Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) - Theatrical Review

Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pulman, Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Vivica A. Fox

Country: United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 120 min

1996's Independence Day (ID4) is, in my opinion, an undeniably flawed, but hugely entertaining blockbuster. Whereas previous ground breaking blockbusters like Jaws and Star Wars offered escapist entertainment with complex characters and haute tension, ID4 simplified everything down to a point that can be described as safe escapist entertainment with oodles of comedic relief and special effects galore. Although ID4 features some fairly solid filmmaking courtesy of director Roland Emmerich, he still cannot match the likes of Steven Spielberg or George Lucas, as he seems to only use his characters as conduits for stories about worldwide destruction. Ever since Emmerich began his fetish for destruction with ID4, he has always challenged himself as to how much destruction he can depict within his films. From Godzilla, to The Day After Tomorrow, to 2012, to White House Down, Emmerich has always been obsessed with disaster epics.

But Independence Day: Resurgence (ID4:R) represents a new low for Emmerich, a filmmaker who used to be somewhat reliable as far as blockbuster devastation came. Not only is the sequel more ridiculous and absurd than the previous, but it fails to deliver the believable character relationships and affective pacing that makes the original still so affective to this day. There's no denying it, the original ID4 is an iconic film, based mainly upon its destructive imagery, but also upon its ability to make stars out of its actors. Whether you want to admit it or not, ID4 was the biggest film of 1996, and one that is still celebrated every Fourth of July. But let me tell you, no one is going to be celebrating ID4:R ever, let alone remembering it even came out by next month. ID4:R might as well be the biggest budgeted SyFy Channel television movie ever made, as it features the horrendous plotting and inept character work of their low budget turds. Coupled along with some absurd science fiction imagery and laughable green screens that will make anyone snicker in their seat, ID4:R is one of the laziest sequels ever to be produced by a major Hollywood studio.

I wish we lived in a world where we could shrug off damage like this like it's nothing.

If you've seen the posters or the trailers, I don't even need to tell you what happens next. But alas, I will. Since the previous alien invasion of 1996 (they even refer to it as the War of '96 in a desperate effort to expand the ID4 mythos), Earth has settled its differences to unify together and prepare for a possible response attack from the aliens. Twenty years later, Earth has harnessed the aliens' technology to create weapons and vehicles in preparation for their eventual return. They even created a base on the moon in order to spot them as soon as they arrive. When the aliens do arrive, which is more of an expected story beat and hardly a surprise to any one at all (it's almost as if they've read the script), they arrive in only one ship this time with a far simpler and like minded purpose, drill to the center of the Earth in order to absorb the Earth's molten energy and leave it for dead. But these aliens messed with the wrong planet! Because we've got Will Sm...Jessie Usher! And we won't go down without a fight!

Independence Day: Resurgence is this year's Terminator: Genisys, a long delayed sequel to a generation defining franchise that pales in comparison to its predecessor and proves that certain intellectual properties (IP) are no longer as "cool" as they used to be. But while the Terminator series has slowly but surely pumped out a sequel every eight or so years, thereby keeping it somewhat relevant and within the public conscious, ID4:R arrives a whopping twenty years after the original film. While there has always been talk of a sequel, the amount of time that has passed since the first film had always convinced people that a sequel would never get made and that ID4 would always be a fun one-off in which the world triumphs over generic alien invaders. But lo and behold, Hollywood's desperation for marketable brand name and recognizable IP can make anything happen. When one looks at 20th Century Fox's lack of successful franchises and Emmerich's previous flop White House Down, ID4:R sure seemed like a safe sequel to green light in order to ensure both the studio and filmmakers' liveliness. Unfortunately, Fox and Emmerich will have to learn the hard way that previously successful IP's are no longer the box office juggernauts that they used to be. Not only does an Independence Day sequel released within 2016 scream "desperate," but also "lame."

Jeff Goldblum and Baby Thor stare in awe at the aliens.

The poster's tagline, "We had twenty years to prepare. So did they," might as well state, "We had twenty years to prepare for this sequel. This is all we could come up with," because ID4:R is essentially ID4 all over again but with less imagination and humanity. It's almost shocking that the film has a whopping five (!) credited screenwriters, and that two of those screenwriters are actually characters within the film! Who the heck are these guys and why is Emmerich giving them the time of day like this? Anyways, ID4:R also shares the same flaws as this year's absymal, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in that the film takes no time to introduce its characters or bother with exposition. It simply throws you right into the mix and expects you to accept everything as it is. While ID4 is regarded as a science fiction film, the only science fiction aspects are the invading aliens. Everything else is fairly real world and grounded in how our planet would react to such an attack. However, ID4:R's future world is quite shocking, as the entire planet is now entirely sci-fi based, thereby removing all similarities to real life or even the original film. To simply throw the viewer into such a world, barely give them an update, and hope they accept it without asking any questions, is not only world shaking, but dare I say, even comical.

