Confession No. 14: I HATED the New Independence Day

Confession Time: I love a good, mindless movie. 

Bad sci-fi? Check! Corny dialogue? Check! Anything that calls for a bucket of double butter popcorn and my favourite tradition of yelling when characters make terrible decisions? Check!

The original Independence Day was perfect in this regard. It's sequel? Not so much. Here's why Independence Day: Resurgence belongs to the newest genre of poorly made sequels raking in the big bucks thanks to its famous predecessor.

Synopsis:

We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defence program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Scores:

31%

Rotten Tomatoes Audiences Scores:

30%

My Score:

1.5/5

What I Enjoyed:

• The film is undeniably visually impressive. The majority of the budget obviously went towards ensuring this otherwise entirely mediocre sequel outdid its predecessor. However, in saying that, the visual spectacles the film provided are what viewers expect from movies nowadays, and lacking any kind of emotional conviction or vaguely feasible plot it wasn’t enough to give it the appeal of the original film.

What I Didn’t:

• As above – the film lacked any emotional conviction and the unadulterated joy of harmless, weightless pop cinema that was evident in the original.
• There were more cliches than original dialogue. The final straw for me was the revelation that Liam Hemsworth’s character’s motivation to join the fight was the original alien invasion’s responsibility for the death of his parents. The almost forgivable complete and utter embracing of cliche from the original film was nowhere to be found here; Independence Day Resurgence attempts to carry itself with the weight of a seriously emotionally tolling film while delivering lines such as “you’re the closest thing I have to family”.
• The first forty-five minutes of this film were a virtual roll call of famous faces, with the only exception from the original cast being Will Smith. This is perhaps what’s most lacking; Will Smith’s unique brand of humour that was undoubtedly a significant contributing factor to the success of the original.

Overall:

The term “sequelitis” is what springs to mind immediately.

If what you’re looking for are spectacular visuals and a lack of any other redeemable features, Independence Day Resurgence is for you. While there is a time and a place for watching a movie just to see things go boom, there’s no time and place for this film. You’d be best off watching the original Independence Day, which is where Resurgence finds itself in a catch 22 situation. Without the original film, there wouldn’t be an ounce of the traction this originally received at the box office, but it's impossible to watch without thinking of the original.