Independence Day: Resurgence

The tagline of this one certainly doesn't do it any favors...

"We had twenty years to prepare. So did they."

So...if we had twenty years to create this sequel, or at least be thinking about it, this is the best we could come up with?

Independence Day: Resurgence is an example of a checkbox sequel; one that makes sure to mimic all the things that made the first one great and either do them again, or one-up them. Even the title is a cliche-ridden drag and could easily have been replaced with Independence Day: Revenge or Independence Day: Awakening or something of the sort. 

It's unfortunate too because there's some great new material in the mildly entertaining film that is apparently being put off for a sequel while this "sequel" basically acts as a remake and reboot. 

The twenty years has not been kind to the concept of this film as I think one of the main things Resurgence suffers from is it's too late. What could have been a tentpole summer sequel a decade or so ago is now only mildly exciting those who crave for nostalgia. The thing is though, is that we now live in a world of new Star Wars films, the grandiose Marvel universe, and a handful of iconic Christopher Nolan films, among others. What was blowing audiences' minds in 1996 doesn't necessarily mean it will do the same thing in 2016, not even if you make the spaceship X amount of times larger. Maybe we're spoiled now? Who knows. But I know a lazy sequel when I see one and that's precisely what Resurgence is. 

"Wait. Are you guys sure that a sequel is a good idea?"

"Oh my God. He's right. This was a bad idea."

As I've said before, lazy does not always equal bad, and that's the case here. There are a few things to like about this new Independence Day and overall it's somewhat entertaining. For starters, as is with most Roland Emmerich films, the destruction special effects are grand. He likes to beg the question of "What would this look like if it were really happening?" and often responds with some terrifying but tantalizing images. For example, seeing the Burj Dubai, needle down, crushing into the streets of London is pretty fantastical, but also slightly awesome. There are some competent action sequences, but nothing you'll remember by end of year. I liked some of the new characters as well and I think that this is probably Liam Hemsworth's best "audition" at a leading man role that he's had thus far in his career. His character, Jake, is your typical hero, but Hemsworth doesn't stumble while playing him. The rest of the cast is forgettable aside from Jeff Goldblum who gets paid here to play...well, Jeff Goldblum. There's also a plot element that I really enjoyed -- I won't ruin it here, but it really expands the scope of everything and makes the series much more interesting. It's just a shame that they're saving it for the sequel because it's only skirted with here. 

The rest of the film though is just a bit of a tragic slog of a hollow attempt to recapture some movie magic from two decades ago. The pacing is really off, the entire plot is about as predictable as they come, and there are too many characters to ever care deeply about any of them. The film's biggest fault, at least in my eyes, was how horribly it managed tracking all these characters and cutting between them. Cuts between what different characters are doing are so poorly managed I half expected someone to be cut away from mid-sentence at some point. And if we're being honest, half the cast included here is only there for that nostalgic feeling and aren't necessary. Vivica A. Fox, I'm looking at you. So as we meander through the plot that's almost exactly the same as the first, it becomes apparent that this is going to play out the exact same except with the mantra of "bigger is better" included. As many movie goers know, bigger is not always better and that seems to be the case here as we're left with a sequel to an iconic film that I'll barely remember come Sunday evening. 

"This sequel was a very bad idea!!"

You're likely to see a worse film at some point this year. Resurgence still has its merits, and if they actually care about making a sequel, it has a ton of potential. But it's clear that this film, one which was given twenty years to broil, simmer, rise, [whatever other cooking metaphor here], was a cash grab. A visually stimulating and here-and-there entertaining one, but a cash grab nonetheless. 

Here's hoping that the sequel is something with a little more heart and a little more special. 

CONS:

• Awful, awful pacing and tracking of characters. There are too many to begin with and the film tries to be interested in all of them at once. The result is a sporadic and ADD edited film that switches from character to group to different character at the drop of a dime
• Essentially a remake of the original but in this day and age, it's all been seen and done before
• Often really stilted dialogue
• Highly forgettable

PROS:

• The scenes of destruction are large-scale and look great
• Hosts some competent and entertaining action sequences
• Liam Hemsworth proves he could *most likely* lead a film
• Jeff Goldblum being Jeff Goldblum
• The plot detail that expands this universe immensely is very interesting and could prove to result in a very worthy sequel

Rath's Review Score 5.5/10