After watching both ID4 and ID4:R within close proximity to each other, I realized just how well made the original ID4 is. For starters, ID4:R has a major pacing issue, as every plot point, character moment, and action beat is utterly rushed to the point where it almost feels shocking how quickly the scenes transition with one another. What's that? You were just starting to enjoy the level of destruction the alien ship was causing on Earth? Too bad, we're moving on. What's that? You want to lament the death of that character? Too bad, we're moving on. When I first saw that the sequel was only two hours long, a whopping twenty five minutes shorter than the original, I let out a sigh of relief for its somewhat brief run time. But alas, it turns out that all of that missing screen time was necessary in order to provide the film with its much needed build up. 

Speaking of build up, ID4:R has none of it. Much the same way that the film throws the viewer into its world with nary any exposition, the aliens show up and are physically presented on the screen as if it were no big deal. It's a shame, because the original film had such excellent build up and treated the aliens as if they were these awe-inspiring and menacing creatures instead of just the lifeless computer generated presence that they are in the sequel. This brings up another problem, in that the aliens are computer generated (CG) throughout the entire film. Besides one practical shot of an alien's foot (Oh Emmerich, you spoil us), the aliens are always CG and always bland. They're simply, well, there.

Another problem with the sequel is that there are simply too many characters and sub-plots to do justice within a two hour run time. ID4 already flirted with this issue, having a plethora of characters without much to do and an entire sub-plot involving Randy Quaid's character that only pays off at the film's end. However, ID4:R kicks this flaw into overdrive, with not only all of the returning cast members, but also far too many inconsequential and flat characters, especially the two who are also screenwriters. It would take a long long time for me to write about every single one of these characters, as there are a lot, but I'll single out a few who are deserved of praise. The only actors who come out of the picture unschated are Jeff Goldblum and Brent Spiner, who are both returning players. While every other actor, including the filmmakers themselves, play the film extremely straight and take the subject matter way too seriously, Goldblum and Spiner seem to understand the ridiculousness of it all and play the picture with a bubbly and joyous energy that is absent in everyone else. Star Trek: Next Generation fans will be pleased to see Spiner score more screen time here than even in the original.

Come on! How can you not laugh at this!

Many people have pointed out that without Will Smith, who is sorely missed, the sequel lacks a "cool" and relatable human character to ground and carry the adventure with. While this is entirely true, it seems that Liam Hemsworth's character is apparently Emmerich's replacement for this likable human lead. I enjoy his tie to the former President's daughter, which thereby ties him to Bill Pullman and the original picture, but Hemsworth is as flat and generic as they come. Even the President's daughter, played by Maika Monroe, who was excellent in two of contemporary indie horror's greatest films, The Guest and It Follows, comes off especially flat. Seriously, there isn't a single interesting human character in this film, let alone a likable or believable relationship to go along with said characters. It's a shame that Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch's characters, who are father and son, are kept separated until the very end, because their relationship produces a few honest to goodness laughs towards the end that breathes some much needed life into an otherwise bland sequel.

By the way, character deaths are borderline comical. Two major characters, who shall remained unnamed, are killed off so quickly and suddenly, that I honestly couldn't believe how blatant their deaths were. However, Emmerich makes sure to give Spiner's lab assistant friend significant mourning time right after his death. You know, because he was such a lovable character in the first place. Overall, don't come to ID4:R expecting good character work, because it's non-existent.

The original ID4 won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects, and deservedly so. The reason ID4 won an award and is so fondly remembered is because it combined every special effects technique possible to great effect. The film's alien ships, aliens, and explosive devastation was depicted not only through CG effects, which were just taking over Hollywood in the 90s, but also animatronics, miniatures, and practical costumes. ID4 was the final dying breath of classic special effects work. Which now brings me to ID4:R, a film entirely devoid of the creativity and ingenuity found in the original. Not only are all of the aliens and ships CG, but terrible green screens permeate many shots. The digital and nonsensical destruction is so over the top and artificial, that there is no possible way that me or any viewer could possibly take the damage seriously. One shot (pictured above) in which Dubai's the Burj flies through the air and lands in London is near tear inducing. It's one of the funniest things that I have seen all year.

"Earth is not for the taking!"

Overall, there are no surprises here. Besides a second alien species that shamelessly sets up a sequel (which I somewhat want because it will be absurd) and a finale in which a giant alien queen chases Goldblum and friends around in a bus (no joke), everything is as expected. The only time the film becomes fresh and watchable is when it steers away from the boring "been there done that" territory of the original for a ridiculous finale in which a giant alien queen runs around with a laser gun. Although I tore ID4:R to shreds, it is without a doubt one of the most enjoyably schlocky blockbusters to come along in a long time. Nowadays, with how horrendous blockbusters tend to be, simply being not boring is an achievement in and of itself. But in all seriousness, this is not a good sequel, nor a good movie. I recommend getting drunk or getting a group of friends together to laugh at it, but otherwise, look elsewhere for legitimate sci-fi entertainment, because you won't find it here.

Rating: 3/10 - Although devoid of creativity, utterly rushed, and over stuffed with more characters than an ensemble romantic comedy, ID4:R is laughable science fiction schlock from beginning to end.

Franchise:
Independence Day (Roland Emmerich, 1996)
Independence Day: Resurgence (Roland Emmerich, 2016)