"I felt guilty about making my work look so good. I started thinking maybe I did my job too well, and it might have been the nucleus of an idea for someone to say: ‘Hey, let’s crash a plane into the White House.’"

"At one point the news comes that New York, Washington and Los Angeles have been destroyed, and is there grief? Despair? Anguish? Speculation about what that will mean for professional sports? Not a bit – the characters nod and hurry on to the next scene."

"All of this feeds into a sliding scale of villain power. Culminating with the aliens of Independence Day. Notice, in that case, that you no longer need incompetence or corruption of our institutions. Jeopardy takes care of itself. The invaders are so badass that even the United States government and military are allowed to simultaneously be both capable and good! In order to provide spear-carrier support for the two or three point-of-view heroes."

"Enjoy the Super Bowl - it may be your last."

"[after downing an alien ship via parachute; in crazed relief] THAT'S RIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT! [struggling with the parachute] Get offa me, get offa me! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! HAHA! Look at you! Ship all banged up! WHO'S DA MAN?! HUH?! WHO'S DA MAN?! Wait till I get another plane! I'm linin' all of your friends up, right beside you! [climbs onto the alien ship] Where you at, huh?! Huh?! Where you at?! [the alien pilot emerges, but he punches it and knocks it out] Welcome to Earth! [puts a cigar in his mouth] Now that's what I call a "close encounter.""

"Today, the human race celebrates their Independence Day."

"They only want one thing...DESTRUCTION."

"A war is on, pitting superior alien technology against Humankind's will to survive. The odds are even."