Once in a while, you come across a moment in a story that is so perfect that it stays in with you for years, or even a lifetime. These are moments that, in my opinion, are flawless; perfect gems of storytelling that cannot be improved in any way, and are a joy to treasure and revisit again and again.

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The Scene

Why it’s perfect

When it comes to over-the-top patriotism, it’s hard to top 1996’s, Independence Day. While embodying the trope of “America saves the day,’ it manages to pack a lot of heart, warmth, and great character moments between the explosions and scenes of the president taking to the skies in a fighter jet to battle aliens, and the best one is arguably at the climax, where Russell Case sacrifices himself to stop the invading aliens from destroying Area 51.

What makes this scene work so well is not only the flawless music, the amazing visual effects, but Russell himself: throughout the film, he’s a washed-out drunk that no one takes seriously. But at this point in the film, he’s managed to pull himself together and pitch in to fight the aliens. But when everything is lost and all hope is gone, Russell, the crop duster with PTSD, chooses to sacrifice himself to save thousands of lives, including his children, and finally gets revenge on the aliens for abducting and experimenting on him so long ago.

Even now, over 27 years after seeing the film for the first time as an impressionable 10 year old, I can still remember the crowds in my theater erupting into cheers as the alien ship exploded from the inside out, and from a writing perspective it’s easy to see why: not only does Russell find redemption, peace, and save so many lives, but after so much suffering, so much loss, and the heroes having to fight tooth and nail to try and gain any advantage they can over the aliens, the tide finally turns, and humanity finally wins. It’s the ultimate catharsis, and no matter how much time passes, this scene remains as moving, exhilarating, and satisfying today as it did back in 1996.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!