Twenty years ago, back in the golden Summer of 1996, Empire Magazine's 87th issue went on sale. Inside, nestled between the VHS reviews and a feature on Hollywood's hottest young stars (including a 27-year-old Will Smith), was the highlight of the issue. It was a 13-page feature on the event movie of 1996: an explosive blockbuster from the director of Stargate called Independence Day.
Now, two decades later, the director of the film (and Empire Online's current guest editor), Roland Emmerich, is finally being granted a right of reply. Armed with a Bic biro and a yellow highlighter, Emmerich set about our original article, adding his own comments, reflections and responses. You can read the article in full, complete with Emmerich's additions, here.
For more features from Empire, including the current issue on Independence Day: Resurgence, subscribe now{
Hear Emmerich answer reader questions in our special 'ask the editor' Q&A.