"Independence Day" has become a modern-day classic since its release in 1996. With just the right combination of action, destruction and humour, the film made huge money upon its release and was considered the definitive blockbuster of a generation. The sequel "Independence Day: Resurgence" has been in development for the past two-decades however despite the goodwill displayed to its predecessor, Resurgence has not been very highly anticipated. A number of factors, such as the dropping out of Will Smith and the general apprehension of audiences to sequels, have heavily contributed to this, however things seemed to go from bad to worse when it was revealed that the film would not be released for critics before its release. This is an unprecedented move, especially in modern day Hollywood, and led me to entering the cinema with my expectations significantly lowered.
As it turns out, Independence Day: Resurgence is not the complete train-wreck that many expected, however it is far from perfect. The loss of Will Smith does hurt the film, as his naturally charisma and likability would have bolstered this story when it really mattered. His character's legacy is carried on by his son, played by Jessie Usher. Usher does nothing with this part, his charisma and screen presence being completely non-existent throughout. His character was boring and unnecessary, and the screen-time he takes up would have better used in the more competent hands of Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth. Hemsworth has the potential to be a bankable leading man and he once again does a fine job here, though it is beyond me why they will not let him speak in his natural Australian accent. The rest of the cast is fine, however the film was stuffed with so many characters, both new and old, that no-one got the screen-time they truly deserved (cough cough Bill Pullman) nor did many manage to make their performances stand out. No-one apart from Mr Jeff Goldblum. Ok, maybe Brent Spiner, but let's focus on Jeff Goldblum. What a man he is. Jeff Goldblum is an actor who could read you the phone-book and still make it entertaining. In a film where too many of the cast seemed to either take it too seriously or didn't really care, Goldblum is clearly having a lot of fun. He is beautifully over-the-top and his line delivery is so unique, yet when called upon he is by far one of the best serious dramatic actors on the planet. The Pennsylvania native steals every scene he is in, and this should serve as an example to studios of how he can instantly improve whatever he is in (#JurassicPark). Without him this film could have been a lot worse so I think that Jeff Goldblum deserves a lot of credit for the work he does here.
The CGI work in this film is mostly very good. While not as groundbreaking as the previous instalment (the effects of Independence Day still hold up today) Resurgence does have a lot to offer in terms of realistic looking action and mass-destruction. Indeed, I would actual argue that more focus should have been paid to these destructive moments. Independence Day made a name for itself not because of its dramatic merit but purely because it blew up big landmarks and featured a lot of fun chaotic action. This film should have took itself for what it was: a fun summer popcorn disaster flick. Instead it tries to squeeze in character building moments and a ton of needless exposition, but this is not what Independence Day is all about. It's not something I say very often, but giving the disaster aspect of this movie more respect would have benefitted the product as a whole.
I think ultimately the problem I had with this movie was how hit-and-miss it was. For every good or surprising plot development (such as the revelation that there was an intergalactic consortium fighting against this hostile species of alien invaders) something really stupid would happen (such as Judd Hirsch riding a school-bus full of children into Area 51). For every great character (we simply need a Predator-style spin-off showing the guerrilla warfare waged between DeObia Oparei and the aliens) we get an absolute stinker (God knows what Ryan Cartwright was doing here). And for every-time I thought that the film had really sold me on its destructive quality (the destruction of London in particular was a highlight) it brought me back to something completely unnecessary and boring (Vivica A. Fox, why were you even here?) This made for a frustrating watch and served to consistently take me out of the movie. Director Rolland Emmerich is known for making disaster movies, so I have no idea why he took the gamble here of trying to weave needless and unwanted drama into a movie that should have just been sheer fun.
Overall, Independence Day: Resurgence is not bad. The CGI is good, the audio work is tremendous and it's great to see Jeff Goldblum back on the big-screen after a few baron years. Yet, the film ultimately suffers from not knowing what it is and in taking itself too seriously at times. The first Independence Day was a fun and mindless disaster movie with tons of swagger and charisma. I think ultimately the filmmakers forgot that in making Resurgence. In saying all this, it does have its good moments and if you go in knowing what to expect then I believe you will get your money's worth.
Score: 6.5/10
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