By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

“Propaganda” is one of the dirtiest words in Hollywood. Regardless of how they vote, most prefer their movies to be free of any overt political messaging. After all, we get enough of that from our hellish 24-hour news cycle; why would we want to see it on the big screen?

However, some of the most beloved films of the 20th and 21st centuries have secretly served as propaganda. Top Gun is basically one long advertisement for the Navy, which is presented as our only defense against international attackers. Michael Bay’s first Transformers movie is also propaganda, presenting the Army as our main line of defense against enemies both domestic and very, very foreign.

Interestingly, the most successful propaganda film ever made came out in the ‘90s, and it rallied the country together like never before. I’m talking about Independence Day, the rollicking action adventure that had Will Smith punching an alien (maybe it said something about his wife?) and Jeff Goldblum hacking UFOs. Oh, and it had Bill Pullman rallying the entire world together with a speech that had audiences around the world cheering at the screen. The whole thing is so infectiously cool that it’s easy to overlook the obvious: that, from the ground up, this movie is all about how America deserves to rule the entire world.

America (F*ck Yeah!)

Why is Independence Day propaganda, exactly? The most obvious reason is its focus on military might as the only real solution for driving away alien invaders. This isn’t sci-fi like Star Trek, where everything can be solved with peace and diplomacy. It’s not even like Star Wars, in which a coalition of humans and aliens overthrows a fascist Empire. No, this is about how the only solutions to extraterrestrial invasion come in the form of bullets and missiles. Oh, and technology: amid the high-flying internet explosion of the ‘90s, Independence Day posits that a little vibe coding from a quirked-up, military-aligned scientist can instantly overcome the most advanced civilization humanity has ever encountered.

Given the name of the film, it’s no surprise that Independence Day centers on this military supremacy around America. Not in an exclusionary way, of course: characters don’t badmouth other countries, and the film doesn’t portray other nations in a negative light. Instead, it simply situates the United States as integral to the survival and prosperity of the rest of the world. In this light, directly dunking on other countries is unnecessary because the film makes it clear that when the very survival of humanity is at stake, the world will be saved by American weapons, American technology, and gloriously stubborn American gumption.

The Cold War Gets Hot

It’s easy to forget, but Independence Day came out very soon after the Cold War finally ended. That gives the rah-rah propaganda messaging its own special verve, of course. The United States had just effectively defeated its only real existential threat since the end of World War II. Who else, then, could possibly save all of humanity from the deadliest threat since the Soviet Union? Lest that subtlety be lost on viewers, Independence Day drapes itself in flags and patriotic speeches to drive home America’s nascent noblesse oblige: the obligation to use our position as the only dominant world power for good, not evil.

That leads to the obvious question: Independence Day may be blatant American propaganda, but is that an inherently bad thing? Not really. Sure, such cinematic propaganda always runs the risk of glorifying amoral politicians who destroy countless lives while excusing half a century of questionable American interventions and adventurism. But that’s not really the primary thrust of Independence Day. The film arguably serves as a direct extension of the American dream, glorifying the very best the country has to offer. America does not represent a dangerous and nefarious world police in this film; rather, it represents a country that can’t be tamed and will always rise to the occasion in the face of tyranny.

Welcome To Earth

In retrospect, it’s easy for cynics to chalk this up to the pie-in-the-sky idealism of the ‘90s, and that may very well be true. But these days, the heroes of Independence Day are more aspirational and inspirational than ever before. America is bitterly divided along political lines, with people fighting endless culture wars against their fellow countrymen over the stupidest subjects imaginable. It may be simplistic, but Independence Day is a reminder that when the states are truly united, America is unstoppable. If a little bit of celluloid propaganda can help us make our actual future more like the fictional past, a bit of blockbuster propaganda is a small price to pay.

