Independence Day: No Family Edition

Updated
 
9.4 (7)
4808 0 1 0 7

User reviews

7 reviews
 
100%
7-9 stars
 
0%
5-7 stars
 
0%
3-5 stars
 
0%
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)
Back to Listing
7 results - showing 1 - 5
1 2
Ordering
(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
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
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
(Updated: July 26, 2015)
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
A classic popcorn movie just got popcornier. This edit moves along at a good pace and ends neither late nor early, but precisely when thecuddlyninja means it to. The removal of Vivica Fox seriously dialed down the babe quotient (or the fox quotient), but this was balanced by the joyous near-removal of Randy Quaid, making those two cuts a karmic wash.

There's a bit of untruth in the title, as Goldblum's character spends time with his dad and his ex-wife, and the PotUS character (I'm told the actor has a name) has a brief moment with his child, but these aren't serious grievances, at least not serious enough to issue a fatwah against the faneditor. The aliens are probably one big family (they look inbred to me), and that has me lightly fingering the fatwah button. . . without any real intention of pressing it.

The picture quality is generally good, but there are some minor visual issues: the black levels of the title cards don't quite match the black levels that immediately follow. Also, the custom titles look pixelated and videogamey, but then again, the whole movie is videogamey and these titles are a small fraction of the edit, so again, no fatwah.

Listen up, mofos—this is a fun edit. I look forward to other works by this faneditor. Or else. . . fatwah.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
9.8
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
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
This was a really enjoyable fanedit. I mean sure, there's a lot of great character building moments that have been sacrificed, but this doesn't really need them. What remains is a wonderful action-packed popcorn movie.

Editing was great, only a couple cuts that felt a little abrupt. I will say though, you should have cut Russell in the final fight. I mean, I understand you can't see his face, but it's such a distinct voice that I said, "Oh cool, the random hobo that gave Will Smith a ride to Area 51 was recruited to fly a fighter jet."

Recommended for anybody wanting to rewatch ID4 or just looking for a fun action movie.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Owner's reply July 09, 2015

Thanks for watching! I'm happy that you enjoyed it. I didn't miss much of the character stuff, either.

I actually originally experimented with removing Russell completely but what I found was that it felt weird focusing only on the President and the other random pilot guy in the battle for Earth,e ssentially. I then trimmed some of the random pilot guy and was left with too much focus on just the President (in my opinion). I decided the lesser of two (or three) evils was to have all the pilots in the mix, and hope that you would forget hearing Randy Quaid's distinctive voice for the one line earlier. :)

Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
7 results - showing 1 - 5
1 2