io9: Independence Day

Upcoming Movie Sequels that Are More Pointless than Ghost Rider 2

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 PST

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This month is like exhibit A for Hollywood's propensity to churn out sequels that nobody asked for. You've got Journey 2, opening today. And then next week, there's Ghost Rider 2, in which Nic Cage tries to "improve" upon the first flaming-skull motorcycle movie. More »

10 Greatest Rappers Who Starred in Science Fiction and Fantasy Films

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:35:11 PST

In space, nobody can hear you freestyle. But that hasn't stopped some of hip-hop's greatest legends from appearing in some classic science fiction and fantasy movies. From battling killer sharks to fighting off ghosts on Mars, some of our favorite rappers have also become some of our favorite SF heroes. More »

If an alien invasion really happened, we'd be dead instantly

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:30:00 PST

In movies humans fight off alien occupation forces, explode alien ships, and mind-control aliens with the power of love. How on earth can we think that would happen? More »

The End Is Near! A collection of the greatest end-of-the-world signs

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:50:41 PST

What's the perfect fashion item to be wearing when disaster strikes? A big sign that says "The End is Near." So we rounded up our favorite signs that forewarn the end of days — or at least made us laugh. More »

30 Awesome Disaster Movie Money Shots

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:10:09 PST

Every great disaster movie has some moments of pure, epic destruction, where everything collapses, burns or blows up real good. Bonus points for destroyed landmarks and victim cameos. Here are 30 amazing money shots from the greatest disaster porn flicks. More »

Your first look at the new Professor X and Mystique. Plus Roland Emmerich mulls an alternate reality ID4 sequel!

Alasdair Wilkins — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:00:00 PDT

New X-Men: First Class photos show Professor X, Moira MacTaggert and Mystique. A Nickelodeon star might be the first Runaways cast member. Plus Captain America set photos, casting for Rian Johnson's Looper, and major Doctor Who hints! More »

Tentacles, death rays and tractor beams: New Skyline trailer is ridiculously awesome

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:23:17 PDT

Aliens descend onto the major cities and start just hoovering people up, in the awesomely crazy new film Skyline. But the new trailer reveals more of the mayhem, including deadly tentacles. And check out some new death-orgy-tastic images. More »

The greatest moment in the history of human oratory

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 10:00:00 PDT

Remember the time Roland Emmerich saved the planet using an old-timey Macintosh computer virus and a drunk Randy Quaid? In honor of that monumental day, here's a word from President Pullman. More »

When A Bad Movie Has One Incredibly Great Scene

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:34:32 PDT

Why do so many bad movies have one good scene each? All of a sudden, the awfulness goes away, and the movie starts living up to its potential. The performances click, the action is exciting. Here are 20-odd examples. More »

Adam Baldwin Wants To Come Back For Independence Day 2 & 3

Charlie Jane Anders — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:41:57 PDT

Now that two Independence Day sequels are in the works, Adam Baldwin told Wondercon he'd like to return as Major Mitchell, except he might be a Brigadier General. Also interested? Brent Spiner, who told Baldwin his character might have survived. More »

Will Smith Already Locked Down For Independence Day 2 & 3?

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:00:00 PDT

Will Smith is ready to make Independence Day 2 and 3, back to back? Roland Emmerich always wanted to make an additional two films, with a connecting story arc. And now it sounds like Smith is on board. More »

Roland Emmerich Planning Not One, But Two Independence Day Sequels

Lauren Davis — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:00 PST

Apparently one movie isn't enough to contain all the ideas Roland Emmerich has for his follow-up to Independence Day. The director is planning to make two sequel films, and he already has a punny title in mind. More »

President Obama Inspired Roland Emmerich to Make Independence Day 2

Lauren Davis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:30:00 PST

We've known for a while that Roland Emmerich is readying a sequel to his White House-exploding alien invasion movie Independence Day. What's taken him so long? He was just waiting for the right president to take the Oval Office. More »

Independence Day 2: Waiting For The Right Deal

Graeme McMillan — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:14:52 PDT

If you've been waiting for Jeff Goldblum to save the world with his awesome hacker skills one more time, you may be in luck: Roland Emmerich says that the story for a sequel to Independence Day is ready and waiting. More »

What If July 4th Was Just Another Day?