Do you want to experience just how fun propaganda can be? Stoke your own patriotic fervor, or maybe just watch Will Smith punching someone other than Chris Rock? Good news, space cadets: the dream of the ‘90s is alive, right here in your living room. Independence Day is currently streaming on Netflix, and trust me: it’s just as intoxicatingly fun and deliriously dumb as you remember. It may be the most successful propaganda movie ever made, but it’s also an action-packed, weirdly hilarious thrill ride that will instantly appeal to your inner alien lover. Come for the UFOs and stay for the alien autopsy. 

If you want your own anal probe, though, don’t look at me; go ask your partner nicely. Just don’t be surprised if she says “Welcome to Earth” when she does it!

By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated 32 seconds ago

John Hughes redefined the teen comedy from the sex romps of Porky’s to the more grounded and realistic Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club. In 1985, during the middle of this run, he also wrote and directed Weird Science, a film that was pure wish fulfillment.

There’s still a high school, and a pair of social outcasts, but there’s also an absolute smokeshow of a computer program with the ability to alter reality, designed from the smallest piece of code to be the perfect woman. Not only was it a hit, but a decade later, the USA Network took the premise and ran with it to make Weird Science, the series, which ran for a mind-boggling 5 seasons and 88 episodes. 

She Blinded Me With Science

Both the film and the series center on high school slackers Gary (Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall in the original and John Mallory Asher in the series) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith in the film, Michael Manasseri in the series), trying to cut every corner possible thanks to Lisa, the artificial woman who, for all intents and purposes, operates like a Genie. The basic episode has one of the two making a wish, turning the school into a party school complete with pizza in class, becoming rock stars, time-traveling to deal with a bully, or turning Wyatt’s brother into an infant. 

There’s nothing deep about Weird Science. It’s lighthearted, campy fun, and if you’re wondering why this managed to stay on the air for five seasons, it’s because they somehow found the perfect replacement for the movie’s Kelly LeBrock: Vanessa Angel. No one cares about Wyatt and Gary. Weird Science is all about the stacked brunette front and center in every piece of promotional material, every commercial, and every episode. Angel’s take on Lisa was a little goofier than LeBrock’s, but at the end of the day, she was usually the one who ended up solving the problem. 

From Runner-Up To The Reason Everyone Watched

Vanessa Angel found the most success in her career on Weird Science bringing Lisa to life. Taking over for Kelly LeBrock’s iconic portrayal should have been a recipe for disaster, but it worked. Angel’s career in Hollywood was filled with missed opportunities for major roles, first as the original Xena to Lucy Lawless, losing out due to a horribly timed illness, then as the second choice for Seven of Nine behind Jeri Ryan, and finally, as Anise/Freya on Stargate SG-1 when the producers wanted a sexy new female cast member to catch the Seven of Nine wave. Turns out, they already had Amanda Tapping, and her role was cut after only three appearances. 

Weird Science was obviously aimed at a young audience with plotlines that would feel at home a decade later on a Disney Channel original. You can only imagine the fun that the writer’s room had trying to come up with the most insane plotlines possible. The combination of a hot woman and two (or more) inept guys has been the foundation for countless comedies over the decades. Turning the woman into a wish-granting computer program didn’t alter the formula in the slightest. It worked for I Dream Of Jeannie in the 60s, it worked for Weird Science in the 90s, and if Hollywood ever makes another sitcom, it’ll work again. 

Weird Science is streaming for free on The Roku Channel. 

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 minute ago

These days, reboots have a bad reputation, and rightfully so. Hollywood keeps cranking out bad remakes of classic movies like RoboCop and Total Recall, and Disney has created an entire cottage industry of turning its classic animated films into lazy, live-action abominations. On the small screen, reboots ranging from Gossip Girl to The Munsters have accomplished nothing but make audiences want to watch the original show. Everyone watching at home keeps asking the same question: why remake a classic show if you can’t make it better than the original?

However, former Star Trek scribe Ronald D. Moore squared this circle by rebooting a middling TV show into a modern masterpiece. The original Battlestar Galactica has a fairly dedicated fandom, but it only lasted one season before fizzling out with a crappy, low-budget spinoff. But in 2004, Moore rebooted the show into the greatest sci-fi show of the last quarter-century, one that changed genre storytelling forever. It’s a series that has lost none of its edge over the years, and you can now experience its brilliance for free by streaming it on Pluto TV.

