Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) Review

What do you get when you combine young Stargate Roland Emerich with old-aged 2012 Roland Emerich? Independence Day: Resurgence. It's a fun premise with some fun ideas, but it falls flat on its face...hard. Honestly, if it wasn't for my wife being there, the amazing food, and the pre-teen girls behind us enjoying the movie so much, I would've been miserable. I went with my wife to the Studio Movie Grill in Rocklin. It's kind of become the only theater I want to experience my movies at, besides IMAX. I saw Independence Day when it first came out in 1996. I'm sure my family still has the VHS tape somewhere. I have every line, every sound effect, and every shot burned into the deep recesses of my brain. The original Independence Day is one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure movies. It's dumb popcorn summer fun. I think the only thing this movie had to be was fun, and it failed.

 Independence Day: Resurgence takes place 20 years after the first film. Mankind hilariously has no more problems with each other for some reason. I know that the humans band together to annihilate the aliens, but would that really cause everyone to be bff? Also, we find out that there were other people besides Dr Okun (Brent Spiner) and President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) who gained ESP mind syncing abilities with the aliens and that sends off the warning signs that some new baddies are seeking to finish what the last ones started. Other ID4 alumnus returning are Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Robert Loggia, and Judd Hirsch. No Will Smith sadly, Fox thought his $50 million price tag wasn't worth it. Liam Hemsworth plays the cocky risk-taking pilot whom we follow for most of the film and who leads the other fighters into the battle. Will Smith's son from the first film joins Liam Hemsworth as another fighter pilot and the poster boy of the military. There are a TON of supporting characters in this film that it makes the original look tiny in comparison. As a result, there are so many different story-lines going on that it becomes hard to care about any of them.

I didn't hate this movie. In fact, there were some things I actually really liked. For one, I really liked that the humans adapted the alien tech to be able to have hover crafts, moon bases, orbital defense systems, laser guns, etc. It really added to the science fiction aspect of the story. I also liked the look of all the new tech, both alien and human. I also loved the way the composer integrated the amazing David Arnold themes into the new soundtrack. Whenever the theme hit, I was a happy man. Another thing I liked was the inclusion of a new alien that helps the humans against the bad aliens. I won't spoil it, but I liked how it added a whole new element to the universe and did some world building in the overarching story, and ultimately it's purpose was to help set up a sequel.

Now for what I didn't like. Firstly, the editing. I was sooooo bored. I noticed as the ending was getting closer that it was cut to be exactly like the original in almost every way. I know a sequel is essentially the same film but slightly different, but there are multiple sequels that take the same universe and expand on it in multiple ways; such as: The Godfather Part II, Back to the Future II, The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, T2, and The Dark Knight. Besides new characters, aliens, and weapons, there's nothing new or original here. The jokes are cringe-worthy, and some of them made me laugh at the movie, not with the movie. There are some shots that are exact recreations of the original ones, but it could have just been homages and I'm being mean. But for those who don't know the original as well as myself, it's completely unnoticeable to the untrained eye and appears as just to ripoff the same ideas as the original. Also, I really hated almost every character in this movie. They were all cartoony or boring and lifeless. There wasn't a single character I could relate to, except maybe Bill Pullman as the deranged ex-president who comes back into action to help out. His character actually had an arc. Everyone else is just doing stuff related to the plot. Now, the action. This is what you came to see. Some badass alien on human warfare. Sorry to say it's dull and lifeless. With the exception of a few moments, the screen is filled with so much at one time you can't tell what's happening. And it doesn't help that we don't care for any of the characters and if they die because they are so one-dimensional. Will Smith had so much charisma and charm that he made the first film a ton of fun. I don't like anyone in this movie.

The film is pretty light on the violence. There's some far away deaths, some off-screen deaths, and some choking and deaths by laser. It's something that won't scare the kiddies, as the aliens themselves don't look like nightmare fuel. Maybe that's just because they are horribly rendered CGI. I think anyone who just wants a generic action sci-fi to watch that allows you to turn your brain off will enjoy this, but don't go in expecting the same charm as the original.

In conclusion, this is a forgettable sequel that barely adds anything new or interesting to the table. It has one-dimensional new characters and old characters (with the exception of the eccentric Brent Spiner) that don't seem to care too much that they're there. The action is all over the place, with the exception of a few cool shots, and the editing is boring and a rip off of the original. Skip it until it's out on redbox, if you're curious. I'm not that excited for the already-planned sequel.