Militarism, Misanthropy and the Body Politic: - Brunel University

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aliens’ swaddled outer shell might subtly remind viewers of Arabs, in particular. Smith
repeatedly kicks, taunts and pummels the alien, a frightening foreshadowing of American
servicemen’s’ treatment of enemy combatants in Iraq and Afghanistan. The film
continually returns to questions of Iraq, Iran and the Gulf War.
The Monster
Perhaps ID4 can so blithely present stereotypical characters because, in the words of
Russell Casse, “We have bigger fish to fry.” Our attention remains split between
characters and the threat from above. Not only explosions and the enormity of the ships,
but also the mammoth sets and disorienting camera can make one cower. It is funny when
Marty Gilbert says, “There’s no shame in hiding,” and crouches under the metal desk, but
we should remember that the president knows that most Americans are scared, and
Connie says she is, too. In one of Independence Day’s penultimate scenes, the survivors
in the Area 51 shelter hold hands and sit cross-legged on the floor, with their shoulders
hunched over. The aliens’ ships are figured as terrifying, but also awe-inspiring and
loveable. The musical codes attached to the ships (but, of course, not to the aliens) are
ones we often associate with the spiritual, the heavenly, and the beautiful (strings and a
choir of female voices). 44 When the ships lock into place over cities, they emit cries like
Godzilla’s (which can sound sentimentally nostalgic for many listeners). Perhaps the
aliens could be seen as avenging angels instead of evil incarnate. In ID4, every time there
is a loosening of social mores, an older white male barks and the monster attacks. 45
Unlike many monster movies, ID4’s aliens are unfathomable. Sometimes the aliens seem
big, sometimes small, and sometimes medium-sized. Within the mothership itself, the
Carol Vernallis: Independence Day 85