Humanity Is On The Brink

The premise of Battlestar Galactica is that humanity has colonized multiple worlds and made amazing technological advancements, including building robot servants called Cylons. Unfortunately, they rebelled and started a bitter war with humanity that resulted in them disappearing, seemingly forever. But the Cylons come back and use their technology to destroy every human-occupied world in a galactic-scale genocide. Now, all that’s left of humanity are a relative handful of civilian ships, all of which must be protected from constant Cylon attacks by the brave men and women of the Battlestar Galactica, the last bastion of human military might in the entire galaxy.

Part of what makes Battlestar Galactica so compelling is that it’s the polar opposite of Star Trek. In Trek, everyone lives in a state of constant abundance: replicators can make whatever you want or need, and everyone more or less gets along while exploring the final frontier. In BSG, resources are constantly limited because every human world has been wiped out, forcing the crew to scavenge and salvage what they can. Moreover, there is constant tension between (and amid) military forces and civilian government, all of whom are on edge because they are the last of humanity and could die at any time.

The Sexiest Cast In Sci-Fi

It’s a bleak premise and a bleak show, but the cast really rises to the occasion. Tricia Helfer is particularly captivating as a sexy Cylon who uses her buxom beauty as her most reliable weapon in the fight against humanity. Katee Sackhoff, meanwhile, is all swinging swaggering as a hotshot pilot who is only really at peace in the cockpit of a Viper. James Callis captivates as a scientist whose brilliance may either save or doom all of humanity. But nobody is quite as compelling as Edward James Olmos, whose cool, gravelly confidence holds the entire fleet (not to mention the show) together. 

While Battlestar Galactica is styled as the anti-Star Trek show, it does have one important thing in common with Gene Roddenberry’s killer sci-fi franchise: almost every episode is devoted to exploring the crunchiest philosophical questions facing mankind. For example, the show constantly examines whether religion is a valid way to provide hope to humanity or just a way to grift and prey upon the weak-minded. BSG also questions many post-9/11 arguments, including whether sacrificing freedom for security is worth it and the morality of both occupation and occupied resistance. Hovering over all of it is an eerily prescient exploration of mankind’s relationship with AI and the dangers of relying on technology we cannot fully understand or control. 

Top Gun In Space

If all of this sounds too philosophical and abstract, don’t worry: Battlestar Galactica is famous (and rightfully so) for its killer action sequences. Ground-based battles are more exciting than almost anything in Star Wars, showcasing how terrifying it would really be to get hunted down by killer battle droids. But where BSG really shines is its space battles, which use Newtonian physics (another major departure from Star Trek) to showcase human Viper pilots completing one life-and-death maneuver after another against relentless Cylon Raiders. These battles are a microcosm of BSG as a whole: tension and heartbreak punctuated by moments of buoyant, triumphant joy.

While Battlestar Galactica is rightfully dubbed a modern sci-fi masterpiece, it’s not a completely perfect show. I have often joked that it has about three perfect seasons within its four-season runtime. Some parts of Season 3 and 4 are plodding, especially if you’re not a superfan of Baltar, whose character gets more or less reinvented every season. Plus, the series finale is controversial enough that fans are still griping about it to this day (and with good reason). But the ratio of good episodes to bad is nearly unparalleled in genre storytelling, and every sci-fi fan owes it to themselves to watch this groundbreaking show at least once.

Whether it’s your first time streaming it or you’ve lost count (it’s not just me, right?), Battlestar Galactica is always worth watching. Better still, it’s currently streaming for free on Pluto TV, where you can watch every episode on demand. It’s a show unlike anything else in science fiction, and after more than two decades, we haven’t had anything nearly as brilliant. Plus, we live in an age where the robots have won and AI has taken over almost everything. Why not watch a show where humanity learns how to put those clankers in their place? 

So say we all!