Character Analysis
Captain, My Captain
Before Will Smith was Serious Will Smith, the guy who makes ugly-cry inducing movies like The Pursuit of Happyness and Winter's Tale, he was Hollywood's go-to guy when you needed a charismatic leading man to punch an alien in the nose (snout? beak? who knows how those things are put together?).
Because before Will Smith was better known as "Jaden's Dad" he was known as the dreamy star of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Which made him perfect to kick alien butt and be hilarious while doing so.
Will Smith's Steven Hiller is the heart and (comedy) soul of this film, for sure. Even though the film has a big ensemble cast, Steven Hiller's is most obviously front and center. And it makes sense: he's young, strong, brave, and has impeccable comedic timing—why wouldn't ID4 make him a central focal point? (Besides those greasy-looking extra terrestrials, obviously.)
Let's dig into what makes Steve so exceptional.
The Perfect Guy
We know that this statement is going to make a lot of Jeff Goldblum fans mad, but look at the evidence. On the one hand, you have Goldblum's David: a Nervous Nelly with a violent streak. And on the other hand you have Smith's Steven: a guy who's basically the textbook definition of "strong and sensitive."
He's the Brawny Paper towel guy come to life…except that he's a) better looking and b) has a cooler career than "possible lumberjack."
Our first glimpse of him comes as he's waking up at home with his girlfriend Jasmine next to him, and Jasmine's son running around. He clearly has a great relationship with both mama and kid, so we get the sense right away that he's a nice, home-oriented guy who is ready to settle down and be part of a family.
Of course, sweet and adoring as he is, Steve also loves a good wisecrack and tries to keep things light. He doesn't seem like the type to let a situation get too serious without trying to crack a smile or a joke.
For example, even though he and Jasmine are both upset and worried that his weekend leave got cancelled so he could go fight the aliens (huh—why would they be worried?) he ends up softening her up with jokes about how he'll have to cancel plans with his "other girlfriends" to invite her to stay with him at the base:
STEVE: Look, why don't you get some things packed and you and Dylan come stay with me on the base? And you will see that there is nothing to be scared of.
JASMINE: Really? You don't mind?
STEVE: Well, I mean, we'll have to let all my other girlfriends know that they can't come over, you know, and got to postpone a little freaky-deaky.
JASMINE: There you go, there he goes, thinking you're all that. But you are not as charming as you think you are, sir.
STEVE: Yes, I am.
Steve may have a few problems (like having to kill alien invaders), but he's not lacking in the confidence department.
Down To Business
Steven's tender at home, but at work he's in full kick-butt-and-take-names mode. After all, he's a captain in the Marines in an elite aviation squadron. He has to be pretty tough on a normal day—and he pulls out all the stops when aliens come and wipe out his entire team.
After the battle that kills basically all of Steve's squadron, one alien ends up chasing Steve through some canyons and into the desert. Through some fancy maneuvering (oh yeah, he's a super-impressive pilot in addition to everything else), Steve ends up ejecting safely while also getting the alien to crash his ship.
It isn't enough for Steve to escape safely, though. Nope. He walks over to the alien ship and decides to look inside. Whereas a normal person would probably be running away from that scene, Steve seems totally unafraid, moseying up to the ship with his (verbal) guns blazing:
STEVE: That's right! That's right! […] That's what you get! Look at you! Ship all banged up! Who's the man? Huh? Who's the man? Wait until I get another plane! I'm lining all your friends up right beside you!
Then, when a nasty tentacled alien comes hissing out of the ship, Steve punches him right in the face and delivers this mega-famous line:
STEVE: Welcome to Earth.
He pulls out the cigar he was supposed to be smoking with Jimmy after their mission and, without even a drop of sadness for his lost comrade, sticks the cigar in his mouth and remarks,
STEVE: Now that's what I call a close encounter.
Unrealistic? Yeah, probably—it seems like Steve would probably be a little more broken up about the loss of his friend. In general, though, his red-hot wisecracks seem in keeping with Steve's general personality.
Happily Ever After
But maybe Steve has a premonition that he'd going to find a new best bud soon: the dweeby David. The turn out to be a dynamic duo—opposites attract, even in bromance—and David's slightly anxious brilliance and Steve's bravery and pilot skills combine help disarm the alien ships' shields so that Earth's united forces can attack and disable them. (Ha. Let's see NASA try to keep Steve out now.)
Oh, and Steve finally pops the question to Jasmine. He finally puts that engagement ring to good use and marries her right before going up on the mission, and has the guts to admit that…well, he hadn't been gutsy about committing to her up to that point.
STEVE: Listen, before we do this, I just want to say I'm sorry.
JASMINE: Sorry for what, babe?
STEVE: I should have done this a long time ago.
So, Steve turns out to be brave in love and as a fighter pilot. Yeah; we're swooning