As far as I know, there was no great demand for a sequel to
“Independence Day” and what with the many financial successes in his past, I
can’t imagine that its director Roland Emmerich is in need of money. Which leaves me asking, “Why was
“Independence Day: Resurgence” made?”
It’s likely that you’ll be asking the same thing if you have the
misfortune of sitting through this bloated, misguided attempt to catch sci-fi
lightening in a bottle once more.
That Will Smith declined to be in this follow-up to the film
that made him a star tells you has not only good taste but also has far better
movies to make. That nearly the rest of
the cast from the previous installment are on board speaks to their prospects
or lack there of. Seems one of the alien
craft that was left on Earth from the previous attack has suddenly come to life
and Dr. David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) quickly determines that this is a
distress signal calling for help. Yep, the aliens are coming again and they
mean business as they show up with a ship that’s 3,000 miles wide. (Stop and
think just how stupid that is…)
Much like President Lanford (Sela Ward, who has my vote
should she ever decide to run), you know the drill. Fighter pilots from Earth are sent to repel
the attack, they don’t fare very well at the beginning, global destruction
ensues and a plan that’s the longest of long shots that just…might…work is put
into play.
Believe me, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before,
except perhaps an alien that’s about five stories tall that gallops like a
horse. I’m not kidding. This film is loud, directionless, confused
and nonsensical, all of which I might be able to forgive as the same complaints
could be leveled against the first “Independence Day.” The difference is, that film was done with
conviction as the cast created a sense of urgency where none exists here. There
isn’t a single thing of interest in this overwrought cash-grab though it did
leave one interesting question unanswered. Just how did Vivica A. Fox’s
stripper character become a hospital administrator? Now that’s a movie I’d like to see.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 6, 2016.
