It has been 20 years since aliens tried to invade Earth and destroy all life.  The nations of Earth have united and formed the Earth Defense Force using alien technology as they are trying to be ready for the next alien invasion.   Area 51 is the headquarters of the ESD.  Many of the members of the old cast (except Will Smith) have returned along with some new cast members including Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Sela (as the President of the United States), and William Fictner (as a general in the ESD).  Jeff Goldbulm, Brent Spiner, and Bill Pullman shine with the material given to them in the movie while Judd Hirsch and Vivica A. Fox seem unnecessary and do nothing to further the central plot.  Charlotte Gainsbourg holds her own as an old on and off love interest of David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum).   The aliens return with a 3000 mile long ship which would cause lots of weather and tidal changes on Earth (and not just the gravity of the ship causing entire cities to be lifted up and dropped back down in pieces. 

 

The new cast leads like Liam Hemsworth and Jessie Usher are knida wasted in a movie like this with the inferior sequel script.   Dean Devlin and Ronald Emmerich are more interested in providing decent material for the original cast than the new cast. INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESUREGENCE isn’t a classic blockbuster like the first INDEPENDENCE DAY.  Instead the sequel delivers a rushed plot with more absurd action sequences without the fun.  The humor is great in this movie (Brent Spiner is fun in this movie with his crazy scientist out of a coma routine) and this sequel even sets things up for a sequel.   However if you want a summer popcorn film to entertain you, I recommend you wait to rent this sequel and go watch the original superior INDEPENDENCE DAY which Dean Devlin and director Ronal Emmerich should have studied more at what made their earlier work such a fun experience instead of the rush plodding absurd mess they decided to deliver as a sequel.  I hope they don’t bring the same kind of lackluster shine when they remake STARGATE.

 

This review is ©6-29-2016 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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