Movie: Independence Day: Resurgence Director: Roland Emmerich Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Bill Pullman, Vivica A Fox Rating: 2/5 |
When I first watched Independence Day, it was in a ramshackle theatre far removed from the plush multiplexes I'm currently attuned to. The sound system, though the stickers labelled Dolby Surround, was suspect. 3D was as foreign a concept as a seat that wasn't ripped and had a shaky armrest.
None of that mattered, though. I still remember how my friend dived for cover when they began dissecting the slimy, tentacled alien. There were also more than a few slightly teary-eyed folks, dabbing at the corners of their eyes as Bill Pullman delivered his whole 'We will not go down into the night....yada yada yada...Independence Day' speech.
I have to admit. It was the benchmark of a great movie for years to come.
It was that kind of movie.
Which is why I'm sorely disappointed as I sit here, two hours out of Independence Day: Resurgence, mulling over what I've just sat through. Overdone with aliens and underdone with human relationships, Independence Day: Reseurgence is nothing short of a blot on Roland Emmerich's 1996 blockbuster.
As much as I (and I suspect a whole lot of others) loved the first film for it's path-breaking special effects and sheer big ticket moments, it was the people and their intricate relationships, their survival, their journeys, that made the movie epic. Jeff Goldblum (as David Levinson) and his rekindled romance with Mae Whitman. His frustaration at having an unabashedly Jewish dad in Judd Hirsch. His underlying jealousy of Bull Pullman as the President who flies jets like a boss. And Will Smith, who marries his girlfriend Jasmine, before they go on to save the world.
Independence Day 2 is a film that has almost none of that. And whatever little it does manage to pack in, is lost in a series of convoluted sub-plots and a whole lot of unnecessary alien jets flying around. The first movie was also cohesive, a characteristic that's missing in this choppy, disconnected swquel. And that's precisely why it's unwatchable for any 90's kid, or older. It's sacilege.
Here's the plot in a hurry:
— Humans have set up an Earth Space Defense corps with outsposts on the Moon, Mars and god knows where else. They fly planes that can go practically anywhere and would put SpaceX out of business
— They have lasers that the aliens left behind. They also have a whole bunch of aliencs imprisoned at Area 51. Their diet and recreational habits are undisclosed
— The aliens come back. They have a bigger, uglier ship with a bigger, uglier leader called the Queen. She wants to suck our core out. Period
— The aliens leech on to Earth and destroy cities in seconds. Several scenes that look like they've been dubsmashed from Aliens V Predator, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow follow
— Humans reassemble, come up with an admittedly Hail Mary plan to take out the Queen and la-dee-da....Roadmap to a third movie
On some level, it does appear that Roland Emmerich may have gotten so far stretched with the new script, that he decided to throw in plot points and scenes from the first movie — just to get movie buffs and nostalgia nuts going. But the new set of actors, (or should I say young?), are just too insipid to capitalise on that. Jessie Usher (as stepson Dylan Hillard) isn't a patch on Will Smith's Steven Hillard. He has no wise-cracks, none of the Smith swag and barely talks when he flies. I mean, WHAT?
The only upside is that the original cast, though relegated to playing second fiddle, manages to make an impression. Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, in particular, add a few nice touches towards the end that remind you of why we loved the first instalment. The VFX-drawn battle scenes, though annoying in the context of the film, are impressive by themselves. The original David Arnold sountrack recreates some magic again.
If anything, this movie serves as a reminder that it's been a while since I've seen Independence Day. Since Star Movies hasn't been as obliging with their reruns these days, peraps it's time to dust that old DVD out again. That'll help get over the headache caused by this gargantuan waste of a sequel.
It also makes me wonder.
They had 20 years to prepare. Is this the best they could come up with?