This is a film that is a great example of the principle “Just because you can do a thing does not mean that you should do a thing.” Upon the discovery of all the wonderful visual technology available to him, Director Roland Emmerich set out to destroy important landmarks across the globe from the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben to the “beloved’ White House.

With a plot appropriated almost directly from War of the Worlds, alien spaceships position themselves above Earth’s major cities causing terror and uncertainty. After a period of calm reflection it becomes clear they are bent on invasion.

While the movie became a blockbuster hit, it was nothing more than an array of explosions, typical American ethnocentricity and arrogance with moments of pure drivel. With dialogue to make you want to drill another hole in your head, no actor shines in this film. Usually Will Smith is a pleasure to watch but his stale borderline stereotypical portrayal of a “no he di’ent” U.S. fighter pilot seems nothing more than a beef-upped Fresh Prince. Bill Pullman as the U.S. president gives a stunningly mediocre performance and our geeky hero, Jeff Goldblum does an excellent job of playing, well…, Jeff Goldblum!

Mix Judd Hirsch as Goldblum’s overly concerned father, a failed romance for Goldblum who can’t seem to give up on his estranged wife, a real romance for our hero Smith and a father redeemed in the eyes of his children and you have the right amount of sap entwined in a plot filled with more holes than a wiffle ball. Insert the appropriate amount of alien butt probe jokes and you have yourself a movie.

Why was this film so popular? Because it was just the right kind of summer fun without pretension or much thinking required on the part of the movie-goer. However, it did reflect our cavalier attitude toward destruction as a nation. Many people cheered when the White House and Eiffel Tower were destroyed. I wonder if anyone in the audience would cheer now?