Welcome back to Fellowship of the Reel, where four friends gather to discuss a movie. For our major 250th anniversary episode, we are dissecting the 1996 sci-fi action-adventure blockbuster, Independence Day. Released thirty years ago on July 3rd, 1996, this film was highly engineered with a traditional structure that utilized a sprawling ensemble cast to deliver massive cinematic spectacle. The crew analyzes the overarching theme of humanity putting aside its differences to unite against a common enemy, highlighted by President Thomas J. Whitmore's iconic speech referencing Dylan Thomas's poem about raging against the dying of the light.

Segment Breakdown

• Notable Quotables: Before breaking down the film, we play a game testing our knowledge of quotes from the cast's other roles. Listen as we identify Jeff Goldblum's "Life finds a way" from Jurassic Park, Will Smith's "I make this look good" from Men in Black, and Randy Quaid's memorable lines from Vegas Vacation.
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• Critics & Fans: We discuss our surprise at the film's mixed reception compared to other sci-fi classics like Aliens. We break down its 77% Tomatometer critic score and 75% audience score, which contrast sharply with its massive box office success of $817 million worldwide ($300 million domestically and $500 million internationally) on a $75 million budget.
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• The Beats & Structure: A deep dive into the film's narrative pacing and beats. We track the story from the ominous opening image of an alien shadow engulfing the Apollo 11 lunar plaque, to the catalyst of coordinated alien launches destroying landmarks. We also discuss the film's five distinct converging storylines, the Area 51 reveals, and the "false defeat" moment when the military's nuclear strike completely fails against the alien shields.
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• Fun & Games: We highlight our favorite tropes and action moments, from Harry Connick Jr. playing Will Smith's sidekick to the "Star Wars rules" where doomed pilots always deliver a negative line right before they die. We also recount the finale where David and Hiller successfully infiltrate the mothership to upload a virus, leading to Russell Casse sacrificing himself while shouting, "Hello boys, I'm back".

Trailer for our review of INDEPENDENCE DAY.

**Fellowship of the Reel podcast episode reviewing *The Dead Don’t Die* (2019, Jim Jarmusch).** Four friends (Phil as host/picker, plus James, Sherry, and another) talk through the movie after a Bill Murray quote quiz and box-office/ratings context.

### Setup and reception

They note the film’s messy genre tags (action, comedy, horror, sci-fi, etc.), modest budget (~$2.5–6M) and worldwide gross (~$15.3M), Rotten Tomatoes scores (critics ~55%, audience ~38%), and IMDb 5.4. Fan reviews they read call it boring, plotless, or “the worst movie ever.” Phil argues many viewers expected a conventional zombie movie and didn’t get one.

### Core argument: anti-plot

Phil frames the film using Sean Coyne / Story Grid ideas: most movies are “arch plots” (Save the Cat–style three-act structure with causality, character change, and a closed ending). *The Dead Don’t Die* is an **anti-plot**—it breaks conventions on purpose (weak causality, no consistent reality, characters who don’t change, fourth-wall breaks, aliens dropped in late). That puts it on the thin tails of the audience “bell curve,” which helps explain the poor scores. They contrast it with films like *Wayne’s World*, *Memento*, and *Eternal Sunshine*.

### Plot and “beats” they force onto it

They walk the story while admitting they’re forcing arch-plot labels onto something that resists them:

- Sleepy Centerville, polar fracking, odd daylight, missing pets.

- First zombies (Iggy Pop, etc.) at the diner; “I’m thinking zombies.”

- Townspeople and zombies chasing old vices (coffee, Wi-Fi, Snapple, guitar).

- Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton) as detached Scottish samurai/undertaker who later boards a UFO.

- Meta bits: Adam Driver’s Ronnie has read the script and keeps saying it won’t end well; Bill Murray’s Cliff only got his pages; they still follow the script to their deaths.

- Supporting characters die or vanish (Danny Glover, Steve Buscemi’s farmer, Selena Gomez/Austin Butler teens).

- Climax: cops go out fighting in the cemetery; Hermit Bob (Tom Waits) watches from the woods and monologues about consumerism.

Easter eggs they mention include *Night of the Living Dead* car and TV flashes, Sturgill Simpson’s theme (and guitar zombie), and Wu-Tang/RZA as the “WUPS” delivery guy.

### Themes and criticism of Jarmusch

They spend a lot of time on consumerism, spiritual deadness, and whether Jarmusch is angry at mainstream audiences and his own modest box office (*Broken Flowers* is cited as his biggest hit). Polar fracking and a “Keep America White Again” hat get political readings. Several hosts feel the message is preachy (especially Hermit Bob’s closer) and that breaking rules to poke the audience is less clever than *They Live*, *Fight Club*, or *American Psycho*. They also dunk on *Asteroid City* as an even more painful “nothing happens” movie.

### Verdict

All four land on **consider**, not pass: strong cast (Murray, Driver, Swinton, Buscemi, Tom Waits, etc.), look and tone, dry humor, and zombie-movie appeal—if you go in knowing it’s weird, meta, and not a standard Romero/Walking Dead story. They would not call it a must-watch or a hidden masterpiece.