When 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment does a special edition, look out!!!!  Their dvd presentation really pushes the envelope of this technology, and at a consumer minded price!!!  To begin with, viewers can select whether they wish to watch the theatrical version or the extended version of "INDEPENDENCE DAY", and both feature a superb 16:9 enhanced 2.35:1 presentation!  The picture is spectacular! It's really flawless. Fleshtones are natural looking, and all the colors are perfectly rendered without any bleeding.  The contrast is consistent throughout the film.  This is a special effects film with numerous details, and thankfully, there's great detail visible in every frame!

The dolby digital 5.1 sound is of demonstration quality, especially during the dogfight sequences, however, even in the natural settings, there's an obvious amount of directional effects.  The subwoofer gets a lot of action throughout the film as well, and sometimes, unexpectedly!

There are two running commentaries offered on the first disc.  One commentary with the director and producer, is sometimes engaging, but mostly dry.  The 2nd commentary with the special effects people is really entertaining, and shouldn't be missed.

The 2nd disc offers three documentaries.  The first is basically a featurette serving as an advertisement for the film. The 2nd documentary is a really fun spoof on the film ala War of the Worlds, filled with fake newscasts, etc.  This one's really terrific! The 3rd documentary takes a real close look at the film's special effects.