Watching Independence Day on the days surrounding July 4th is a patriotic duty.  It is as important as eating hot dogs and watching fireworks. This week, while watching ID4 on AMC, with fantastic spoiler-y clips of previous seasons of Breaking Bad interspersed throughout the commercial breaks (July 15th!  So soon!), I had a few important thoughts.

Jeff Goldblum‘s scoop-neck wife beater, for instance, is a work of beauty.  As is his hilarious, mid-90s necklace.  I actually think this role edges out Ian Malcolm in terms of Goldblum’s best roles.  Goldblum really has the stammery, nerdy, awkward yet sexy Jewish (but not practicing!) mensch thing down in this movie.

That hideous dolphin ring that Will Smith gets to propose to Vivica Fox, who plays his stripper girlfriend, is such a disaster but so real.  That is totally what a guy would get to propose to his stripper girlfriend.  Truest part of the movie, right there.

The alien mother ship looks like a horseshoe crab WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE A HORSESHOE CRAB.

Excellent supporting jobs by President Roslin, Jayne, Blair Waldorf‘s mom, and Data.  Seriously it is like a little sci-fi club up in here (except for Blair Waldorf’s mom but, whatever).  Oh, also, HARRY CONNICK JR.

I love the sequence where the Americans are Morse-coding everyone, and we go around the world, and we see that shot of the Israelis and the palestinians fighting on the same side, because nothing brings people together like a COMMON INTERGALACTIC ENEMY y’all.  Remember when the Romulans joined forces with the Federation to fight the Dominion?  POINT MADE.

So what are the nations of the world going to do with these broken, burning, giant metal saucers now, huh?

Things to consider when you watch ID4 this Independence Day.  I hope y’all have a great 4th of July!  Watch out for the aliens.