Skip to Content
Talkhouse home
Talkhouse home
Film

Revisited Video Essay: Independence Day, a Milestone in Special Effects, Comic Relief, and More

Celebrate July 4th with an epoch-defining video essay by Kentucker Audley on the classic Will Smith movie where he goes and shoots all those aliens.

We're taking a break for a couple days for the holiday, but there could be no more fitting way to mark Independence Day than with Kentucker Audley's video essay on the film of the same name, the first in a series of amazing video essays he made for Talkhouse. Happy 4th, everyone! — N.D.

To celebrate the release of Independence Day: Resurgence, I thought I’d go back and watch the original Independence Day movie. It's a milestone movie full of excitement, suspense, action and comic relief. And it will always be remembered as the movie that made Will Smith a Hollywood legend, and one of Jerry Bruckheimer’s best movies. The form of video essay has grown in popularity over the last couple years because it’s a great way to dig deeper into the magic of movies. ID4, as it’s commonly referred to, is a perfect movie to explore through the video essay because of how awesome it is. I hope you enjoy revisiting this classic as much as I did!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

Related Stories

Searching for That Missing Element

Sasha Waters on her quest for a pivotal piece of her new doc, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, which hits theaters on Friday.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: John Early

The beloved comedian, whose debut feature as writer-director-star, Maddie's Secret, is in theaters now, pulls back the curtain on his true self.

Never as Alone as We Think We Are

Writer-director Malin Barr on finding connection through making her debut short film Sauna Sickness, which took her to Sundance and beyond.

June 29, 2026

A Trans Lens, a Cinema of Defiance

Chase Joynt, director of the new Sarah McBride documentary State of Firsts, considers how to define the category of “trans cinema.”

June 26, 2026

Transgender / Transcendence

Writer-director Ash Mayfair on the very personal backstory to her new film Skin of Youth, the first Vietnamese fiction film starring a trans person.

June 25, 2026

Everything is Ending, Everything is Ending

Filmmaker Avalon Fast, whose latest girl horror movie CAMP opens on June 26, shares some moments from their journey.

June 24, 2026