Alasdair Wilkins — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:00:00 PDT

As the United States celebrates its Independence Day, it's worth considering just how easily it could have never happened at all. Here now is a rundown of alternate history stories and essays where the American Revolution turned out very differently. More »

20 Great American Superheroes To Share Your Holiday With

Graeme McMillan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:00:36 PDT

It's Independence Day here in the United States, and what better way to celebrate it than to remember the fictional men and women who drape themselves in red, white and blue and try to personify what makes the country great? More »

Wish You Were Here - On The Moon

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:22:35 PDT

io9 is taking the day off to explode things in the name of national liberty. Also, to kick back on this moon beach, captured here in the dappled earthlight by NASA's newly-launched Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. More »

20 Best (And 20 Worst) Pets In Science Fiction

Alexis — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:00:00 PDT

When humans finally conquer space, we'll still want to keep other creatures as pets. Some science-fiction pets are among our favorite characters, but others, you just want to flush out the airlock. Here's our list of the best and worst. More »

Columbia Finds Its Foundation

Graeme McMillan — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:00:50 PST

Isaac Asimov's classic trilogy Foundation is headed to the big screen... courtesy of the man behind Independence Day, Godzilla and 2012. Is this cause for celebration or mourning? I'm not quite sure yet. More »

What Kind Of Alien Invasion Are We Hoping For?

Graeme McMillan — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:00:39 PDT

If there's one thing that science fiction has taught us, it's that it's almost a certainty that Earth will be invaded by an alien force at some point in our lifetime. Luckily, we've also learned that humanity will most likely forget our differences, pull together and defeat said alien force through unity, the resourcefulness of an under-appreciated member of society and potentially the common cold, but that doesn't change the fact that - as GI Joe would tell us - knowing is half the battle. So we present to you a guide to the different types of alien invasion, so that you can know whether to join the fight or betray us all to your potential new alien overlords. More »

What Would It Take To Bring Alien Invasions Back?

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:57:00 PDT

Remember alien invasions? Strange creatures from beyond the stars, showing up on Earth and attempting to subjugate the heck out of us? Wasn't that cool? What ever happened to those would-be dominators anyway? The only recent alien invasion movie I can think of was the Nicole Kidman Invasion... which is best forgotten anyway. What would it take to bring extraterrestrial land-grabs back to the big or small screen? More »

Eric Stoltz Will Implant The Memories Of Dead People Into Your Brain

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:53:00 PDT

New scifi thriller Blank Slate delves into the minds of the undead. The TNT miniseries follows a team of FBI agents as they attempt to solve crimes by putting the memories of the deceased into the minds of the living. Actress Lisa Brenner (The Pledge) plays Anne, a young woman with amnesia who works with Sullican (Eric Stoltz) and Miles Clancy Brown solving mysteries. Producing is Dean Devlin (Stargate and Independence Day), who's described the show as a, "drastically segmented TV movie." Click through for more info. More »

Have Superhero Movies Killed The Summer Movie Season?

Graeme McMillan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:30:00 PDT

It's the argument that quite literally some people are talking about: Are superhero movies responsible for the death of the high-quality summer blockbuster? You may be scratching your head, wondering when the last high-quality summer blockbuster wasn't a superhero movie. (First person to say Independence Day gets punched.) But Entertainment Weekly isn't afraid to take a stand against... well, what everyone wants to see these days nonetheless. More »

Which Big Summer Movie Ruined Science Fiction Forever?

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PDT

With more big summer spectacles exploding, laser-blasting and CGI-ing all over the place, is serious, thoughtful science fiction being pushed out? Have movies like Transformers or Star Wars tractor-beamed the genre of science fiction away from perceived as serious literature, even in the book world? And which giant battle cruiser of a movie deserves the most blame for turning the genre into an amusement park ride instead of an exploration of our place in the universe? Vote for your scapegoat below. More »

The Seven and a Half Rules for Making Scary Aliens

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:20:32 PST

Welcome back to Horrorhead, a fortnightly column where we explore the intersection of horror and scifi. For every bland, friendly Star Trek alien with a crinkle-cut french fry nose or waffle forehead, there are dozens of insanely scary aliens that could rip your face off. Certain alien characteristics, whether physical or psychological, are enough to put you into "no I will not jump during this dark corridor scene - shit I am now jumping" mode. But what exactly makes an alien truly horrifying, as opposed to just, you know, alien? Aided by Hollywood movie history, we've put together a definitive set of rules for making aliens that are guaranteed to freak you out — or at least make you queasy. More »

The Star Wars Movies Have Lost The SFX Race

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:40:23 PST

The skyrocketing number of special effects shots in the Star Wars movies has become a shorthand for the way movies in general have become more SFX-heavy. But while the Star Wars films may have started the SFX arms race, they didn't win it. None of the three Star Wars prequels has as many special effects shots as 1996's Independence Day. Also, the visually stunning first Matrix movie only has as many SFX shots as The Empire Strikes Back. Click through to find out the most SFX-heavy movie of all time. More »

You Have Ten Seconds To Reach Minimum Safe Distance

Kevin Kelly — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:20:47 PST

Movies That Smash the Statue of Liberty

Kevin Kelly — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:00:58 PST

A trailer for the upcoming movie I Am Legend shows Will Smith and his canine buddy wandering an entirely empty New York City. But that's nothing new. Hollywood has always loved to show one of the most bustling cities on the planet smashed to hell and emptied of human life. More »

Must See: Independence Day

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:10:44 PDT

Must-see movies are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale. Written by James Rocchi. More »