Title from container.

Originally released as a motion picture in 1996.

Commentary by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin; commentary by special effects supervisors Volker Engel and Doug Smith.

Special features (disc 2): All new 30-minute documentary "Independence Day: a Legacy Surging forward"; gag reel; creating reality; ID4 invasion mock-umentary; The making of ID4; monitor Earth broadcasts; gallery.

Director of photography, Karl Walter Lindenlaub ; editor, David Brenner ; music, David Arnold ; costume designer, Joseph Porro ; production designers, Patrick Tatopoulos, Oliver Scholl ; visual effects, Volker Engel, Douglas Smith.

Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, James Rebhorn, Harvey Fierstein.

On July 2nd, communications systems worldwide are sent into chaos by a strange atmospheric interference. At first thought to be meteors, the United States military suspect that a number of enormous alien spacecraft are on a collision course with Earth. After attempts to communicate with the aliens go nowhere, David Levinson, an ex-scientist turned cable technician, discovers that the aliens are going to attack major points around the globe in less than a day. On July 3rd, the aliens all but obliterate New York, Los Angeles, and Washington. Survivors set out towards Area 51, a strange government testing ground where it is rumored the military has a captured alien spacecraft of their own. The survivors devise a plan to fight back against the killing aliens, and July 4th becomes the day humanity will fight for its freedom.

MPAA rating: PG-13; for sci-fi destruction and violence.

DVD, widescreen (2.39:1) presentation; Dolby Digital 2.0.

English SDH, Spanish or French subtitles; closed-captioned.