptness or sfx/music bleeding into the next scene. It's not a deal breaker, because again the goal here is achieved and is a very good example of how a proper ID4 edit should be like.
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(Updated: January 05, 2016)
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This is the movie I wanted to see in the cinema 1996. The edit has focus. No more unnecessary characters or storylines that are either stupid or not interesting. Or just annoying. The pace and rhythm are great. Also the tone is more serious in a way that is right for the film. I enjoyed this edit a lot. Only thing that didn't work perfectly is the destruction of the Area 51 ship in the end of the movie. You can see that something has been cut out, but it's still far better than the original version. Well done!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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View all user reviews