INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE

2016 | DIR. ROLAND EMMERICH | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

Two thoughts came to mind while watching INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE. The first was “I can't believe it's been 20-years since the first movie” and the second was “Whoa. This is fucking shit!”... and to be honest that's about all that needs to be said. But for the sake of integrity I will elaborate a little more.

The original film was far from a masterpiece, but it was a grand spectacle nonetheless (and still a pleasure to revisit to every now and then). The effectiveness of the story was its contemporary setting where the world as we knew it was under threat. The first fundamental mistake that this new sequel makes is it's depiction of the world. Following the events of the first movie Earth now sits on an alternative timeline. Human technology is fused with alien technology and the global community is united as one. Several planets within the solar system have been colonised and spacecrafts litter skyline. The world presented in the film is so far removed from that of the original story that it immediately severs the emotional connection from the audience.

Twenty-years have passed and peace on Earth has prevailed. The human race is exploring the depths of space and alien technology has been applied to better the existence of mankind. That is until the extra-terrestrial villains return in a spacecraft that envelopes a quarter of the globe. Enter Jeff Goldblum with that brain of his and we're presented with a movie that mirrors the original while casting a skewed reflection.

The one virtue of RESURGENCE is the casting. Aside from Will Smith the original cast of the has been reunited and its strangely satisfying seeing them return. Their age adds creditability to the film where it wouldn't otherwise exist. With most of them having dropped off the Hollywood map in recent years it's not surprising that they all agreed to climb back on board. Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner, Sela Ward, Judd Hirsch, Vivia A Fox and Robert Loggia reprise their roles with Ward, Fox and Loggia occupying minimal screen time (a day or two on-set at the most). Of course they're joined by a band of young hot-shots - lead by Liam Hemsworth - as well as a few welcome new players including William Fichtner and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

What's left to say? INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE is a long-winded exercise in excess. It's mind-numbingly boring and downright tedious. The script is awful with terrible expositions and stagnant dialogue. The special effects are occasionally impressive, but self indulgent, and director Roland Emmerich and his SFX team fail to improve on the work they created 20-years ago. In fact the end scenes of the movie offer some of the worst green-screen effects I have seen in ages. For a film of its magnitude (and budget) you'd expect more than poorly lit actors superimposed on images that are out of scale and out of focus.

So... have I elaborated enough? Or was “Whoa, this is fucking shit!” sufficient?