Most critics find Independence Day entertaining despite its thin writing, with praise concentrated on the scale of the alien invasion and the effects-driven destruction. The spectacle supplies much of the excitement, while the upbeat mood and ordinary-people-as-heroes ensemble make the catastrophe surprisingly cheerful. Several reviews welcome its comic-book simplicity and cheerful mixture of science fiction, disaster film and action, accepting the corniness as part of the pleasure.
The reservations centre on implausible plotting, shallow characters and patriotic excess, though critics differ sharply on how much these matter. The New Yorker enjoys the film’s enthusiastic view of American patriotism, while Empire finds that enthusiasm excessive. The spread runs from warm approval to outright boredom: The Independent rejects the escapism itself, finding the villains insufficiently frightening and the character introductions pointless. Even favourable reviews tend to concede that the spectacle offers more than the script.