Plot
Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?
Release Year: 2016
Rating: 5.9/10 (7,058 voted)
Critic's Score: 32/100
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman
Storyline
We always knew they were coming back. After 'Independence Day' redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense 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.
Writers: Nicolas Wright, James A. Woods
Cast: Liam Hemsworth -
Jake Morrison
Jeff Goldblum -
David Levinson
Jessie T. Usher -
Dylan Hiller
Bill Pullman -
President Whitmore
Maika Monroe -
Patricia Whitmore
Sela Ward -
President Lanford
William Fichtner -
General Adams
Judd Hirsch -
Julius Levinson
Brent Spiner -
Dr. Brakish Okun
Patrick St. Esprit -
Secretary of Defense Tanner
Vivica A. Fox -
Jasmine Hiller
Angelababy -
Rain Lao
Charlotte Gainsbourg -
Catherine Marceaux
Deobia Oparei -
Dikembe Umbutu
Nicolas Wright -
Floyd Rosenberg
Taglines:
We had twenty years to prepare. So did they.
Trivia:
The length of the massive circumference of the alien craft spaceship spans an amazing 3000 mile wide width. See more »
Goofs:
In the first movie it was implied that the aliens were an entire civilisation moving from planet to planet then they were obliterated. In this movie we hear that was just one of many Mother Ships that were destroyed. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 5/10
I recently re-watched the first film and was surprised at how robust
its shelf life is. Again, it is undeniably cheesy and jingoistic, but
done suitably well, I can have a ball with any material. In
"Independence Day: Resurgence", set and finally released 20 years after
the events of the first film, the aliens get medieval on us with an
even bigger mothership.
There's a lot of heroics here by many a character who do their equal
part to stop this new alien menace, having already made a stuffed
calzone of the Earth's crust comprising from London all the way to
Singapore. There's also a refreshingly silly undertone which sets it
apart from the grim and serious blockbusters of today, and with added
Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch who return as the Levinsons, and "Star
Trek" alumnus Brent Spiner as the eccentric Dr. Okun, Emmerich and his
co-writers, including returning scribe Dean Devlin, certainly did not
skimp out on the comic silliness.
Unfortunately, that is where the similarities end. The sins of
sequelitis has been bestowed upon this sequel to his 1996 smash hit,
and Emmerich is to blame, either for his laziness to phone it in out of
frustration to fulfill the fans; or bucking in to studio demand to
condense the film into a mere 2 hours. Sure, lots of things happen in
the film, including stuff and cities going kablooey in high style, and
high-tech aerial dogfights to give "Star Wars" a run for its money.
Even Liam Hemsworth as the new hero Jake Morrison did not annoy me as
much as I expected, though Hemsworth is still a far cry from Will
Smith's "Elvis has left the building!" persona.
However, as slick as the modern CGI is, giving a sleeker look to the
tech shown in the original film, it never quite gels together as a
cohesive film - no momentum, no suspense, no catharsis when it does
end. Bill Pullman's returning ex-President Thomas Whitmore is utterly
wasted, as per his daughter Patricia (Maika Monroe, not doing her rep
from "It Follows" any favours). It is not their fault; I feel that
there is a lot of footage Emmerich was forced to excise by the Fox
bigwigs to get more butts into cinema seats. Perhaps an extra half-
hour of more cataclysmic destruction and character motives, but I may
be asking for a bit too much at this point.
Things are very rushed indeed, with no payoff even when there's lots of
characters doing their fair share to save the day. Goldblum and Hirsch,
however, are still naturals, and they steal every scene they're in, and
lift the movie up from near tediousness. Nevertheless, the special
effects are fantastic, and are most certainly worth the price of
admission alone.
It's kind of sad. This new one promotes global equality, with a female
U.S. President (Sela Ward) celebrating world peace, and with everyone
from across the globe giving it their all to kick E.T.'s ass. The
action is fine and dandy without any of those annoying shaky-cam and
quick-cut edits. And yet, the film suffers from awkward pacing, rushed
dynamics, and especially a lack of cities exploding into fireballs. It
even has sequel-teasing in the laziest manner possible in its final
moments.
To quote Marvin the Martian, "Where's the kaboom? There's supposed to
be an Earth-Shattering Kaboom!"
0