Earth…and Specifically The USA

Like most movies you're going to see, Independence Day is set on Earth. In fact, the movie is about a worldwide battle to save Earth.

Even though we know the whole world is fighting this fight, most of the action takes place in the US. The film's major plotlines take us to various locations around the country, including New York City, Washington, D.C., California, and Nevada, and we see the absolute decimation of familiar landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Capitol, the Empire State Building, and the White House.

Sure, alien invasion is a horrifying thought on its own, but seeing the destruction of all those symbols of America's history and its cities really drives home the stakes of the battle to a specifically American audience?

The film is set in the 1990's, but (aside from some shots of the hilariously obsolete computers and Frutopia vending machines) the film's setting feels kind of timeless. And given the emphasis on historical landmarks—some of which, like the White House, reach way far back in our national history—that feeling makes sense: what's important is a moment in Americana, not a specific decade.

Although nothing but a '90s movie would use an REM song quite this prominently.