Written by Mr. Mouseburger 22nd Feb 2006
Kindly submitted by A Concerned Citizen
One of the greatest movie deaths and also triumphs of all time! It's so cheesy, with more corn than a Kellogg's harvest. But still, it is genius in its sheer tackiness! Poetry in motion!
After two days of the alien invaders kicking the crap out of humanity, the humans decide to launch one final counter-offensive on the extra-terrestrial scumbags, naturally led by the Americans!
After the President gives one of the most blindingly patriotic speeches of all time, the planes go off into battle to face one of the city destroyers that is closing in on Area 51, which is where the remainder of the United States population appear to have gathered. While Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum's characters are off to infect the mother ship with a computer virus (presumably code-named Windows XP), back on Earth the planes engage in one-on-one combat with the alien attackers.
This is where Russell Casse, a Vietnam veteran and former alcoholic crop-duster, has sobered up and joined the fight. Although how he ever managed to get into the air force is a bit of a mystery as he looks as though he'd have trouble handling a shopping trolley, let alone a F-18 fighter jet.
The human offensive is not going well at all, and nearly all of the planes' missiles have been fired...OH NO!
The aliens have opened up their big death ray...OH NO!
The President has a go with his last missile and misses...OH NO!
MANKIND IS SCREWED.......
.....until Russell Casse, the loveable nutter appears with one missile left...YAY! He prepares to fire but can't because the missile is jammed (Windows XP again!!) and all appears lost. Then Russell gets all sentimental and, staring at a picture of his children, tells the officers at the Command Centre to tell his children that he loves them very much...this is a Hollywood prompt to inform us that Russell is going to sacrifice himself for the good of mankind.....all together now, AAAAHHH!!!!
This is where the real fun begins. Casse, having been abducted by aliens 10 years ago (this probably explains his alcoholism) and wanting some revenge against these little green men, heads off on a kamikaze mission uttering the words:
"All right, you alien assholes! In the words of my generation, UP YOURS!"
In a suicidal manner, Russell flies his plane up into the vast alien death ray. The ray showers his plane in green light, and Russ replies by giving the aliens something to remember him by. "HELLO BOYS! I'M BAAAACK!"
The plane flies into the death ray, destroying it and killing Russ in the process, but his sacrifice starts a chain reaction and the spaceship slowly explodes from the inside, which all gives the Earth the chance to party like it was 1999!
Great write-up. I think we can safely add Revenge to this, (seeing as he wanted to strike back at the aliens experimenting on him) and maybe Energy Weapon.
Really great write-up, how about Own Weapon?
I don't think the laser beam was Russell's own weapon.
I meant the spaceship's, my mistake.
Then what about "Crash"?
I just remember that there was an alternate edit where he ACTUALLY lives! Unfortuanly, I can't remember where I heard it. So how about adding alternate fate?
There is something on the IMDB' "alternate versions" =
[quote=imdb]The laserdisc special edition includes an alternate ending to the final aerial battle sequence. In it Russell Casse was rejected as a pilot for one of the jets to attack the alien ship approaching Area 51. However, he arrives at the end of battle flying his crop duster (which he has been towing behind his motor home) with a missile strapped to it. He then flies the crop duster into the energy beam weapon of the alien ship to bring it down.[/quote]
Ah, what a death. "All right, you alien assholes!" is up there with "Frankly, my dear".
Is he really a major goody, though? I'd say only Goldblum, Smith and the prez qualify for that distinction.
The film does follow Casse, but not to as much of an extent as the others, so I agree.