Will Smith Reflects On 30 Years Since Independence Day Release

Instagram/@willsmith

By now this has been thrown at fans as a cool nostalgia bomb by Will. The idea that one of the most important pieces in the heart of the fanworld did not really let go anyway was the creation of sharing an ancient picture from the Independence Day set with the caption: “Next year will be 30 years since we released ID4.” The thought: There stood a young Smith in full Captain Hiller mode-wearing the big-grin mischievous military pilot kind of look-next to a kid who was equally fired up to be there. The backdrop just oozed that 90s blockbuster charm-was it even a fancy cockpit or some set piece from the alien invasion flick?

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The fans poured in with distant strike of the alien mothership. One user wonderfully summed it up: “One of the best movies ever! It had everything!” while the other one threw the unforgettable “AND WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL” followed by crying-laughing emojis. It wasn´t in the script-The smell was real from the set props, and Smith did react. Classic!

More nostalgia follow along: “Seeing all these old movie posts makes me so nostalgic,” meaning that the Smith’s 90s era still holds a very big place in people’s hearts. Once more, “The only Independence Day I acknowledged” kicked off a mini-thread of agreement. ID4 sort of got some international love with a Brazilian saying, “This movie is too good.”

Who remembers theater days? Some scoff and say, “I watched this 4 times on opening day,” while some other people stare in awe and say, “You’re not allowed to grow old, btw.” And then there was: “I’ve been waiting for this for a very, very long time,” as said by a German fan, the hopes of the next epic Smith moment.

Independence Day was much more than a movie; it was the cultural reset: the speech, the action, the one-liners (“Welcome to Earth!”), and yeah, even that smell gag. Thirty years on and they’re still quoting it like scripture. Smith’s post was not merely to celebrate a milestone; it went on to bring back in memory as to why this film was the defining summer blockbuster. With the number of comments posted, definitely, the love for ID4 shall never depose.

That smelly line was never planned. Smith improvised it after being hit by a weird odor from the desert set. The director kept it because he found it funny. One of the great moments blossomed gloriously from an accident.

So here’s to 30 years of aliens, explosions, and Will Smith saving the world with a punchline. If anything can be proven by this post, it’s that some movies don’t grow old-they age into legends. And Captain Hiller? Still the ultimate hype man. No sequel needed.

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Side note: Shoutout to the fan who still has it on VHS. That’s commitment.