It’s amazing how movies can sometimes resemble each other. These similarities can be overt in terms of character or plot, or they can be something much more subtle. Even cinematography and art design can show parallels between projects. Sometimes, one film may want to pay homage to another. In other cases, it’s just subconscious as filmmakers may have been influenced by works that came before. Every so often, it may just be a pure coincidence of the situation depicted on the screen. Regardless of how it happened, a pivotal moment in Pacific Rim has eerie similarities to one from the Will Smith movie Independence Day.
Spoilers for both films lay ahead.
The broad similarities are obvious. Both films are about alien invasions and humanity banding together to push back the enemy. Other than that, the stories move in completely opposite directions. Nevertheless, similarities become prevalent during each of their climaxes. In Pacific Rim, the giant mechanized robots from Earth enter through the rift into the alien’s home dimension, where the aliens are all lined up to witness the robot’s arrival in a massive area. In Independence Day, the heroes pilot and alien fighter to enter the mothership. Once inside, they also witness a multitude of aliens all lined up and waiting to occupy the planet.
The purpose of these climaxes are essentially the same. In both films, the heroes have to deliver a bomb into the enemy stronghold to defeat them. But there is no reason for these scenes to be structured the same way. The cinematography and visuals are eerily similar. There are obviously differences as one setting is a spaceship and the other is an entirely different dimension. But still, the sight of so many aliens lined up as an invading force during the most pivotal moment in both movies is striking. Obviously, Independence Day was released first. But that’s not to say that Pacific Rim copied Independence Day. It’s possible it may have played an inadvertent influence, but there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, Independence Day was also influenced by works that came before it.
Pacific Rim is now streaming on Hulu. Independence Day is now streaming on Starz.
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